《? Prince》 Volume 1 Chapter 1 Volume 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: The Birth of a Prince C tranted by Erialis It is the year 2100 AD. As a result of technological advancements C such as the advent of virtual reality, and the creation of sleep-based game machines C online gaming has rapidly developed over the years. Thus, the realism of online games has increased from 50%...60%...70%...to 80%. The current market is dominated by two MMO giants CThe World and Life C both of which have achieved a realism level of 85%. With over 80% of the human poption making up the number of yers, the first thing that anyone asks of a new acquaintance is, Are you from The World or Life? However, things have begun to change. The worldsrgest technologypany has caused a huge stir with its revtion: after ten years of research, they have created Second Life, thetest game with a realism level of 99%. And now the entire world waits with bated breath... Online, in The World... Bro, look, what do you think this is? I, Feng Xiao Xiao, raised the Blue River Goddess wand, showing it off to my younger twin brother. Haha! With a magic power of 102, and the property of raising the power of ice-based attacks by 20%, the Blue River Goddess was definitely a mages treasure. It had taken quite a bit of effort to wheedle my husband into buying it. The Blue River Goddess? What the heck, Sis; doesnt this wand cost a hundred thousand gold? Where did you get the money? Did you win the lottery or something? Feng Wu Qing C who happened to be my real life younger brother C asked, staring at the wand in my hand. My husband gave it to me, obviously, I replied smugly, still showing off. Another gift from my brother-inw... It must be nice to be a woman, with equipment delivered to your doorstep automatically, and no need to work hard for it on your own, Feng Wu Qing muttered. What did you say?! My eyebrows furrowed as I focused. A bolt of ice C a mid-level spell C flew towards him. Being a warrior, Feng Wu Qings magical resistance was insubstantial. His HP instantly decreased by half. Considering that the amount of pain felt in-game was only 20% of what one would feel in reality, this ice bolt would probably have been about as painful as being cut with a kitchen knife. Wait, wouldnt that be...very painful?! I realized. Hey, that hurts like hell! Cut it out, will you? Seeing that hed lost half his health, Feng Wu Qing had no choice but to start gulping down health potions. Bitch... What... You dare to call me a bitch? Or I should say: If you C a mere level 95 warrior C dare to mouth off at me C a level 115 mage... You must want to DIE! Enraged, Ipletely forgot that the person before me was my brother and cast a high-level spell, sting him away with a blizzard. All of a sudden, I realized what I had done. Shit, Wu Qing couldnt have died now, could he? Urgh... From the sound of my brothers pitiful groan, it must have hurt really badly... Sorry, Bro. Damn bitch, crazy woman, stupid Sis! Are you trying to kill me?! Feng Wu Qing wheezed, lying on the ground in half-dead state. Seeing that he was still alive, I felt ovee with relief. Who told you to call me a bitch? Besides, your level and equipment are too pathetic, if you copse after a mere bolt of ice and a blizzard. I could just step on you and youd have the fortune of bing the first warrior ever to be stomped to death by a mage. Seeing that Wu Qing was still alive, I couldnt resist mocking him further. Lying on the ground, Feng Wu Qing seemed to have been shamed into anger, for he answered coldly. Who wants to be as shameless as you?! Always asking guys to give you equipment or to help you level, always hiding at the back of a party, always ninja-ing the good loot... Itd be ridiculous if you were still low-level and wearing crap gear! Infuriated, I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I... I... feel a bit guilty... Seeing that I was speechless, Feng Wu Qing decided to rub salt in my wound. Being so blunt, is he really my brother? Im not done talking yet. You women only know how to beg others to give you gear and to help you level, always picking sses that will allow you to hide and gain experience from afar. I stamped my foot on the ground. Fine, why dont we reroll and see who levels up faster? Feng Wu Qing sneered. Forget it. Whats the point of rerolling? Brother-inw will still help you and there will still be a horde of guys who would power-level you and give you equipment. Thats because they want to, its got nothing to do with me! Then just dont ept it and train on your own! But itd be such a waste... I said in a small voice. Hmph! Feng Wu Qing looked at me coldly. I felt my anger rise, but just when I was about to open my mouth and continue arguing with him, an extremely fast boss fire monkey suddenly appeared from behind my brother. Rushing towards us at lightning speed, it struck my brothers head with a powerful blow. Could it be a grudge, I wondered... Stunned, I watched helplessly as my brother turned into a pir of light and shot off into the sky. After dying in the game, one would always turn into a pir of light and fly back to the rebirth point. Oh shit, my brother died... I was in deep trouble. ording to The Worlds sick rules, if killed by a mob, ones level would return to level one.He is so going to give me grief, I thought, breaking out into a cold sweat. I had clean forgotten, however, that the boss was still in front of me C except now I was a mage without a warrior for a meat-shield... Urgh... I, who had never died before, tasted death for the first time. So death feels this horrible... I hurriedly removed the game helmet and began to hurl. You died? I raised my head and saw my brother looking at me with an expression of iprehension. He had rushed over from his room in order to scold me for causing him to revert to level one, but now...he was still going to scold me anyway. You idiot! Why didnt you use a scroll of recall when you saw me die? I was too stunned to react when I saw you die! I looked at him miserably. How could I have known that in the few seconds that I froze up, that damn monkey boss and his monkey descendants would turn me into a pir of light in the blink of an eye? My bad for getting you killed... Forget it; after all, Im not going to y The World anymore. Huh? Youre not ying? Why? My little brother C I guess I should mention this: His name is Feng Yang Ming, and mine is Feng Lan C looked at me with an exasperated expression. Dont you know that Second Life ising out? Second Life? I repeated, confused. My brother immediately stared at me as though I was an idiot. Second Life is thetest virtual reality game, with a realism level of 99%. Its said that you can even feel the wind blowing on your face and hear the soft chirp of insects, to the point where it feels like youre in the real world. I frowned, my eyebrows furrowing. Then wouldnt it be really painful? If you get hurt... Gah! You women are always scared of pain. With a realism level of 99%, who gives a damn about the pain? That damn brother of mine looked at me with an irritatingly superior expression, and added, Dont worry, the pain felt has only been raised to 30%. I went, Oh, but still I couldnt help thinking, Hmph, to think that you were crying out from the pain just now. If theyd really raised the bar to 99%, I doubt you could still say that you dont give a damn about the pain! However, since Id only just gotten him killed, I didnt dare to make so much as a peep. So youre not ying The World anymore then? Please. Everyone whos ying The World and Life now is just waiting for Second Life toe out. Once Second Life is out, both The Worldand Life will probably just shut down! Then I guess Ill go y that too. A realism level of 99% did sound rather attractive and since I was going to have to retrain, I might as well start over in Second Life. Youre going to use that give me equipment and help me level skill again, huh. Now I was pissed off. Feng. Yang. Ming. Im warning you... This time Im definitely not going to get anyone to help me or give me equipment, so donteining to me if you level up slower than me. As if I would level up slower than you. We two siblings red lightning bolts at one another. I picked up the game cartridge, muttering darkly to myself. Stupid brother, Im so going to out-level you and Im going to leave you with absolutely no room toin. I jammed the game cartridge vengefully into the game helmet and nced at the clock. Seeing that it was time, I put the helmet on and was nning to rush straight into the game and train so fast that he couldnt even catch up. I had forgotten, however, that Id adjusted my clock to be five minutes earlier than the actual time, so that I would always be punctual for appointments...Why is it pitch ck? Just as my head was bursting with questions, a bright light flooded in before my eyes and an extraordinary beauty appeared before me. Hmph! Not another beauty! Its damn annoying! Dont these game developers know that girls also yputer games? Why dont they ever make some eye candy to wee us girls? Hello, and wee to Second Life. This is your first time ying, so please give us a moment to scan your body and record your vocal frequency. That way, you will be able to immediately enter the game once you put the game helmet on. I waited silently for the scanning process toplete. Right, now you may begin to create your character. Before you proceed, I must remind you that you will only have one chance to create a character. Once created, your race, name, and appearance cannot be changed. Then I cant recreate my character? Arent they overdoing it with such strict rules? In order to preserve the realism of Second Life, each person may only have one ount and one character, without exception. Then what happens if my character dies? Dont tell me that Ill never be able to y again...? If your character dies, you will be returned to the rebirth point. As a penalty, you will be demoted a level. What bizarre rules, I thought, dazed. Would you like to begin creating your character? Oh, sure. Begin! Please select a race. The ultra-beautiful NPC had barely finished speaking when the originally empty scene was suddenly filled with tons of seemingly living characters, all posing in front of me. The races ranged from humans, elves, dark elves, dwarves, demons, holymen, beastmen (sub-species included wolves, birds, wildcats, etc) to spirits (with ten sub-categories, including tree spirits, flower spirits, etc). My eyes began to spin. Good grief, what am I to do! And why is there such a wide variety of races? Seeing my overwhelmed expression, the gorgeous NPC kindly offered, Pick whichever race you like first; I will exin it to you. And take your time, since you wont get to reroll! I looked at the beauty gratefully; she suddenly seemed even lovelier than before... What are the racial characteristics for humans? Humans racial characteristic is their all-roundedness. For example, their physique may notpare to beastmen and their agility may notpare to elves, but their agility is higher than beastmen and their physique is stronger than that of elves. I see... Seeing that it was about the same as in other games, I began to fret. Since race is something that cannot be changed, I thought, what should I pick? This time I want to be a warrior, I thought, still provoked by my brothers words... That damn brother of mine, actually saying that I am scared of pain and only know how to hide! Just you wait and see; Ill y a warrior. From what Id heard, humans and beastmen were the best for this ss... In that case, can I see what Ill look like as a human and as a beast? It was never good to judge a book by its cover, but a girl couldnt help wanting to look pretty... Sure, said the beauty, and two versions of me appeared. As expected, the human me was much better looking, but just as I was about to say that I wanted to y as a human, my dratted brothers words came floating back into my head. Forget it, whats the point of rerolling? Brother-inw will still help you, and there will still be a horde of guys who would power-level you and give you equipment... Damn it, if I appeared before him looking all nice and pretty, he definitely wouldnt believe that I did all the hard work myself. With that thought, I blurted out on impulse, Could you make me more masculine? You want to be a guy? The beauty looked rather astonished and attempted to persuade me to recant my request. Youd better think this through carefully. You wont be able to change how you look. I began to waver... Plus girls have an easier time leveling up, with guys willing to help them and take care of them. Hearing that, I got even more pissed off. I dont care. Give me a moment. Ill need to talk this over with the higher-ups. With that, she suddenly froze, not moving so much as a muscle. So shes actually a GM...Her expression was so stiff that I actually mistook her for an NPC! After a while, the beauty moved again, and her expression was hesitant. Although the changing of gender is usually prohibited, you are the first yer ever to log on. Earlier we had decided to fulfill any request from the first yer, so long as it is reasonable, as a reward. As for your request... After discussing it, we have decided that since you will be the only exception, this should not affect the game. We will approve your request. Just as shed finished speaking, a handsome and noble-looking young man appeared before my eyes. Wow, how handsome! Looks like Im much more suited to being a man than a woman... You can choose to beautify or uglify yourself by 30%. I didnt even have to think about my answer. Beautify by 30%. An incredibly stunning young man immediately appeared before my eyes. This is me? Good lord, what an unbelievably gorgeous man...Salivating even as I looked at the male version of myself, I thought, if Im this good-looking as a human, then... I want to see myself as an elf. A slender, long-eared elf appeared before my eyes. Seeing that slender figure, together with that beautiful face with its delicate, gorgeous features... So handsome... The beautiful GM and I sighed lustily at the same time. Hey, will you consider going for a sex-change operation? If you be a guy, Ill definitely be your girlfriend, the GM couldnt resist saying. What am I supposed to say to something like that? Alright, then its decided. Itll be an elf! That wasnt methat was the beautiful GM. This... I said dazedly. But I want to be a warrior... Ha! Please, check out how handsome you are. It would practically be a sin against nature if you dont choose to be an elf. No matter what, you must be an elf. The beautiful GM was actually cajoling me... I could feel goosebumps all over. Looks like shes not thinking of me as a female anymore, I thought. But... Looking at the male version of myself standing before my eyes, it was just too gorgeous... Oh no, what if the only thing I want to do after logging in is stare at my own reflection? Then its decided. Do you want to change your hairstyle or height? Wait just a second, are you a GM or not? Youre deciding everything for me! Lets try changing it to blonde, I said helplessly. After two hours of arguing back and forth, we finally decided on the...appearance. The beautiful GM even managed to raise the amount of beautification to 40%, which left me wondering, is she really a GM or not? Looking at that ultra good-looking elf with a head of short, white hair, I figured that even in the game, the chance of me turning heads was still guaranteed to be 200%. Staring non-stop, my eyes turned into two hearts again. Good lord, does this count as being a narcissist? All done. Its perfect, Lolidragon said with an air of satisfaction. Lolidragon was the name of that beautiful GM... She even told me to PMher whenever I wanted. Please... Can we move on? Im probably the first person in history to spend over two hours and still not have finished creating a character. Then what do you want to be called? Im warning you, youre not allowed to use an awful-sounding name! ... Shes actually admonishing me? I was speechless. This is bad. Ive always used Feng Xiao Xiao as my name when ying, but it looks like I wont be able to this time. I guess Ill be Prince Charming. Lolidragon red at me. Way too tasteless. Absolutely no way. Then you trying up with a name. I rolled my eyes; just who was the one ying anyway? Well just get rid of the Charming and call you Prince! Okay, thats it for the name. Seeing the word Prince already floating above the male me, I was rendered speechless yet again. Which continent do you want to be born in? Theres the East, West, North, South and Central continents. Lolidragon said, beaming at me. Any one is fine... Alright then, youre ready to be born. As she finished her sentence, the young man in front of me suddenly lunged towards me. As soon as we merged together, I felt myself falling... Hey, wait a sec! Dont we have to distribute my skill points? I shouted. You obviously havent visited our official website. Skill points are randomly distributed. Also, remember to PM me, you hottie! If you PM me, Ill reward you! *Faint* Afternding at longst, I took a deep breath and instantly remembered the most urgent mission at hand C Mirror, wheres a mirror? I needed to check and see if I really was that good-looking. A hottie, hes so gorgeous! Hearing that, I turned to look, only to see a girl C with eyes that had turned into hearts C looking my way. Reflexively I looked left and right, thinking, Where? Wheres the hottie? I want to check him out too! Just as I was peering to my left and right, however, someone suddenly grabbed my hand. Whos this rude bugger? Doesnt he know that its forbidden for somebody to grab a girls hand whenever he pleases? I turned, ring daggers at whoever was looking for death... Whoops, its a really cute girl. My bad, I nearly mistook her for a pervert! Um, Ive only just started to y this game. Could you guide me? She fixed a hopeful gaze on me. Im also a first-timer, so Im afraid I wouldnt be of much help. The game has only been live for slightly over two hours, so how could there be anyone able to guide you? This girls meal-ticket-fishing skill still isnt quite up to par. Right now, she should be leveling up; to get a good husband, you must look cute, level up, and sweet-talk like a champion, wahahaha! (Feng Wu Qing: Believe me, all men in this world should stay away from my sis. She wont even spit your bones out when youre swallowed whole!) Then lets go train together, said the girl, trying to look as helpless as possible. I want to train together too! Me too! Wh-What is with this scene?! I looked at the horde of women. They all had a predatory gleam in their eyes, gazing at me as though they were hungry wolves looking at a piece of meat. Atst I understood how a steak must feel C Calm down, calm down! Women will want to maintain appearances; they definitely wont be like ravenous wolves lunging for a steak. Anyway, seeing how things are, I wont need to look for a mirror anymore. I already know I must be very good-looking. Taking a deep breath, I told myself, Im a guy now (Feng Wu Qing: Youre a tranny...). I must behave like a guy, although I really dont know how a guy would react at being looked at by a horde of women as though he were a piece of meat. Just then, I remembered my name C Prince. Since Im called Prince, I should conduct myself like a gentleman, for fear of tarnishing my name and appearance... And so, putting on my most dazzling smile and using the gentlest, warmest tone possible, I said, My apologies,dies, but Ive only just begun to y as well. I was just thinking of going to cut up some of the lowest-level monsters, like slimes... My god, hes so hot! As delighted squeals filled the air, there was a sudden movement and a girl rushed towards her steak C no, towards me C and sparked a chain reaction. Good god, when theres dozens of girls rushing towards you! What would a guy usually do? I dont know, but I... I want to RUN! He-e-elp! I cried as I turned on my heel and ran. Nearly an hourter, I found myself hiding in a tiny convenience shop. Terrified, I peeked carefully out the door, only to see the tiny newbie vige now crowded with tons of girls searching for me. Why were there so many girls? Id realized the answer even as I was dashing all over the vige earlier: This was an elven newbie vige, and girls were far more likely than guys to choose to y as an elf. May I ask what the customer is looking for? A voice suddenly rang out from behind me. I nced back. Good god, a woman! I was scared to the point of stering myself against the wall, yet the woman in front of me merely regarded me with curiosity, her face devoid of the faintest trace of adoration. ording to what I had observed earlier, ten out of ten women would be attracted to me, so the one standing before me could only be an NPC. I breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like theres nothing to be worried about! I nced at my surroundings and realized that this was in fact a pharmacy. No wonder theres nobody in here; theres probably nobody who would need to buy health potions yet, right? Hmm, its been three hours, but I still havent started training. My brother will probablyugh at me when I log offter... Seriously irked, I decided to get started with my training...but first, I would need to find out where to train. Miss, could you tell me where the best ce to train is? Hearing that, the female NPC realized that I wasnt a customer. Her face darkened and she answered with evident boredom, Right outside the entrance of the elven vige youll find man-eating slimes and green gnomes to fight. You wont be able to handle anything tougher. Seeing that dont bother me expression on her face, I felt the urge to turn away and just walk out, but I thought, It would be wiser not to simply step out of this shop, not with those girls prowling around outside. I had no choice but to will my face into a friendly expression and smile politely. Then may I ask if you know how to summon the system menu? I wanted to look at my stats. Just say system. Arent you able to figure out something that obvious...? You damn NPC, I thought, silently cursing her parents (The game designers?), but my expression didnt waver and I continued to smile politely. Thank you very much. Then I said, System, and my basic stats immediately became visible to my left eye. ... An elf with a strength of 10? Looks like even the heavens want me to be a warrior, and a violent one at that. ... My charisma sure is high, does it have anything to do with my looks? I suspect so... I breathed a sigh of relief. Since the upper limit of each skill was ten, it looked like my stats were pretty good, especially for a would-be warrior. I opened my pouch. Usually newbies were provided with some basic equipment. As expected, there was a pair of pants (defense +2) and a shirt (defense +1), as well as a small knife with an attack power of 1... It really is a small knife, with a de no longer than fifteen centimeters. Hey, if youre not buying anything then get out; youre blocking the way in. Grr, what a rude NPC! I resisted the urge to swear at her ancestors. Hmph, a good woman doesnt quarrel with an NPC. Thus, I retained mydylike appearance C Wrong! I mean, gentlemanly appearance. With the corners of my mouth still turned up thirty degrees, I said as warmly as possible, Thank you for your guidance. I nearly fell over from shock upon seeing that. What sort of strange technique was this?! I hurriedly looked at the exnation. I found myself wanting to faint. Forget it, I thought. Ill just go and level up first, otherwise my brother willugh himself to death. I snuck along the edge of the vige and, not daring to leave via the main gate, stepped over the newbie viges fence, which was so low as to be practically nonexistent. As soon as I was free, I rushed towards the hills beyond the vige. Man-eating slimes, here I co-o-ome! The first thing I saw were dozens of man-eating slimes dotting thendscape. Its a good thing they wont aggro, otherwise Id have died of shock when they came charging over, I thought. Looking at the small knife in my hand, I realized that I seemed to have absolutely no experience whatsoever with meleebat. I stealthily circled behind a slime, raised my knife, and stabbed with as much force as I could muster. Yaaaay! Attack sessful! Oh god, I feel so touched, I really am a pro at this. It looks like I really have the potential to be a warrior! In my head I saw myself wearing a white cape, a white sacred sword in my other hand, with one foot resting atop my brothers inert form. Wahahaha Ouch! Abruptly something bit my hand, causing me to cry out in pain and surprise. As the pain drove me to tears, I raised my hand and looked. God, so much saliva; its disgusting! You damn slime, not only did you bite me, but you even dared to drool on a pure young womans hand! I... Im royally pissed off! Ignoring the knife in my hand, I raised my foot and began to stomp on it with all my might. Stomp! Stomp! Stomp, stomp, stomp! Who asked you to drool?! Actually daring to slobber all over my hand... You must be sick of life! I said viciously even as I stepped on the slime again and again. Having yet to vent all my anger, I did not bother to look at the information on my new technique. Instead, gazing at the Man-eating slimes dotting thendscape with my knife in hand, I smiled darkly. Damn slimes, Ill demonstrate the food preparation skills that leave even my mom awed! Man-eating slimes? Wahaha, no, in my eyes you are no longer monsters, just a pile of carrots! I sliced and sliced and Shouldnt it be Slice...? Hmm, well, if you exaggerate the slicing motion, I guess it does be Chop! Continuous Attack? Whoa... Its probably because I sliced up these vegetables really quickly! Wahaha, now you know the taste of fear! Well see if you still dare to slobber on me! I yelled, even as I chased after the slimes. Whew, Im bushed! Finally somewhat tired from all that slicing, I sat down on the ground. As I surveyed the dested, slime-free hill, it suddenly struck me. Could I possibly be...inclined towards violence? Oh well, forget it; after all Im a guy now. (Feng Wu Qing: Youre a tranny!) Just then, I nced back and discovered that the ground was littered with loot and hurriedly began to pick it all up. Dont even joke about not picking it up! All this stuff can be sold for a lovely bit of money! Looking through the loot, I saw that most of it was junk, but it was still decent for a newbie like me. I swapped my knife for one with attack power +3, put on a pair of sandals (defense +1), wrist guards (attack power +5%), a cap (defense +1), changed into a pair of long pants with +3 defense (the type that elves wear, such as Legs in Lord of the Rings) and slipped on two rings with +1 magical resistance each. Id also looted over a hundred coppers. From what I heard, even the lousiest food here C mantous C cost five coppers each... These man-eating slimes sure are poor. Sweating profusely and enjoying the cool breeze, I realized that Id started to like the feeling of being a warrior. It feels sooo good. I also finally appreciated the good points of having a realism level of 99%, since even the sunset looked incredibly beautiful. However, a realism level of 99% had its shorings as well... Such as my growling stomach. I could only take the two mantous out of the newbie pack and, as I ate, I wondered if the man-eating slimes could possibly be tasty... I activated the system menu, wanting to see just what the fruits of mybor had been. After some thought, I assigned my skill points, and so it became... Hehehe, Im going to be an elf warrior with lots of strength and agility. Even though I had made up my mind not to be scared of the pain, it was still best to avoid getting hit, if possible. Two more levels until I can select my ss, I thought. Looking at the newly spawned slimes, a faint smile crept onto my lips. Before long... Hehe, Ive reached level ten! Now that I was finally able to select my ss, I felt indescribably happy; being able to select my ss with my own efforts really felt great. Not bad. With such a good start, it wont be long before Ill be able to defeat that idiot brother of mine. Humming a song even as I entered the newbie elven vige through the main gate, I was about to ask around for information on choosing a ss when I discovered that I had made a huge mistake... Id entered the newbie vige through the main gate! Oh god...! I found myself identifying with the feelings of a steak once again, seeing the dozens of starving wolves in front of me... Escaping once more into the pharmacy, I thought sorrowfully, If the amount of time I spend being a steak could be spent on fighting mobs, I would probably be one of the top yers by now... What are you doing? a guys voice came from behind me. Since at the moment I was crouched down next to the door, peering out at the situation in the streets, I couldnt see him. Heeheehee! This guys hrious, a girls sweet voice said... A girl? Waaah! I dont want to turn around! May I ask what medicine are you looking for? This voice belonged to that very XX NPC. Looks like I cant hide anymore... Thus, with my head held low C almost level with the ground C I turned slowly to face the NPC. Could you tell me where to go in order to change my ss? Why is it you again? This is a pharmacy, not a newbie directory. What the hell is up with you, I thought, swearing silently in my head.Just you wait; when my levels higher, Ill definitelye back and kill you once, you damn NPC! You want to change your ss? that girls sweet voice rang out again. What ss are you nning on choosing? Perhaps we can help you! Oh... I want to be a warrior. With my head still lowered, I stole a nce around at the floor. Minus the NPC, there were a total of eight legs, so that would be four people, probably three guys and a girl. Weird person... another guy muttered. The girl simply smiled, seeming mildly amused. Are you feeling shy? Why are you hanging your head so low? And just how was I supposed to exin? Sigh... Id better ask where I should go to change my ss, and then hurry up and flee Err no, I mean, hurry up and change my ss. Could you tell me where I should go if I want to be a warrior, please? To be a warrior, youll have to go to the south side of the main square and find the NPC who is carrying a sword and wearing a soldiers uniform, the first guy said kindly. Hell ask you to kill ten wolves, so you should bring along some health potions or youll have to rest after fighting just one wolf. Thanks... I said before hurriedly purchasing ten minor health potions from that XX NPC. Waaah! There goes my hundred coppers, I thought as I was handed my health potions and stuffed them into my pouch. I was just about to escape when one of the other yers spoke up again. Do you know where to find the wolves? the girl asked, sounding concerned. Without waiting for my reply, she continued, We were just about to go train on wolves anyway; why dont youe with us? You should go pick up the quest first. Well wait for you at the western side gate. Dont take too long! Im touched... She really is a good person, I thought, nodding enthusiastically. Right. I walked openly to the main square, found the uniform-wearing NPC, and epted the warrior quest... Huh? Youre asking me how I dared to walk openly to the main square? Why I wasnt afraid of turning into a steak? Wahaha! Thats because when I went to the armorer to sell my pile of trash loot, I discovered that they actually sold masks C in particr, masquerade masks, the type that covers the upper half of your face. It even offered +1 defense! Scared of being pursued again, I had bought one without hesitation. Thank heavens! I can finally move freely now! Walking to the western gate, I saw from afar that there were three guys and a girl waiting there, and so I hurried over. Sorry for the wait. Its okay, lets introduce ourselves. Im Snow White Rose; you can just call me Rose. Im a mage, said Rose in an amused tone. Composing myself, I took a good look at her... A beauty! An extraordinary beauty! I myself was something of a beauty, but even I couldnt deny that her face was prettier, her boobs bigger, her waist slenderer, her legs longer, and her skin fairer... Waaah! I feel like growing mushrooms in a corner... Never mind, Feng Lan; you are now a guy (Feng Wu Qing: How many times are you going to make me say it: You are a TRANNY!), so its meaningless topete with a girl. Legs, archer, said the skinniest of the guys. Im The Strongest Elf. You can just call me Lil Strong. Are you a cockroach? I thought. Im a warrior; warriors a good ss! said The Strongest Elf, his expression open and honest. Im For Healing Only, a priest, said a pretty boy in a cultured voice. Im Prince, no ss yet... I replied in a small voice. Rose looked thoughtfully at my mask. I gulped nervously under her stare. Prince, why do you want to wear a mask? A ma-mask provides extra armor, doesnt it? I said, pretending to be confused. Heh heh! Pretending to be naive is one of my talents...Thats why I bought one. I think hes just trying to look cool, said Legs, unimpressed. Upon hearing that, I kept my face nk and smiled vaguely. However, in my head I was thinking, Im already cool enough as it is, why on earth would I need to try and look even cooler? All right, now that weve reached the wolves riverbank: Healing, buff Prince up! Well help him finish those ten wolves off quickly so he can go and change his ss, said Rose kindly. God, Im so touched, waaah...! Rose, I want to be sisters with you. (Feng Wu Qing: ... Turning into a woman? Again?) As the pretty boy finished chanting a prayer verse, I felt my defense increase and said sincerely, Thanks. Youre wee. Go ahead and fight! the pretty boy replied politely. I locked my attention on a solitary wolf and crept closer, still facing it... Waaah! The wolf was really big and kind of scary. It had fixed its blood-red gaze on me and its lips were curled back, revealing razor-sharp fangs. But most terrifying of all, it was drooling... Im so screwed, I thought, my brain going numb. Id much rather be slicing up slimesC after all, they look kind of like frozen fruits C but wolves... Ive never even used a kitchen knife to prepare something thats still alive, what should I do now? Aaaaah! The wolf lunged over and with it came that mouth filled with saliva and razor-sharp teeth. Nooooo! I spun around...and ran! Prince, what are you doing? Hurry and turn around and fight. Dont worry, For Healing Onlys pretty skilled, hell heal you, Rose shouted. Thats not the problem, I yelled back in my heart, IC I dont want I dont want to be bitten by that terrifying and disgusting wolfs mouth! What on earth is he doing...? questioned Legs, his expression cold. That... I have no idea either! Lil Strong replied, clearly astonished as he watched me flee at top speed. But his agility is pretty high, to actually let him to outrun a wolf when hes only level ten. Aaaah... Running too fast, I carelessly tripped on a stone and fell. That damnable 99% realism level...As the thought shed across my mind, the wolf came lunging over and viciously bit down on my left hand. O! Waaah! So, so much saliva, its disgusting! Next, the wolf suddenly opened its maw and it was about to bite off my head when its drool actually... It actually dripped on my face... UNFORGIVABLE! Twak! It sounded like a nerve had snapped in my brain C a nerve called reason. Im pissed! Im pissed! Im REALLY pissed! Just then, I recollected that whenever my mom killed a chicken, she would always reach for the neck, and then... Heh heh heh! Prince, hurry up and run! If you take this attack, youll definitely die! Rose and the others had turned pale and were already frantically running towards me. Unfortunately, they were simply too far away. Without hesitation, I gripped my knife tightly and swung it from right to left with all my strength, brutally slicing through the top half of the wolfs skull, separating its brains from its body. Trapped beneath the wolfs body, I was thoroughly stained with the wolfs blood... Warm blood C with its coppery smell C was flowing everywhere, staining my clothes and drying on my skin. How terrifying! Fighting back the tears, my mind was filled with only those two words. Question: what do you think will happen when a person is terrified to the extreme? Answer: Their reason will disappear! I slowly got to my feet and, grasping my knife tightly, looked straight at the wolves all over the riverbank. Dont be scared, I thought, Theyre not that different from chickens, ducks, fish or any other type of meat, so they shouldnt be too hard for someone with my culinary experience to handle. Come on then! Its time to start cooking... With a fierce glint in my eyes, I darted towards the closest wolf. Just as I was wondering how to take it down, I thought of my Buddhas Mountains Phantom Kick and Continuous Attack, as well as that PS13 fighting game that I had been ying with my brother recently. Combine these three things together and what do you get? Aiming at the wolfs throat, I remembered, kick upwards, and then kick from the side. Next, a spin kick, and finally kick it back to the ground with my heel. Odd, why did I suddenly feel kind of like Chun Li...? Still not dead? I raised my knife and, gripping it with both hands, drove it into the skull of the dying wolf. My god, with just his leg... Lil Strong looked at me with astonishment again, worship evident in his eyes. Unbelievable... Legs muttered with an odd twist to his lips. Why does it remind me of the moves used by a particr character from a fighting game... Pretty boy, that is, For Healing Only, said with a knowing smile. So cool... murmured Rose and a chill ran down my spine even as she spoke. All that kicking had worn me out, but just then I thought of the method I usually use to prepare fish: All I needed to do was simply slice their bellies open and all their innards woulde slithering out. With that in mind, I smiled faintly and headed for the next wolf. Just like before, I kicked upwards, lifting the wolf into the air and, with a swift upward stroke, drew an arc in the air with the knife. As I watched, the ground became stained with red and white matter, and I found myself wondering, Might wolves intestines be tastier than pigs intestines? Still wondering, I stalked towards the next wolf. (Later, when I looked back on mybat history, I couldnt help but be awed. Second Life, this game with its realism level of 99%, made it possible for anyone C with enough speed and precision C to finish off their opponent without spilling even a drop of their own blood. This had a huge bearing on my fighting styleter on.) By this point, Rose no longer dared to look. As a matter of fact, shed covered her eyes after seeing me gut my first wolf. As for the others, their faces were pale as sheets as they watched me prepare the food C uh, no, I mean, kill the mobs. (Feng Wu Qing: The moral of the lesson is, one should never, ever cross a woman, especially one who has lots of experience in the kitchen, or you might share the same fate as those unsuspecting vegetables...) <Ding! System notice: Prince has reached level 11!> I leveled up? So quickly? I took a look at the contents of my pouch and saw that I had already gotten ten wolf fangs. Wahaha, I can finally change ss, joy! I walked back towards Rose andpany cheerfully. Whew, cooking really is a tiring chore! Im so tired that even my steps feel sluggish. And so I shouted to Rose from afar, Rose, Im done with the quest. Rose slowly lowered her hands from her eyes. She stared, tongue-tied, at the bodies strewn everywhere, the river filled with bloody water, the floor littered with red and white matter, and the blood-soaked elf before her C me C holding a knife in his right hand and slowly walking towards them. Blood...Elf! Rose half-shouted in a strangled voice. In the days toe, when my name became famous, I would receive numerous nicknames, but only two would ever be widely-known. They were Ultra-Gorgeous Prince and... Blood Elf. After bidding farewell to Rose andpany, I ventured back to the vige on my own to change my ss. Once I entered the vige, I rushed to find the warrior sss NPC. Uncle, Ive collected ten wolf fangs already, can you change my ss now? Thats quick! As they say, Yangtze swells with each new wave, shore bes the waves mass grave... Seeing Uncle was about to start yet another long-winded discussion, I hurriedly headed him off. Yes, yes, yes, youre right as usual, but could you first help little me change ss? All right, all right! Young people these days... Mumbling non-stop, the NPC uncle took the wolf fangs from me. All of a sudden, a white light enveloped me and I heard the systems voice speaking. I hurriedly called out, System. Little fellow, as the rule goes, you get a free weapon and three free abilities! The NPC uncle proceeded to borate. For your weapon, you get to choose from daggers, dao, rapiers, broadswords, axes, etc. Fate alone will decide whether you get something good or something lousy. There are a total of ten abilities you can choose from. Passive skills include Continuous Attack, Increased Strength, Reinforced Defense, Litheness, and Life Extension while offensive abilities include Heavy Blow (for two-handed weapons only, will use up 20 mana), Inferno sh (for one-handed weapons only, will use up 20 mana), Fatal Blow (for small weapons only, will use up 20 mana), zing Determination (will use up 80 mana, attack power +100%,sts 20 minutes) and Imprable Wall (will use up 80 mana, defense +100%,sts 20 minutes). Weapon... A chopping knife? I mused. Huh? The NPC uncle looked puzzled. Uh, dao. Even though I felt morefortable with a chopping knife...for the sake of my beautiful image, I decided to forego my own preference and picked a dao instead. A dao-wielding elf sure is a rare sight. There you go; its already in your inventory. Hearing that, I hurriedly opened my pouch, and slowly drew out a ck dao. Why did I call it a ck dao? Was it because both the handle and the sheath were ck? No, actually the main reason was because written there on the sheath in gold lettering were two words: ck Dao. I thought of the swordsmen of bygone days who would, at such a moment, slowly draw out the sword and then raise the sword high. Under the light of the sun, the gleaming de would reflect the brilliant sunlight. How cool! With that thought, I too, slowly drew the dao, but as I drew out the de, I suddenly discovered that this dao was...unbelievably...ck. Even the de was ck! God **** it, how the hell am I supposed to reflect back the light of the sun with this? GAAAH, That totally ruined my chance to act cool, damn it! I stowed the dao away, ticked off. Hey, little fellow, have you decided which abilities you want? Wait, wait, let me think! I want to learn Increased Strength, Litheness, Life Extension, and Inferno sh, but I can only pick three! What a quandary, I thought, furrowing my eyebrows. I guess Ill take Increased Strength, Litheness, and Inferno sh. After all, I hadnt missed once when I was fighting wolves with Rose andpany. With the speed that Im taking down mobs right now, my HP ought to be sufficient for the time being. Whats going on? I wondered. Id better log off and see what the ruckus is about. The instant I removed the game helmet, I heard my brother roaring thunderously. GAAAH! Sis, when on Earth are you going to start cooking? Its already 9PM. Do you want me to starve to death!? I should exin here that, at the time, it was summer break. My parents had gone abroad for yet another holiday, leaving my brother and I to fend for ourselves. Also, if the question were to arise, I would much rather eat a man-eating slime than something prepared by my brother C and Im sure he feels the same. So the chore of cooking three meals a day fellrgely on me. Fine, Ill go and cook noodles! Twenty minutester, I sat across from my brother and, as we ate our noodles, we began discussing the game. Sis, Im already level fifteen! What level are you? You damn Yang Ming, only daring to provoke me after getting your noodles... Reluctantly, I replied, Im level eleven! But Ive been training on my own... Heughed. As I said, its impossible for you to level up faster than me! Che, if not for the fact that Im too handsome, you wouldnt have been able to train faster than me! Huh? Too handsome? What are you talking about? My brother looked confused. Then, I told him the entire story...and got scolded, again. Waaah! Are you an idiot? You had one wish and, just like that, you used it to change your gender? Honestly, you could have wished for a godly weapon, or a godly pet, or for more skill points, but nooo, you went and used it to be a tranny! my brother fumed, his expression both mournful and incensed. Hey, you should look at it this way: sooner orter someone will have a godly weapon or own a godly pet, and anyone can get more skill points so long as they level up, but therell never be another tranny aside from me! I answered with augh. ...Sigh, I cant be bothered with you. My brothers face was still the picture of sorrow. I bet that hes wishing that he was the one who received that wish... Whats your nick? Ill PM you tomorrow when I log on. Not telling. Why not? Because youll use it to ckmail me... Like for instance, if I refuse to cook for you, youll probably threaten to reveal my identity as a transvestite, so on and so forth. I know you too well, Bro. How did you guessC Ah, no, how could you possibly distrust your own brother so?! Stupid brother, putting on that sad expression, che! You might be able to deceive those na?ve little girls into falling for you, but trying to trick the sister who has known you for neen years? Forget it! Hmph! Fine! Forget I asked then. Feng Yang Ming thumbed his nose at me; looked like his n to ckmail me had failed. Wash the bowls once youre done, or else you wont get to eat breakfast tomorrow! Youre going to y Second Life? No, Im going to y King of Fighters 100 on your PS13. Im going to properly research, so as to develop more moves and be a genuine Chun Li. My brother stared at me in disbelief. He watched as I really took out the PS13 and started ying, muttering, Odd... When did Sis start to like fighting games? In the past it was only because I couldnt find anyone else to y with me, so she was forced to y as well. After experimenting for over two hours as Chun Li, I confidently returned to Second Life, nning to begin leveling up like mad. Heh heh, just you wait, you stupid brother. Ill out-level you soon and well see if you still dare tough at me! Time to go and cook some wolves C ah, no, kill some wolves, I mean... However, just as I was about to pass through the western gate, I was suddenly given a solid cuff on the head and began to see stars. Huh? Lolidragon... Bloody hell, the GM is assaulting people! I want toin! Unfortunately, before I could so much as speak, Lolidragon had begun to berate me loudly. I told you to PM me, but nooo, you just had to forget to, finally forcing me to search all over for you C and why are you even wearing that silly mask? If not for the fact that we argued for two hours, deciding your height and hairstyle, I would never have been able to recognize you! I turned around to look at Lolidragon, only to see an ultra-beauty wearing the newbie outfit and looking not at all like a GM. I found myself wondering, Why do the GMs look so ordinary in this game? If they look like this, then how are we supposed to distinguish the GMs from the yers? Lolidragon, why are you dressed like this? Arent you a G Without waiting for me to finish my sentence, Lolidragon hurriedly covered my mouth and hauled me to the nearby woods. My god, what are you trying to do!? Shh! Are you trying to tell the world that Im a GM? Lolidragon fumed. A GM whos afraid of being recognized as a GM? What sort of situation is this? My head was nearly bursting with questions. Listen up. Im actually a hidden GM! Lolidragon, knowing that I hadnt so much as looked at the official website, began to exin in detail. A hidden GM is generally no different from a regr yer, except that we have an important task: We are to report any shorings in the game C yerints, bugs etc. C during the course of our gamey. Moreover, because were mingling with ordinary yers, we can find stuff out thats not easily discovered by regr GMs. But wouldnt that be extremely unfair? I protested. In that case, wouldnt all the top yers be hidden GMs? As if. We may be hidden GMs, but thepany doesnt offer us any special privileges, so were just like normal yers. Lolidragon swatted my head again. Oh... I get it. That is to say, Lolidragon is no different from a normal yer, hahaha. Then I wont have to be afraid of pissing her off, heh heh heh! Did you have some bu Volume 1 Chapter 2 Volume 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Legend, Begin C tranted by Erialis Hey, Lolidragon, whats your ss? I asked as I removed her hands from my butt for the umpteenth time. Mage? Priest? Lolidragon cackled. Or perhaps shes a witch! How could I possibly pick such dull jobs? I chose the ss with the brightest future in the game! That piqued my curiosity. Which is...? Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, she cackled again, Wohohohohohooo! Do I even need to say it? Im obviously... A thief! True, that seems to have quite a bright future, but we only have a warrior and a thief in our party. Thats hardly ideal. Rx! Just wait and Ill teach you the real way to fight C no sweat, blood, or money required, she replied confidently. The trip to the Wolves Riverbank was supposed to take only fifteen minutes, but in the end it took the two of us an hour to get there. Obviously, Lolidragon was the reason for the dy. Under the pretext that no one else was around, she forced me to take off my mask and her eyes immediately turned into two hearts. Lolidragon handed me a mirror after she had looked her fill, and I ended up staring at myself with heart-shaped eyes, just like her. Waaah! Why?! Why?! Why am I so incredibly good-looking? My god! In my entire life, I have only seen two guys so hot that I couldnt help but sigh over them. The first was that little brother of mine (even I have to admit that he really is very good-looking, even if his personality is the worst). The second was myself. Oh god, dont tell me I can only choose between incest and narcissism?! Sighing, I returned the mirror to Lolidragon. Off to training we go! Just as I was about to walk over to the nearest wolf and vent my feelings of frustration, however, Lolidragon stopped me with a shout. Stay there and watch how I deal with the wolf! Observe. She took out a dagger and approached her prey. Second Life is truly a realistic game; the damage dealt varies depending on which part of the mob you attack. Thats why we should find a mobs weak points before attacking, she exined as she moved. That was old news to me. After all, it was just like preparing poultry, fish, or meat. For chickens, you had to slit their throats; for fish, you had to slit their bellies...just as Id demonstrated while fighting wolves earlier. As one might expect from a thief, Lolidragon snuck noiselessly up behind the wolf without attracting its notice. With a powerful sh, she cut through one of the wolfs hind legs. The wolf instantly spun around and attempted tond a bite, but there was no way it could possibly hurt the agile C and prepared C thief. With the greatest of ease, she ran in circles around it. The wolf, in turn, could not catch up with a maimed leg, and Lolidragon would periodically turn about and sh at it. After taking about five or six of her attacks, the wolf announced that it was going to stop ying, and finally left for heaven. Whew, what do you think? I didnt spill a single drop of blood! She raised her chin and said proudly, You can tell a pro yer from a mile way. When you meet one, you should watch and learn! I scratched my face and drew my ck Dao. Giving the closest wolf an upward kick, I followed up with a swing of my de from below. Id forgotten to check what ck Daos attack power was, but it was definitely higher than that of the knife I had been using earlier, judging by the way it severed that poor wolf in two. Rest in peace! Y-you kicked... Lolidragon stared at the scene, speechless and thoroughly stunned. What on earth is this fighting style? she wondered.This is insane... To think that I had never even considered this kind of approach...! Feeling extremely eager, I stalked over to the next wolf. Itlooks like I can finally try out those moves I researched in Street Fighter! Iunched the wolf into the air with a kick, followed by a second kick upwards. Then, aligning my fist with my body, I punched out at the wolf above me (and only just stopped short of going Rising Dragon Fist!). Still airborne, I kicked the wolf back to the earth. ... Lolidragon watched, still speechless. However, when I attempted Chun Lis most famous move C head down, legs up and extended, twirling in the air like a human helicopter C I discovered that it defied thews of human physiology and was purely for show. I was rewarded with a sprained waist, a bump on my head, and a bite from the wolf. Waaah, saliva! Everyone should know by now that when I encountered saliva, I would...go berserk! You damn wolf, actually drooling to the point of coating my hand with your slobber! Youre dead meat, aaaaah! Kick, Swaying Sword Style, Nine Swords of Du Gu, Toast to the Eight, Quick Sword Technique, Head m, Ten Strike, Shoulder Throw, Womens Self-Defense! Holy...! Prince, what sort of insane fighting style is this? Lolidragon demanded, unable to continue watching in silence. She couldnt tell whether she was ying an MMORPG or a fighting game anymore... Or whether the moves she witnessed were from a Jin Yong novel or aic. I paused, feeling somewhat confused. I cant fight like this? CHOMP! GRRR! To actually steal a bite from me while I was distracted, you damn wolf! I continued on my rampage. She trembled fiercely. Its not...against the rules, she croaked. But for somebody to actually be able to y like this on an MMO, and a totally clueless warrior, at that... Or could it be because hes clueless? Lolidragon mused as understanding dawned upon her. Its precisely because he isnt familiar with conventional methods of gamey that Princes actions are unique. His behavior doesnt conform to convention at all. He has no limits or restrictions. Rather, he has endless potential and innovation. This is the true way to y a game with a realism level of 99%! Watching as I wreaked havoc on the wolves, Lolidragon smiled helplessly. He really is a clueless pro yer. I could vaguely hear Lolidragon saying something. I chopped onest time at a wolf and turned around to ask her if she had said something like a clueless killer, only to see... Lolidragon, RUN! Behind Before I could finish speaking, a wolf three timesrger than normal with pure white fur suddenly charged towards her from behind, savagely biting down on her shoulder. Urgh... Struggling to ignore the acute pain in her shoulder, Lolidragon dashed towards me. Shielding her with my body, I held my dao at the ready as I faced the Wolf King. What beautiful white fur it has... Looks like Ill be able to get a white cape after all! As I daydreamed, the Wolf King suddenly lunged for me. Its fast! I barely managed to block, and immediately retreated several steps. Once again, it came lunging in and I decided to use a spin-kick. Unsurprisingly, however, its physical resistance was considerable. Though Id put all my strength into that kick, the Wolf King merely staggered two steps to the left. It immediately moved in for another attack. Unable to react in time, I could only watch as its jaws mped down on my left hand. O... I raised my dao and shed at its stomach. Dear god, its hide sure is thick; I barely managed to nick it! Hearing the system notice, I nearly fainted. Only thirty health? Just one bite from it cost me eighty health, plus the Wolf Kings health is probably as much as mine... Were screwed! I thought, silently crying in my mind. Prince, good luck! If it gets too tough,e up here. Hearing this, I nced back. Wah!Lolidragon, you sure are fast, getting to safety by climbing a tree in the blink of an eye... I had no option but to force myself to calm down. I imagined myself as Chun Li C with her low hit points and weak attack power C facing off against the insanely overpowered Iori Yagami, controlled by my brother. Ungh,this is bad! I dont think Ive ever won under those conditions in King of Fighters... In any case, the basic principle is to avoid a head-on fight. Argh, the wolf ising this way again! Damn it, I thought, kicking upwards. Too heavy to be lifted into the air at all, the Wolf King was barely knocked over... Summoning forth thest ounce of my strength, I raised my de and stabbed down at its belly. Stab, stab, stab! Damn it, I cant pierce through its hide! Waaah! The Wolf King swiped at me. Nooo, dont scar my face... Waaah! Prince, youd better get over here, Lolidragon advised, her face turning pale. I sprinted towards the tree that she was perched in. However, my speed was somehow lower than the Wolf Kings, so I was raked twice by its ws. Im going to be dead in no time, I thought, If I try to climb the tree, I wont be able to avoid getting mauled... Up in the tree, Lolidragon watched the scene below with mounting panic. Suddenly, a phrase shed through her mind: No limits or restrictions... Lolidragon took instant action. Hooking her legs on the tree branch, she hung upside down from the tree and stretched both hands down. Prince, trapeze! Prince will definitely get it, she thought. Seeing the situation, I made use my momentum and leapt, grabbing her arms. I swung forward in an arc and managed to get up into the tree. Seeing the Wolf King wing away at the tree trunk beneath, I thought, Its a good thing Ive seen a circus act before. Whew! Im dead beat. I panted furiously. Nearby, Lolidragon held a hand to her chest as she gasped for breath, her nerves simrly frayed. We turned and stared at each other. Hahahaha...hehehe,we began tough. Hurry up and drink your health potions. We still have toe up with a n to kill this damnable Wolf King, said Lolidragon. Mm. Its a good thing I still have those ten health potions from before, I thought, gulping down one potion after another. In the end it took five health potions to fully restore my health. Touching my face, I was relieved to find that the wound had vanished.Thank goodness, but now I only have five health potions left. How troublesome. This wolfs hide is just too thick; I cant prate it at all. Plus, it was heavy, so there was no way to kick it into the air, I grumbled. How are we supposed to fight it? It cant be helped, since our levels are too low, Lolidragon replied, her eyebrows furrowing thoughtfully. I have no idea how to kill this boss Wolf King, but with bosses being a rare encounter, it seems a pity to run away without fighting it... Well have to look for a weak point. It must have one. So long as we attack its weak spot we should still be able to deal quite a lot of damage, even if our attack power isnt high enough to kill it. Could this wolf, with a hide so tough it could be made of steel, actually have a weakness? I wondered. Then, I suddenly recalled a saying Id often read in wuxia novels: No matter how hard you train, you cant train your eyes to be like steel! Eyes, I croaked out. Lolidragon nodded. After swiftlying up with a n in her head, she removed a length of rope from her pouch. Prince, have you ever watched a Western cowboy film? ... Yeah? Lolidragon smiled confidently. Then theres no problem. Were just swapping the horse for a wolf, so you should be able to handle it. ...You sure have a lot of confidence in me, I replied. I know Im terrified... My life is at stake here, and you want me tosso a Wolf King as though it is nothing more than a horse! As I spoke, I made asso from the rope. Its a good thing I used to be a Girl Scout or I wouldnt even be able to tie a live knot. Once youvessoed it, climb the tree and tie the rope to the tree, so the dumb wolf wont be able to move freely. After that, the shows all ours, heh heh heh... Am I seeing things? Why does Lolidragons smile suddenly look so...sadistic? Hallucination! I must be hallucinating! Take a deep breath. Breathe out, breathe in again, breathe out... Okay! Focusing my gaze on the Wolf Kings back, I leapt down from tree andnded squarely on top of it. I wrapped my arms tightly about its furry neck even as the Wolf King C who seemed extremely rmed C began to buck, thinking to throw me off. The wolfs movements nearly dislodged me from its back on several asions. As if thats going to happen! I thought. Falling off will definitely mean death... You damn Wolf King, Ill show you just how tenacious a woman can be! Lolidragons face was pale as death as she watched the scene below from her perch in the tree. I, too, had gone pale... But that had more to do with the fact that the wolfs movements were making me rather wolf-sick. Despite the mayhem, I eventually managed to loop the rope about the Wolf Kings neck. I was wed a few times in the attempt, but the injuries cost me an insubstantial thirty or forty health. Once it was properly cored, I quickly dismounted from the horse C ah, no, the wolf C and ran as fast as I could with the Wolf King hot on my heels. Once again, Lolidragon and I performed a trapeze act. I then jumped off the tree with the rope in hand. Summoning all my remaining strength, I jerked on the rope and basically hung the wolf from the tree. Leaping from the tree with a cry, Lolidragon used the ability that only small weapons hadC Fatal Blow. The attack struck the Wolf Kings left eye spot on. The Wolf King roared in pain. Even though using the tree branch for leverage had saved me a lot of energy, I was about to lose my hold on the rope. Lolidragon immediately used Fatal Blow again. However, this time the blow went wide. Failing to stab the Wolf Kings right eye, it merely struck its forehead. At that moment the rope, having frayed quite a bit from the friction, finally snapped. As soon as it was free, the Wolf King leapt towards its nemesis C Lolidragon C and bit down ferociously. Trapped beneath the Wolf Kings body, she could not escape. Lolidragon! I dashed towards the Wolf Kings back. The Fatal Blow that Lolidragon had just executed reminded me of my own ability: Inferno sh. Inferno sh! The moment I called out the ability, me sprung up along the length of my de and I swung ck Dao down in vengeance. Knowing that the Wolf King wouldnt die so easily, I reversed the motion and executed another Inferno sh, then another, and another until the fifth and final attack exhausted all my mana. I kicked the Wolf Kings corpse aside. Upon seeing that Lolidragon was still okay C aside from looking rather ttened C I breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing she didnt die. Lolidragon continued to lie on the ground. However, even though her face was dripping with sweat, she was grinning. I smiled back andid down next to her, but Lolidragon gave me a kick. Arent you going to hurry and take a look at the loot? Oh. Izily sat up and nced about. Scattered around us was an egg, a pair of shoes, and a small pile of silvers. Just then, Lolidragon cried out, startling me. Whats wrong? Did the Wolf Kinge back to life? No way! Your weapon leveled up? Lolidragon could see my system notices as we were in a group. I looked at ck Daos stats. . Yeah. Second Life really is strange, if even the weapons can level up. I received a whack on the head for thatment. As I saw stars for a second time, Lolidragon roared, Only weapons of the growing type will level up! Oh... Well pardon me for not having read up on the official site! Its not like you didnt know about that... If you keep hitting my head, Ill be an idiot! Hearing me mumbling to myself, Lolidragon rolled her eyes. Do you know how valuable growing-type weapons are? They are simr to godly weapons! Just think: If your sword could continually level up and increase in attack power, what would the advantages be? Wahhh! Wouldnt that mean that Id never have to upgrade my weapon? And that, just by training, my weapon would also level up and be increasingly strong? By this point, my eyes had begun to shine. I hade to realize just how much money I would be saving in the long run. Seeing the glimmer in my eyes, Lolidragon knew that Id understood. Heh! Lucky! I thought, feeling indescribably joyful. Aside from the pair of shoes and the money, there was the egg, and neither Lolidragon nor I could wait to find out what pet would hatch from it. We decided to return to the vige first so that we could identify the shoes and find a pet shop where we could hatch the egg. Once Lolidragon and I hadbined our efforts to skin the Wolf King C I havent forgotten my cape, hehehe! C we happily returned to the vige. The instant we reached the vige gates, I realized that Id made a massive error. The first time I made this mistake was due to ignorance, the second time is due to IDIOCY.Waaah! I am a huge idiot! To actually fail to wear a mask and even enter the vige by the front gate... I shifted my stance, ready to begin sprinting, but Lolidragon C who was standing next to me C grabbed my arm with a vise-like grip and practically nestled herself in my arms. Hub-by, Lolidragon cooed in a cloyingly sweet voice, leaving my hair standing on end. Didnt you just say, that Im your mo-o-st beloved,mo-o-st beautiful wife? As she spoke, she directed a challenging gaze at all the fellow women surrounding her. Those who met her stare shrank back involuntarily; none were willing to take up the gauntlet as their looks could notpare with hers. Admittedly, Lolidragon really was an extremely rare ultra-beauty... Huh? You want me to describe her? Its just the usual, with a face more mature and lovely than mine, boobs bigger than mine (and as far as I can tell, bigger than Roses), a waist slimmer than mine, legs longer than mine, skin fairer than mine... That type! Waaah! Once again, my self-esteem received a huge blow. Just as I was thinking all that nonsense, Lolidragon elbowed me. Ouch! I hurriedly replied, Yes! Of course! You are my most beloved, most beautiful wife. The moment the words left my mouth, dozens of poisonous nces were shot at Lolidragon. She didnt seem the least bit perturbed, however. As a matter of fact, she seemed rather happy! *Sweat* Although I had pretty much been coerced into acknowledging Lolidragon as my wife, this deception did have quite a few merits. After all, there werent many women with the courage to battle an ultra-beauty like Lolidragon over a man. Thus, the dozens of wolves that barred our path slowly slunk away and we were able to saunter safely through the vige at our leisure. After we reached the NPC that provided identification services, I reluctantly parted with five silvers so that we could finally see the shoes stats. They turned out to be a pair of boots with defense +8 and agility +10, which were exactly what Lolidragon needed as an agility-oriented thief. We had to pay again at the pet shop, so I forked over another two silvers. Damn, thats thest of the money we got from fighting the Wolf King. Although I really, really wanted to own a pet, no matter how I looked at it, Lolidragon C with her rtively low defense C needed a pet much more than I did. Thus, fighting back the longing in my heart, I generously offered, Lolidragon, this pets all yours! Ill wait for the next one. I dont need it, I already have the boots. How rare for Lolidragon to be so modest... But, for the sake of our partys overallbat strength, I still felt that she should have the pet. Your defense is low, so having a pet will greatly boost yourbat potential. Dont need it... You dont have to be so polite! I told you I dont need it! Lolidragon suddenly bellowed at me fiercely, giving me a fright. I stared at her, astonished and uncertain as to how to react. Just then, Lolidragon suddenly seemed to cool off, and said weakly, I cant raise pets! Eh? I dont get it! Ive kept many pets before! But... Not one has had a happy ending. And so she began to share with me her history of raising pets... I had a puppy before. Two days after I bought it, it disappeared while I was taking it for a walk...and never came back. After that, I had a turtle, but I carelessly knocked the tank over...and it fell from the fifth floor balcony to the ground floor. Next, I kept a fighting fish... That should have been fine, right? Ive had a fighting fish before; theyre very easy to take care of! Only after it died did I find out that you have to change the water in the tank... I was speechless. And in the end, I kept a cactus... Youre not serious... Even the cactus died? It cant be... right? Lolidragon said naively, How was I to know that the cactus needed watering? I thought it didnt need water, so it shriveled up and died! After that, I vowed that, no matter what, I would never keep a pet again... That truly is a disastrous history... After three seconds of silence in memory of the innocent pets, I decided not to pursue the matter further. I bit my finger C ouch! C and let a drop of blood drip onto the surface of the egg. <Ding! Egg sessfully hatched> At that, the shell broke. All the while, Lolidragon and I watched with wide-eyed curiosity, wanting to see just what would hatch from it. Surprise! Surprise! And still more surprising, because it was simply unbelievable... WhaC What on earth... I was at a loss for words, because this pet just defied imagination. Even if a sacred beast C such as a kirin, a phoenix or even a dragon C had hatched, I would have been a lot less shocked. I grabbed Lolidragon tightly with one hand and looked at her beseechingly, wanting to confirm that she was seeing the same thing I was. Lolidragons face was the picture of bewilderment and her mouth hung ck in a most unbing manner. After a long while, she finally shook off her stupor a little. Prince, could this be... No matter how I look at it, this seems to be...a bun? My expression became serious. No, look more closely: This things shape and size all suggest a hidden goodness. With that soft, smooth exterior, that satisfyingly round body, plus that aroma that would make people unable to stop drooling... I dont think its just a bun. To be precise, it absolutely must be... A MEATbun! What?! Lolidragon was shocked...and then cuffed me on the head. Who gives a damn if it is a meat bun or a vegetable bun! The important thing is, why did our egg actually hatch into a meat bun? Sigh! I rubbed my head and protested, If a hidden GM like you doesnt know a thing about it, then how the hell would I know? It could be a problem with the script... Mulling it over, Lolidragon thought, If thats really the case, then Ill have to hurry and report it to the higher-ups, in order to prevent other yers pets from hatching into weird stuff. Growl! As I caught a whiff of the meat buns fragrance, I felt a sudden pang of hunger. I swallowed a mouthful of saliva as I stared at it. All of a sudden, the meat bun moved! That movement resembled...the shifting of someones butt C if a meat bun even had a butt. Lolidragon! The meat bun moved. What?! She immediately crouched down next to me and the two of us stared at the meat bun together. The meat bun was actually...actually turning around(So a meat bun actually has a front and back?) and was hopping as it turned. Next, a pair ofrge, watery blue eyes, like those you might see in a cartoon, was revealed to us. A meat bun with eyes... I was somewhat at a loss as to what to do. As befitting a hidden GM who had some experience with this kind of thing, Lolidragon spoke calmly. Prince, check its stats. I reached out and picked up that delicious-smelling meat bun, while fighting back the impulse to eat it... <Ding! System notice: Please give your pet a name> ...Well call it Meatbun then! After all, is there a more fitting name? (Unbelievable, the meat buns faster than me?) (A meat bun is smarter than me? Gaaah!) How is it? Is it really a pet? Lolidragon asked, curious. Yeah... Looks like it. ...Whoever the game designer is, he sure has a sense of humor, said Lolidragon with an expressionless face, but her lips were drawn into a tight line. It doesnt matter; at least...its pretty cute! At this, the meat bun in my hands began to rub itself against my palm. It was even emitting a soft purring sound, as though it was a child seeking affection. How cute! ...Although it does feel a bit weird to have a meat bun wanting my affection. Does it have an offensive ability? Yeah. Dog Beating Technique... In that case, lets test it out on a few man-eating slimes when we leave. Before we left the vige, Lolidragon used her level 8 Tailoring ability C a profession-type ability C to craft a hat and a shirt. She had refused to help me make a cape C waaah! C saying, Your fighting style is so wild. With such exaggerated movements, wearing a cape would only hinder you! As we walked up the grassy slope with all the man-eating slimes, I surveyed the surrounding slimes and felt a strong sense of nostalgia... Prince, give it a shot! Lolidragon said, gazing at Meatbun. Right! I turned and looked at the meat bun sitting on my shoulder. Meatbun... Dog Beating Technique. It didnt move. ...Not specific enough? I tried again. Meatbun, use your Dog Beating Technique on the man-eating slime over there. Still no movement... Im pissed, Im pissed C IM SO PISSED! Dont tell me that this pet has no other use except to look cute? Its my first pet, for heavens sake! Grrr! Picking Meatbun up, I hurled it at the slime. Go and duel the man-eating slime! Dont even think abouting back if you lose! What are you getting so angry with a meat bun for? Lolidragon asked, her shoulders shaking with repressedughter. Just then, the meat bun that Id hurled struck the slime and actually made a loud bonk sound, giving me a shock. I quickly looked at Meatbun, deeply worried that my first pet might just be eaten by a man-eating slime and disappear. Somebody once said, if you use a meat bun to hit a dog, you will never see the meat bun again...However, this rule did not seem to apply to my Meatbun C after it hit the man-eating slime, it wheeled three times in the air and came flying back into my hand. It even made awhee C whee sound, as if it was cheering and having a lot of fun. The still-living slime came rushing over, thinking to attack me. However, I threw Meatbun at it again on reflex C even as I shouted, Meatbun... Dog, beat! Just like that, Meatbun C the pet that wouldter be known as the strongest pet in Second Life C and I defeated our first monster together. I stood there with a bewildered expression while Lolidragon hooted withughter, pounding the ground with her fists. We then headed back to the Wolves Riverbank and resumed fighting wolves. I continued to employ my kick-and-belly-slit method. asionally, I also hurled Meatbun, so as to ensure that it wouldnt be under-leveled due to ack of experience. In addition, Lolidragon told me that I had motivated her (I motivated her? When? I find that very suspicious...) and that she had decided to learn from me, so I was to teach her lots of moves from King of Fighters. We stayed in the vicinity of the Wolves Riverbank for some time in the following days, ying tons of wolves and leveling up quite a bit. We used the same method to kill the poor Wolf King five or six times, before moving on to fighting bears. At this point I must mention that, after a few uses, Meatbuns Aroma Release ability C which Id originally thought was useless C leveled up. The area of effect greatly increased to a radius of 150 meters. By using it, we managed to lure the Wolf King and bears out; we would never have been able to find them otherwise. Also, with a wisdom of 10, Meatbun was able to learn new skills with great ease... Although I suspected that the real reason was not its wisdom, but rather the fact that Lolidragon and I did too many bizarre things with it. Take, for instance, the other day. Lolidragon wanted to try out her recently acquired, but already level ten, ability Poisons C which allowed her to make many types of poisons C so she coated Meatbun with a poison and fed it to a wolf. The wolf was duly poisoned to death and my Meatbun learned a new ability: Poisonous Meatbun. After that, it continued to learn many new abilities by ident... Sigh!Meatbun, you really are a rare and precious pet. There came a day when Lolidragon and I were taking a breather on a cliff, worn out from fighting mobs. Lolidragony on the ground while I stood in the face of a strong gust of wind, looking down on thendscape. At that moment, there was a sudden, overpowering feeling in my heart C an overwhelming urge to sing. Lolidragon... I want to sing! Go ahead then! she repliedzily. This aint a song for the broken-hearted / A silent prayer for the faith-departed / I aint gonna be just a face in the crowd / Youre gonna hear my voice when I shout it out aloud / Its my life / Its now or never / I aint gonna live forever / I just want to live while Im alive (Its my life) / My heart is like an open highway / Like Frankie said I did it my way / I just wanna live while Im alive / Its my life [Lyrics by Bon Jovi C Its My Life] I ran my fingers through my wind-tousled hair. Lolidragon! Yeah? Perhaps its not really for as inane a reason as proving my brother wrong that I decided to be a guy. Then, whats the real reason? Maybe the real reason is that I just dont want to hide behind anyone, not anymore. I want to kill monsters to my hearts content, using all kinds of crazy methods and moves, without anyone calling me a violent woman. I want to swear and cuss while killing and whenever Im pissed or annoyed, without anyone saying that it isntdylike. I want to be able tough after hearing an off-color joke, maybe even add my own retort. I dont want to be forced to pretend I dont get it, just to prove how pure and innocent I am, but I dont want to be called a vulgar woman either. I finished my impromptu speech, but Lolidragon did not say anything as Iy down silently and joined her in staring up at the boundless sky. After a long while had passed... Prince. Lolidragon rolled over and propped herself up as she looked at me. Yeah? Lets create our own legend! What legend? The Legend of Prince! Second Lifes greatest yer, Prince! Lolidragon said with a brilliant gleam in her eyes. Were not going to take pride in being the wives of the best yers; were going to take pride in being the best yers. Create a legend! I mused. After a moment, I turned to look at Lolidragon and we shared a smile. Its my life. Legend, begin. [? Prince Volume 1 Chapter 2 End]

Footnotes

Brightest future/bright future: This was originally meant to be a pun. What Lolidragon says is actually, ǰ; (y?u qin t), meaning has a bright future, while Prince replies with, Ǯ; (y?u qin t), meaning a lucrative future, which sounds identical to the earlier phrase. The first qin is the Chinese character for front or forward, while thetter qin is the character for money. Rising Dragon Fist:This is read as shry-ken in Japanese (and written as Nȭ in Japanese kanji and ȭ in simplified Chinese) and is a really famous move belonging to Ryu from the fighting game series, Street Fighter. The move is a one-hit blow that can only be executed sessfully if the enemy is airborne. Swaying Sword... Self-Defense: The techniques that Prince is using are a mix of famous techniques from Chinese novels, fighting game moves, normal moves and nonsense. Swaying Sword Style, ʽ (prn. dng jin sh) and Nine Swords of Du Gu ¾Ž (prn. d g j?u jin) are both from Jin Yongs The Laughing, Proud Wanderer, or Ц (prn. xio o jing h). Toast to the Eight is a move belonging to Iori Yagami from King of Fighters.Ten Strike, ʮն (prn. sh z zh?n) seems to be from another game as well (note that the character for ten in Chinese is written like a cross, hence the name). Quick Sword Technique, ε (prn. b do s) refers to the fairlymon move of quickly unsheathing ones de and, with a single stroke, destroying the enemy. The rest are fairly self-exnatory. Jin Yong novel: Jin Yong is the author behind some of the most famous martial arts (or wuxia) novels of the past century, including The Legend of the Condor Heroes Ӣ۴ (prn. sh dio yng xing zhun), The Return of the Condor Heroes ¡ (prn. shn dio xi l) and The Laughing, Proud WandererЦ (prn. xio o jing h). Iori Yagami: A character from King of Fighters. He seems to be a pretty powerful character in the game, with the power to manipte fire and a sadistic personality. Wuxia: Written as (w? xi) in Chinese, the term literally means martial arts hero. A wuxia novel, such as The Return of the Condor Heroes, often has a myriad of characters who are all masters of martial arts or notables in the pugilistic world and each would usually have a specially name set (or sets) of skills (refer to footnote 3 for some examples). To identify: Rare objects in Second Life, such as the shoes picked up by Prince and Lolidragon here, have their stats hidden and must be identified by the relevant NPC before yers can see the items details. Games that have simr systems are Ragnarok Online and Guildwars, in which yers have to use a magnifying ss and an identification kit respectively to check the stats for rare items. Meter: 1 meter = 100 centimeters = 3.28 feet. If you use a meat bun to hit a dog, you will never see the meat bun again: The original saying in Chinese is Ӵ򹷣ȥ޻ء (prn. ru bo z? d? g?u, y?u q w hu). The underlying meaning is that such an action will definitely result in failure. Its My Life: Song by Bon Jovi. Volume 1 Chapter 3 Volume 1 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: A Gentle and Friendly Wolf C tranted by Erialis Prince, I think its meaningless to continue like this, Lolidragon said, both her tone and gaze pleading. My eyebrows furrowed. Sigh! As I expected, here ites. Fine, well do what needs to be done! Gripping her shoulders tightly, I looked at Lolidragon with a firm expression. Youve finally agreed to it... Seeing how ecstatic she looked, I thought, Sigh! Forget it, as long as shes happy... Yaaay! Were finally out of the newbie area, whew! I was getting bored to death, staying in that tiny area, she said enthusiastically. Sigh! Truth be told, I still felt that the nearby Skeletons Cave was a pretty good ce to train. Even though the experience yielded was not much for the level thirty-three Lolidragon and the level thirty-five me (not to forget the level twenty-three Meatbun!), we could take the mobs down in seconds most of the time, so we actually werent leveling up too slowly. I had nned to continue like this all the way to level forty, but Lolidragon was starting to feel restless. She kept whining about wanting to go to the big cities... Thus, after three days C during which my ears nearly went deaf from her non-stop whining C I reluctantly bade farewell to the skeletons... Lets go! After all, I was rather curious about the outside world. After paying for our travel fares, Lolidragon and I left the newbie vige and began our journey into a new world. Prince, why did you pick Star City over Sun City and Moon City? she asked just before we set out. I shrugged. My brothers been hanging out in Star City, and he keeps telling me about the best ces to train there. I figured that since I already have some familiarity with it, we might as well go there! Upon reaching Star City, I could only think of one word to describe it: Beautiful. It really was a beautiful city, with its quaint European-styled streets and buildings, and the star-studded sky overhead. Stepping out of the teleportation point and walking along the white, cobbled streets, I felt as though I had be more elegant and more refined. Lolidragon clung to me as we walked. Dont misunderstand; this was just a secret arrangement between the two of us.Whenever we had to appear in a ce with other yers, we would put up a show of affection, or else... Well, Im sure everyones gotten the point. (Sigh! My Litheness ability even reached level three because of all those pretty girls chasing after me as though they were possessed...) Even so, no matter where we went, the girls nearby would turn to stone and stare at me dazedly, and then turn to re venomously at Lolidragon. Prince, can we dine at a fancy restaurant? Please? Lolidragon asked, looking at me beseechingly and I scratched my head. That sounded like a pretty good idea. After all, in the newbie vige, the best food you could get was meat buns...However, ever since I had identally mistaken Meatbun for a normal meat bun and tried to take a bite, Id stuck to eating mantous. Alright. After all, weve got more than enough money, so lets go get a taste of the local vor! After carefully browsing through a catalogue, Lolidragon and I decided on akeside restaurant. The building was mostly constructed from clear ss and as the two of us entered, a pretty waitress came over. Table for two, please, I said to the waitress with a faint smile (that Lolidragon had drilled into me), looking every inch a prince. The pretty waitress turned to stone. Shit, I thought, breaking out in cold sweat, I didnt expect the waiters here to be real people! Without thinking, I tightened my grip on Lolidragons right arm. A hottieee! The pretty waitress cried out in wonder. It was a soft cry, so only the people on the ground floor heard. I panicked as all heads turned to look at me, thinking, WhatC what should I do now? Oh god, looks like its going to be hard to even grab a bite. Maintain your refined aura, and dont worry! With first-ss merchandise like you, plus a super-ultra-beauty like me, nobody will dare to approach us, Lolidragon PMed me. She, the unmatched beauty, had taught me this trick. She had told me, The more youre being stared at, the more you need to present yourself as superior merchandise. That way, youll make them feel inferior, and they wont dare approach. Fighting back the urge to flee, I adjusted the faint smile on my face a little and said gently, Miss, a table for two C would you be so kind as to guide us to a seat? The pretty waitress reddened and, with some difficulty, finally led us to a seat. Still wearing that faint smile I sat down and turned to stare at the other diners. As expected, it was very effective and those whom I gazed upon didnt dare to look at me again. I flipped the menu open. Using it as a shield to conceal our faces from others, Lolidragon and I discarded our earlier expressions. Looking for all the world like two people who hadnt eaten a proper meal for several months, the two of us began to discuss the menu in low voices... Prince, I want to eat this, and this. Looking at the pictures, I had to swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva. I want those too, and this... That looks pretty good too... Lolidragon, youre drooling! Youre one to talk, look at your own pauper-like face... I retorted, Havent you read The Prince and the Pauper before? Dont forget to order a few meat buns for Meatbun... The pets in Second Life required feeding. After lots of experimentation, Id finally PMed a GM to ask, Excuse me, GM, but could you tell me what a meat bun eats? The GMs response was as follows: Please do not attempt to make fun of a GM. If you try it again, you will be forced to log off and your ount will be suspended for a month. Following that, the undefeatable hidden GM Lolidragon had brought the entire matter before their superiors. The other GM had been thoroughly lectured by the higher-ups...and I discovered that the normal meat buns in my bag had actually vanished without a trace. As Lolidragon had insisted that she hadnt secretly eaten them, I C dubiously C decided to try feeding Meatbun some normal meat buns. Meatbun had then actually happily eaten three of its own kindred...! Putting down the menu, Lolidragon once again adopted the appearance of a blissful young woman. I too, put on a princely demeanor and sessfully gave our order to the blushing waitress. Time passed excruciatingly slowly as we waited for our meal. For the sake of appearances, Lolidragon and I could only converse softly, plus we had to be careful not to be overheard. What a pain... Huh? Why cant we let others overhear? The contents of our conversation were like this... Lolidragon, you should give up on Chun Lis ultimate! That helicopter move definitely isnt humanly possible. I dont want to! That move is su-uper cool; I will definitely master it. Plus, look whos talking! Youre the one who keeps experimenting with Iori Yagamis Rage of the Eight Maidens. Now that isnt humanly possible. No, Im not. Right now Im modifying Kenshins Nine-headed Dragon Strike. Sigh! Why is Yang Guos Mncholic Palms so hard to execute? Lolidragonined. Nonsense. After all, the writer C Master Jin Yong C said that, to use MncholicPalms, one must possess feelings of mncholy. When have you ever been mncholic? I have, Lolidragon replied innocently. I even cried once when I was chopping onions... ... As Lolidragon and I were having that nonsensical conversation, a group of people wereing down the stairs from the second floor... Wu Qing, the Raging Dragons Valley may be a little dangerous, but with the six of us and you, going there to train, it should pose no problem, a handsome and refined human warrior was saying to the guy next to him as they descended the stairs. Thats right, Wu Qing. Come with us! Eh? I thought. That open and honest attitude and expression... Isnt that Lil Strong? And beside him are Legs and For Healing Only... Since friend Broken Sword and friend Lil Strong have offered such a warm invitation, Feng Wu Qing shall not further refuse, and will join you as a member of Rose Team. Let us work hard together from now on! Feng Wu Qing was wearing a stylish robe and holding a jade flute. All that, in addition to that extremely handsome face, was enough to render Rose Teams mage, Snow White Rose, and a pretty human thief, Fairsky, utterly mesmerized. Sitting by the stairs, I heard every word that was being said. Hearing the name Feng Wu Qing, together with that irritating way of talking that was an obvious imitation of Chu Liu Xiang, I narrowed my eyes. Dont tell me its... I thought as I turned around slowly... That face! Though its been beautified, as his twin sister of neen years, I am definitely NOT mistaken. Its that DAMN LITTLE BROTHER OF MINE, Feng Yang Ming! Eh, and that female elf...is Snow White Rose! My dear sister! At this point, the pretty human girl with them seemed to have noticed me. As expected, she turned to stone. Fairsky? Whats the matter? Why have you stopped mid-step? Legs asked, seeing that Fairsky had frozen. Fairsky? The rest of Rose Team looked questioningly at Fairsky and then, following her line of sight, turned to look at me... Whats wrong, Prince? Lolidragon PMed me, having seen my strange behavior. The most handsome guy over there, the human swordsman, Feng Wu Qing, is my little brother. Does he know...? He knows that Im a tranny, but he doesnt know who I am! Then I added, Dont let him find out. Oh. Okay, then behave more naturally; your face is stiff as a corpses. Hearing that, I adjusted my expression and smiled slightly at them. So handsome... Fairsky said, dazedly. Feng Wu Qing, however, looked rather annoyed. He was obviously wondering where that fellow had came from (From your house...) and how that fellow C who was only a little good-looking C had actually dared to snatch the spotlight away from himself. Wu Qing became even more pissed off when he turned around and saw that Rose C even Rose! C was regarding that fellow with an expression of wonder. At this, I got up and walked over. After all, Rose and the others had helped me before. The very least I could do was to go up and say hi to them. Its been a while, Rose, Lil Strong, Legs, For Healing Only, I said. You know us? Lil Strong asked, extremely surprised. His impression was that hed never met this good-looking guy before. The others had simrly puzzled expressions. I smiled faintly. Im Prince. Prince...? My smile became wry. Looks like theyvepletely forgotten about me, I thought. That mask-wearing Prince, remember? Ah... Its you. Lil Strong lightly rapped his temple, realizing why he couldnt remember this face. The one who used taekwondo to fight mobs? For Healing Only said, his eyes alight withughter. Were you wearing a mask then because you were too good-looking? Legs asked with an odd expression. Yeah... Just then, Lolidragon came over to stand beside me. Ah, let me introduce everyone. This is mypanion, Lolidragon. Lolidragon, this is Rose, Lil Strong, Legs, and For Healing Only. Theyve helped me out before. Lolidragon took me by the arm and gave them an incandescent smile. Hello. So its you, Prince... my dear sister, Rose, said bashfully. I broke out in cold sweat at her tone. Suddenly, my little brother interrupted. Hello. Im a new member of Rose Team, Feng Wu Qing. He gave a slight smile. I recognized that smile as his so-called coolest, most confident, Chu Liu Xiang-styled smile. My brother once told me that if he shows this expression to a girl, it means that he wants to make her fall for him; whereas if he shows this expression to a guy, it means that he wants to challenge him... What the heck! What are you challenging me for!? Hello! I replied with a faint smile. In my heart, however, I was thinking, What the hell is up with that challenging expression?! Its pissing me off! Grr, keep that up and I wont be cooking dinner for youter... As a strange tension developed between the two of us, the two girls C Snow White Rose and Fairsky C looked at Feng Wu Qing. They then turned to look at me, seeming as though they were torn between two choices... I felt like copsing onto the ground as realization hit me.Now I get it! STUPID BROTHER! Im NOT trying to snatch your GIRLS from you! I yelled silently in my head. My brother only gave a twirl of his jade flute, still ying it cool. He smiled and said, Friend Prince truly is blessed, to have a significant other as beautiful as Lolidragon; seeing such a yuan-yang couple leaves me truly envious, sigh! I forced a smile. You tter us... Is your little brother this much of a skirt-chaser in private, too? Lolidragon asked in a PM, even as she maintained the appearance of a demure young woman. As if. If Im the only one around, he drops that Chu Liu Xiang attitude and bes a total idiot. Upon hearing Feng Wu Qings words, Fairsky and Rose both turned pale and Fairsky hurriedly asked, Prince, are you two really lovers? Yeah, Lolidragon is...my wife. Fairskys face nearly fell off. To think that she finally met such an ideal hottie, only to find out that he was married C and that his wife was an iparable beauty! Her moodpletely soured. Fairsky looked at my perfect and handsome appearance with longing. A chill just ran up my spine! No, I wont give up! She thought. I still have a secret weapon... Just then, Lolidragon noticed my awkwardness and instantly created an excuse for me to escape. Dear, our foods been served! With that, I hurriedly bade farewell to members of Rose Team and returned to my seat to enjoy my meal. I tucked into my food heartily, despite a nagging feeling that there was something odd about that exchange. Afterwards, Lolidragon and I went on a stroll through the city in order to digest the huge meal we had just eaten. Prince, have you thought about forming a party? Lolidragon asked me. Whats so good about a party? I asked, tilting my head to one side. The knowledgeable Lolidragon began to exin it to me in detail. Later on, the mobs will be much stronger, so itll probably be pretty tough for us to fight them on our own. But if we had a priest and a mage, itll be easier to take them down. We would probably level up even faster than we do now too. Also, with a party we could go to the Adventurers Guild and ept group quests. If weplete them sessfully, they can yield good quest rewards, money, increase our reputation, etc. Hmm... That sounded pretty good to me. Then lets form a party! Hearing that, Lolidragon rolled her eyes. Its not that simple. A party must have a minimum of five members! Right now, theres only the two of us. ThatC Hold up, the two of you in front, a lovely voice called out imperiously, interrupting me. Confused, I turned about to see the pretty human girl from Rose Team. Id met her just a little while before... I think her name is Fairsky?Is something the matter? Her hands were on her hips. She seemed to be striving for a fierce, unyielding demeanor...but the end result was neither here nor there, given her small, delicate face. However, at that moment, a row of eight hulking guys suddenly appeared behind her... What is going on? A robbery? In Star City? Lolidragon and I were thoroughly puzzled. Nearby yers stopped to watch, clearly curious about what was going on. If I may ask... What business do you have with us? I said, still maintaining that gentlemanly smile. So hot... Fairsky thought with a worshipful expression. Her resolve intensified C she would definitely get this gorgeous man to take her as his wife! Thus, the lines she hade up with after a long period of deliberation sprang to her lips. The way is mine to clear and the tree is mine to cut; for you to pass through here... With. The. Hottie. You. Must. Part. ...All of usC Lolidragon, myself, and the surrounding yers that is C were simply stunned. Seeing no response from me, Fairsky stamped her foot. Listen, Prince. I want you to dump your current wife, Lolidragon, and be myhusband. Ill feed you, house you, equip you, clothe you, and Ill even give you an allowance. She proudly raised her chin in assurance. Dont worry, I definitely have money. If you dont believe me, I can give you fifty thousand gold first. I was confounded. You mean... You want to take care of me? Thats right! In secret, Lolidragon had long since started tough till her sides split; however, for the sake of her image, she fought valiantly to control herughter. The rising corners of her mouth were the only evidence of her mirth. The spectators, on the other hand, had long since burst intoughter. Amidst the babble, I could hear a few remarks, like: Whoa, what a manly babe, Take care of me too, babe, and Che, why dont you take a look at yourself first!. What to do, Lolidragon... And stopughing, will you, I PMed her intively. Ahahaha! ...Just turn her down, obviously. After all, what can she do to you on the streets in broad daylight anyway? Lolidragon replied, choking withughter. Ignoring the two-hundred-decibels-loudughter around us, I had no choice but to force an apologetic expression onto my face. Waaah!Im an innocent party... Im very sorry, but I have no intention of abandoning my wife, so please... Look for a husband elsewhere! Damn it! Fairsky thought, looking at Lolidragon with apparent fury. Thetter, however, appeared to be totally unconcerned and was busy examining her fingernails. This only enraged Fairsky further. Boys, kill that woman and send her back to the rebirth point. Her eight underlings looked at each other in hesitation C after all, to kill such an exquisitely beautiful woman was simply...unthinkable! Furious, Fairsky shouted, Hurry up and do it! If you kill her, Ill give you fifty thousand! The two of us paled and Lolidragon seemed to be zing with anger. Dont you dare to even think of doing something to us out here on the main street! Tempted by the promise of fifty thousand gold, the eight thugs slowly approached us. Hurriedly, I shielded Lolidragon with my body. The surrounding yers began to mutter resentfully, but a single sentence from Fairsky made them hesitate to involve themselves. If anyone dares to interfere, Ill get these boys to kill you over and over again until you return to level one. Prince... Lolidragons face was now pale as a sheet as she hid behind me. Dont be afraid. If you die, Ill die with you. After all, its just a level, we can always retrain, Iforted Lolidragon, who seemed to calm down a little upon hearing my words. Ill ask you again, Prince. Will you be my husband? If you agree, Ill let Lolidragon go. Fairskys self-centered speech nearly drove Lolidragon into an inarticte rage. You damn bitch! Even if you kill me until I hit level one, Prince will still be MY husband! Hearing that, Fairsky was incensed. Kill her. One guy, dazzled by the promise of fifty thousand gold, decided to rush in ahead and im the entire reward for his own. He came striding in, forcefully wielding a double-headed axe. In response, I reached into my pouch and grabbed my powerful assistant C Meatbun C and lobbed it savagely at Fairskys hirelings. Meatbun, use Poisonous Meatbun. As Meatbun flew towards their heads, it released a stream of poison gas. Once Meatbun returned to my hand, I dashed towards Thug A at lightning speed, making full use of the temporary confusion and fright caused by Meatbun. Nine-headed Dragon Strike! Nine-headed Dragon Strike was a move from the Rurouni Kenshin manga that Id copied and modified. Itbined normal hacking and shing with moves such as the Ten Strike through the use of my Continuous Attack ability. At present, it allows for ten continuous attacks, so perhaps I should rename Nine-headed Dragon Strike as Ten-headed Dragon Strike... When added to the attack power of my level fifteen ck Dao and the fire damage from Inferno sh, the result was an insanely powerful move C one that could be considered my ultimate move for the time being. Even the strongest mob in the newbie area C the boss Skeleton King C had turned into a pile of broken bones before the move could bepletely executed. Aaaaaaargh! Thug A let out a blood-curdling scream before turning into a pir of light and shooting into the sky. I immediately grabbed a mana potion from my pouch and began gulping down the contents. The greatest problem with using the Nine-headed Dragon Strike Nine-headed Dragon Strike, Id like to invite him to step up! The thugs had finished dosing themselves with major antidotes, but none of them dared to approach us first. After all, having watched me replenish my mana, all were well aware that the first to charge over would be offering the others a free meat-shield! Bloody hell! Well take him on together, boys, and see how he likes fighting seven-on-one! Thug B finally roared. All seven thugs came charging over together. What followed could only be described as a brawl. I relied on my agility C which was higher than theirs C to dart about in that sea of des. However, I still wound up taking a number of hits and waspletely unable to retaliate. Lolidragons situation was no better. She had sustained no damage for the time being due to her agility, which was even higher than mine, but without much attack power, she could hardly injure the enemy either. Hngh! In the instant I was distracted, one of the thugs had used an ability and chopped down on my back. Damn him, I thought, fury rising within me. As they say, if Im going to die, Im going to make sure that I go down in mes! I immediately executed another Nine-headed Dragon Strike. It caused a pir of white light to shoot into the sky, but the cost to me was high; I took another five or six blows. I was on the verge of death... Prince... The blood drained from Lolidragons face. She dived over, executing Chun Lis ultimate move C well call it Helicopter Kick for now!To my surprise, Lolidragon had managed to modify the move. I watched as she did a handstand, spinning non-stop with both hands still on the ground. Shecked the physical strength, so her legs couldnt possibly deal much damage, but she had actually fitted hidden des onto the tips of her boots. From what I knew of Lolidragon, the des must have been coated with her most powerful poison, Seven Steps Soul Scatter. Of course, you wouldnt really die in seven steps, but with a HP degeneration rate of -50/s, a regr yer would probably be dead within a minute if they didnt cure the poison. The poisoned thugs were horrified to see their health dropping at such a rapid rate, and hurried to search their inventories for antidotes. Making use of the confusion, Lolidragon dashed over and hauled me out of thebat zone, even as I began to guzzle down a health potion. Before I could put a second potion to my lips, however, the thugs charged us again. God damn it! Lolidragon and I both paled noticeably. Nearby yers, seeing that no one else had stepped up all this while, decided to just continue watching from the sidelines. Some of the girls could not bear to watch any longer, however. They left, shielding their eyes from the sight. Looks like Lolidragon and I will really have to die for the sake of our love, waaah! Can I choose not to die under such bizarre circumstances? Just as I was about to exchange blows with the thugs, a thunderous, bestial roar filled the air. STOP! All heads turned to look at the source of the voice. It wasnt too hard to spot the target, since it was a beastman C in particr, a hideous wolfman C with matted gray fur and, as far as I could estimate, a height of nearly two meters. His gigantic fist seemed like it could send a man to hell with one blow and his arms were as thick as my thighs, so his legs were probably thicker than my waist. Panic filled the eyes of the remaining thugs; nobody in their right mind would have wanted to fight the enormous, ugly creature in front of them. The hideous wolfman looked at the thugs with a vicious re. SCRAM, UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SHREDDED TO PIECES! They gulped nervously and retreated a few steps, but were still reluctant to run away. Making use of the opportunity, I drank myst health potion. With my health replenished, I stood up and, as if to emphasize the wolfmans words, I shifted into the starting stance for the Nine-headed Dragon Strike. That,pounded with the icy gaze in my eyes, led to the desired oue: Terror. Fairsky, standing to one side, was also pale with fright. She had only intended to kill Lolidragon, and not to hurt her Prince Charming. In an imploring tone, she asked, Prince... Do you really love Lolidragon so much, to the point that no other woman would do? I heaved a troubled sigh. This face of mine is really a ma for trouble! Thats right. Im sorry... Hearing that, Fairskys eyes filled with tears. With a low sob, she finally fled, crying. Taking stock of the situation, the thugs realized that the fifty thousand were forever out of their reach, so they left as well. I watched as the thugs scattered and breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of my close shave with death a moment ago, I began to feel afraid again. Without realizing it, my legs folded beneath me and I sat down hard on the ground. Just then, however, a soft,forting white light enveloped me... Are you all right? the ugly wolfman asked me, concerned. I lifted my head to look at him and saw that he was grinning at me. I smiled back in reassurance, my heart filled with sudden warmth. Somehow, his ugly face seemed to be very friendly and trustworthy. Lolidragon, however, looked at the gray, ugly wolfman with an extremely astonished expression. You... Youre a priest? Lolidragon stuttered. What the ugly wolfman had just cast was actually a priests medium-level healing spell... The wolfman answered with some embarrassment, Yes, I am a beastman priest. I was stunned for a moment, and then burst outughing. Did...did we just use a priest, an injured warrior anda thief to scare off SIXwarriors? Ahahaha... As I broke off intoughter, Lolidragon and the ugly wolfman both began to chuckle as well. Lolidragon and I exchanged a nce. We saw in each others eyes a shared admiration for the wolfman. Both of us were clearly thinking,Nobody else in that crowd dared toe forward and help us, but he, a priest with no attack power, actually had the courage to step up. Doesnt that call for admiration and gratitude? Whats your name? I asked the wolfman. I obviously cant keep calling him ugly wolfman. Besides, I dont feel that hes ugly at all anymore. Im called...Ugly Wolf. Its a very fitting name, he said with a smile. However, I could see that the look in his eyes was one of painful humiliation. I felt a pang of sorrow and made up my mind... Then... Wolf, my legs seem to have given out on me. Could you help me back to the hotel? I asked, lifting up my arms helplessly. Certainly, certainly, he said quickly. And so, with one arm over Wolfs shoulders and another over Lolidragons, we slowly made our way back to the hotel. As we walked, I said, Wolf, we need a priest, and I was wondering if you might be interested... [? Prince Volume 1 Chapter 3 End]

Footnotes

Iori Yagamis Rage of the Eight Maidens: As mentioned before, Iori Yagami is a character from King of Fighters who maniptes fire. Rage of the Eight Maidens is one of his signature moves, where Iori uses several normal attacks from the front before grabbing his enemy and blowing them up. (Doesnt sound like it can be done even in Second Life, though.) The move is supposedly inspired by an encounter Iori had with eight nuns in a dressing room... Kenshins Nine-headed Dragon Strike: Kenshin is the main character from the manga Rurouni Kenshin, and the move Nine-headed Dragon Strike (^W in Japanese kanji, prn. kuzu-rysen) is one of his moves. It is an unavoidable and deadly technique that requires a lot of speed to strike at the bodys nine vital points. Prince often uses this attack inter chapters. Yang Guos Mncholic Palms: Yang Guo is the protagonist of the novel The Return of the Condor Heroes, written by Jin Yong. Yang Guo was the son of Yang Kang, the viin in the prequel novels The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Even as a young boy, he was shunned by many, because they believed that he would grow up to be just like his father. He meets and falls in love with Xiao Long N, the female protagonist, a martial arts practitioner five years his senior who also bes his teacher. (Note that Xiao Long N literally means Little Dragon Girl; this is Lolidragons name, but because most readers are morefortable with Lolidragon, weve stuck to using that.) Their supposedly indecent rtionship, as well as their martial arts skill and Xiao Long Ns beauty led them into a lot of trouble and they were separated many times. Subsequently, Yang Guo and Xiao Long N were poisoned by their enemies, but they managed to obtain a single dose of antidote. Xiao Long Nter vanished, leaving behind an obscure message on a cliff about having found another cure, and telling Yang Guo that they would reunite in sixteen years. Everyone (excepting Yang Guo) understood the truth, which was that Xiao Long N hadmitted suicide in order to save Yang Guo, who would have no choice but to take the antidote. Yang Guo waited faithfully, however, and the despair he felt from his separation from Xiao Long N was channeled into theMncholic Palms (Ȼơ, prn. n rn xio hn zh?ng), a set of moves so powerful that they rivaled the most powerful martial arts skills. However, the power of the Mncholic Palms depended greatly on the users state of mind C the more despair and sorrow felt, the greater its power. In the end, it turned out that somehow Xiao Long N did survive, and the lovers were reunited. Stylish robe: Just think of the clothes guys wear in Chinese period dramas. Chu Liu Xiang: Written as 㡱 in Chinese, this is the name of the protagonist of a Chinese novel (titled after the protagonist). Think of him as a Chinese version of Robin Hood (taking from the rich and giving to the poor), with a formal yet urbane way of speaking. He is also extremely popr with thedies. Yuan-yang: This refers to mandarin ducks, and it is written as ԧ족 in simplified Chinese. Mandarin ducks are notable symbols of conjugal love and fidelity as they can often be found in pairs. The phrase used by Wu Qing to describe Prince and Lolidragon here is actually ԧ¡ (prn. yun yng xi l), with thest two characters referring to a heroic couple or, more urately, a pair of fighters who are also lovers, like Yang Guo and Xiao Long N. If you add in the symbolism of the yuan-yang, it implies that Prince and Lolidragon are fated lovers. The way...must part: In Chinese, this is ·ҿԣҪ˴˧ (prn. c? l sh w? ki, c? sh sh w? zi, yo d? c? ch gu, lu xi shui g li), and a literal trantion would be I open this road, I nt this tree, if you want to go on your way, leave the hottie here. The phrase originated from some wuxia novel or another (sans the hottie part) and it is basically a threat couched in flowerynguage. Volume 1 Chapter 4 Volume 1 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: The Necromancer and the Bard C tranted by Julyflurry In an extremely romantic European-styled garden, an angelic and devastatingly handsome elf sat beside a beautiful, rose-like girl. Together, they formed the wless image of a fairy-tale prince and princess and the only word to describe them was perfection. Unfortunately, the image was marred by an ugly wolfman seated together with them. All the yers nearby shook their heads, feeling as though they had ordered a bowl of za cui noodles, only to find out that the delicious pigs intestines had not been cleaned properly and still contained some feces. Putting on a charming smile, the corners of my mouth lifted up as I carefully examined the white menu in my hands. Having made up my mind, I lifted my head, ignoring the mesmerized gaze the other yers were giving me as I turned to an equally enraptured waitress. In an iparably gentle voice, I said, Miss, a bowl of soy milk and five you tiaoplease. Blinking her eyes enchantingly, Lolidragon said lightly, Prince, you really know how to ruin the mood; whats with the soy milk and you tiao? The yers around us nodded in agreement. At least have some sesame cake! Miss, get me two bowls of soy milk and ten sesame cakes, Lolidragon said. Just then, Wolf-dg added in his bestial voice, Little sister, also add a cup of Italian espresso, Caesar sd, and a roast... After finishing her soybean milk, Lolidragon wiped her mouth daintily and spoke. Prince, I think we should hurry and find more teammates! Whats the rush? We have Wolf-dg to heal us, so we wont have trouble gaining experience. We can slowly gather other teammates! I swallowed a mouthful of you tiao, slowly answering the question. No, experience has nothing to do with why I want more teammates. Then? I asked. Why else would we need teammates other than leveling up? Lolidragon heaved a deep sigh. The way is mine to clear and the tree is mine to cut; for you to pass through here... With. The. Hottie. You. Must. Part. Did you have to rub salt in my wounds? That damn Lolidragon! I... Im so pissed! Lolidragon snickered. Wounds are meant for rubbing salt in... Prince, the point is that we managed to scare off Fairsky this time, but that doesnt mean there wont be others who will try to snatch you from me. The next time, I might not be able to protect your virtue... Thats why C for your pretty little face, for your virtue, for our glorious monster-fighting honeymoon trip C we need to build up ourbat strength quickly. Thats whyrades are the most important assets in our battle to protect your virtue. .... I was rendered speechless. Lolidragon really knows how to scare people, I thought, But shes usually right. Will I really be offering up my virtue to my fellow females? Could this be considered lesbianism? Lolidragon thought carefully. I think we should get a mage and, after that, an archer. That shouldplete our party. At this moment, Wolf-dg spoke. From what Lolidragon and I had gathered of Wolf-dg, he only opened his mouth when we were discussing something important. Therefore, he rarely spoke. Finding any mage is easy, but it will be difficult to find a mage that suits us. Some mages specialize in area spells good for handling a number of mobs at a time. Others prefer to focus their attacks so that they have stronger spells, but they can only take on one mob at a time this way. There are mages who choose to spam weak but fast attacks, as well as mages who prefer all-or-nothing bursts of magic. The type of elemental magic also ys an important role, so well have to find a mage depending on what types of mobs you want to fight... Amazing! Both Lolidragon and I turned starry-eyed, staring at Wolf-dg in awe. Its amazing how much theory there is behind finding a mage... You are amazing, Wolf-dg. You know so much... Wolf-dg gave us an embarrassed smile. Its nothing really. I wanted to be a mage before, thats why I researched the ss. A twoCmeterCtall mage? I smiled numbly at the thought. Then why didnt you be one? Lolidragon also had a slightly stunned smile, but she thought, a twoCmeterCtall mage was at leastslightly less strange than a twoCmeterCtall priest... Wolf-dg heaved a deep sigh. Err...! If you dont want to talk about it, its okay. Wolf-dg probably has his reasons... Rubbing salt on other peoples wounds was Lolidragons specialty, not mine C although I was also rather curious. Its not really a big deal. With a intive expression, Wolf-dg stood up and turned around to gaze at the faraway horizon, the very picture of dejection. Just what could have happened that led Wolf-dg to give up his dream of being a mage? Wolf-dgs expression darkened. Actually, the reason was because... There were too many people lining up outside of the mages temple, so I went to the empty priests temple instead. My foot sent the skeleton warriors skull flying and with a spin kick, I broke the skeletons backbone. There was a loud crack as the skeleton turned into a pile of bones. Behind me, Lolidragon was busy gathering bones C Im not joking. Since half a kilo of bone dust is worth ten silver coins, this is definitely not aughing matter! Before I forget to exin, the reason were here is because Wolf-dg said he wanted to see ourbat technique before trying to findpatible teammates. Thats how we ended up in this eerie forest full of skeletons, using our craziest techniques to show Wolf-dg what we were made of. Wolf-dg stared at me in disbelief. Your taekwondo posture is incorrect. Come! Let Dg teach you. Wolf-dg then sent three skeletons flying in one with just one kick...Are you really a priest? Ahaha! I was leveling alone before, so I gained some strength... Here,e, let me buff you with Song of Battle, Fleet-footedness, andImprable Wall. After receiving a huge boost in strength, agility, and defense, I finally understood the benefit of having a priest. As I darted through the midst of a bunch of skeletons, I was reminded of thest time Lolidragon and I were fighting low-leveled skeletons in the cave at the newbies vige... Lolidragon, are you sure we can fight against skeletons? I stared at the dark, creepy cave, feeling myself break out in goosebumps. Just thinking about the skeletons white frames in the school clinic left me feeling scared... And, more importantly, skeletons didnt drool, so what was I going to rely on to go on a rampage? Lolidragon too, gulped nervously and said, We...should...be able to... We forced ourselves to enter the cave. Lolidragon! Go and check things out up ahead... What? What do you mean, no?! Are you really a thief? Since it couldnt be helped, I had to light up a torch and walk ahead with Lolidragon hiding behind me. Suddenly, we heard the sound of bones grating up ahead. My face turned pale. I turned to Lolidragon, hoping to find somefort in her presence, only to see that her face had turned green. Ahh.... Lolidragon suddenly let out a squeak, her forefinger shakily pointing in front of her. I turned to discover that three white skeletons had suddenly appeared, but to my surprise I realized that I wasnt really afraid. As I looked left and right, I kept thinking that those three skeletons looked like the sparerib soup that my brother and I had eaten yesterday. I raised my ck Dao and approached the skeletons cautiously... Lolidragon: I stared at Prince, who was fearlessly approaching the group of skeletons and thought, Looks like shes bing manlier! Not bad, not bad; a handsome face cannot have a spineless personality. Suddenly, something white fell on my shoulder. Timidly, I peeked at my left shoulder to see what had fallen. Ahhh! A skeletons hand! I tried to shake it off, but it was clutching onto my shoulder tightly. Im scared! Scared to the limit of my endurance, I finally understood what Prince meant when he was talking about hating the taste of saliva... Im furious, furious! Im so furious!Stupid skeleton, dont you know you cant just grab onto the shoulder of a fair maiden? I reached out, grabbed the elbow joint of the skeleton, twisted it forcefully...and found that there was only a skeletons arm left in my hand.Uwah! I hurriedly threw it aside, but the stupid skeleton decided to use its other hand to grab me. I immediately repeated my earlier movement... And then I lost control. Seeing the white bones in front of me, I dismantled them the moment I reached out my hand, destroying bone after bone... I regained consciousness after sometime, and the first thing I saw was Prince staring at me in disbelief and the ground littered with bones. The system notice stated that I had just learned a new skill: Dismantle Bones. As the saying goes, Saliva for Prince, skeletons for me. C Lolidragon. Help... Nooooo! A sharp, shrill scream snapped me out of my stupor. At first, I thought it was Lolidragon going wild again, but when I turned around, Lolidragon was sitting on the ground, crushing bones into bone dust with a nk look still on her face. Prince, the voice came from there, Wolf-dg said as he pointed towards the direction of the sound. Lolidragon, Wolf-dg, and I quickly ran in that direction and saw a very cute girl of the angel race, with her hair tied in two buns, covering her face as she dashed toward us, sobbing. ming Skeletons... Wolf-dgs expression became grave. Watching the fiery skeletons pursue the pretty little girl, my expression was no less grave than his. If I get burned, itll really hurt! It couldnt be helped however, as the bun-haired girl was already rushing toward us. I could only raise my sword to ward off the mobs, reminding myself not to give in to the impulse to pull some crazy stunts. From my cooking experiences, I knew better than anyone just how painful burns could be... Nine-headed Dragon Strike! Nine des of me shot out, rapidly striking at nine different spots on the skeletons. Ah! These FSkeletons are incredible; even yers and the skeleton boss from the newbies vige couldnt handle this technique, but for these skeletons to actually stand their ground against it... I felt a growing sense of defeat. I retreated, drank a mana potion, and executed yet another Nine-headed Dragon Strike. Still not dead?Furious, mana potion, Nine-headed Dragon Strike, mana potion, Nine-headed Dragon Strike! I panted heavily. Such powerful skeletons! To still be alive even after so many Nine-headed Dragon Strikes... Prince, if you continue to use fire-based attacks against these ming Skeletons, then Im afraid youll be fighting until Second Life closes down, Wolf-dg couldnt help but remark. His words were apanied by the sound of Lolidragons snickers. ...A mistake, a mistake! Embarrassed, I extinguished the mes on my de and simply used the Ten Strike instead. This time, the ming Skeletons scattered into pieces onto the ground. <Ding! System notice: Prince has PKed Dolls minions, ming Skeletons, Reputation -100> ...Thats a false usation; when did I do that? Wolf-dgs and Lolidragons expressions changed from mirth to rm and they came over to stand beside me cautiously. Shielding the bun-haired girl by standing in front of her, a bunch of questions burst from Lolidragons mouth. Little girl, how many people summoned those ming Skeletons? How did you manage to offend them? The girl shyly replied, I did not offend anyone. Then why were the yer Dolls ming Skeletons chasing after you? I asked suspiciously. They were my skeletons... What? Did I hear correctly? The three of us exchanged a bbergasted look, but Lolidragon forced her voice to remain calm. You are Doll? Yes... You summoned those skeletons? Yes... You are a necromancer? Yes... You are of the angel race? Thats right! Then why were you running and even shouting for help? I was slightly pissed. Doll said tearfully, Because this is my first time summoning those scary skeletons! They actually had fire, how frightening! Doll just kept on running, but those skeletons kept on chasing me, waaaaah! The corners of Lolidragons mouth twitched. You summoned them, so of course they would follow you! Why be a necromancer if you are scared of skeletons? Besides, youre from the angel race... The cowering Doll suddenly raised her head and lifted her chin. Necromancers are not evil. Their real job is to discover the true meaning of death and unveil deaths mystery. Besides, a necromancers real forte is medicine; no one is more familiar with the body than a necromancer! Little girl, it seems like youve memorized The Eye of the Soul quite well! Lolidragon said coldly. Ah, no wonder those words sounded familiar; they came from the novel The Eye of the Soul. After Doll heard this, she stamped her feet on the ground angrily and said, I am different from the necromancer in The Eye of the Soul! I am...ahem! Ahem! She suddenly cleared her throat, lifted her wand, and twirled around while reciting, For love and justice! I am the pretty necromancer, Doll! Evil, beware! In the ce of the skeletons, Doll will punish you! As she finished, one foot touched the ground while the other was lifted up yfully and both of her forefingers were pointing at her dimples. Both Lolidragon and I could say nothing in response, but Wolf-dg asked, Little sister, what level are you? While still maintaining that extremely difficult pose, Doll replied, No ones apuding, so Im not saying! p, p, p... No choice; we had to start pping. Hehe, I am level thirty! Amazing, right? Doll said proudly as she reverted to a more normal stance. At this point, I should mention that Wolf-dg is level thirty-six, one level higher than me. Level thirty. Wolf-dg considered, then asked, Doll, what abilities have you learned? How many skeletons can you summon? Doll tilted her head and with an adorable expression recited, Slumbering skeletons of the dead in the dark and remote depths of the world, abandon your slumber and answer my call, the call of the necromancer, Doll! As soon as she finished chanting, the ground began to shake and many skeletal hands began to pop out of the ground like bean sprouts... Prince, theres a skeleton grabbing my foot, Lolidragon trembled. Oh no, if Lolidragon gets touched by the skeletons, then...! Aaaaaah! Lolidragon let out a piercing scream and reached out to grab the offending skeletons hand. She actually pulled the skeletonpletely out of the ground, as though she were pulling out a radish. Then, using her Dismantle Bones ability, she tore the skeleton apart. After she finished, she moved on to tear apart another and another and another... Lolidragon, what are you doing, harvesting? Forget it, I thought. Despite my words, I immediately began to pick up bone after bone C half a kilo of bone dust is worth ten silver coins and thest time Lolidragon went on a rampage, we gained a total of ten gold coins. Looks like this time we can eat at a restaurant! Prince... yer-summoned skeletons will automatically disappear, you cannot sell them. Wolf-dgs voice drifted into my ears. Wh-wh-what?! Why cant we sell them? I watched sorrowfully as the gold in my hands disappeared. To one side, Doll watched as her skeletons were turned into a pile of bones. Awestruck, she eximed, My idol! Could I inquire as to that big sisters name? she asked me, her eyes glittering with reverence. ...Lolidragon. Lolidragon-jijie is so powerful, to know every joint on the skeleton and twist it so that every bone in the skeletons body breaks! Thatck of hesitation and methodical execution is amazing! Lolidragon-jijie definitely has a profound understanding of the souls of the dead. I must learn from her, Doll said, looking entranced as she watched Lolidragon dismantle the arm of a skeleton. I watched speechlessly as Lolidragon, who apparently had a profound understanding of the souls of the dead, used her strength to dismantle bone after bone. I was a little worried, since at this rate her infamy might soon earn her a spot on the hall of shame... One, two...four...eight... Wolf-dg began counting the number of skeletons no more slowly than Lolidragon was pulling skeletons out from the ground. Thats a total of eight low-leveled skeletons! Thats not bad at all. How many ming skeletons can you raise, Doll? Doll, who had been looking at Lolidragon with reverence, began to chant automatically, Skeletons of the vengeful dead, cloaked in the raging mes from the depths of hell, answer my call, the call of the necromancer, Doll! Four me-enveloped bean sprouts popped out off the ground. I immediately dashed toward them, ashen-faced, deeply worried that Lolidragon might Ahhhhh! ...Looks like Im toote. Lolidragons already clutching her hand and whimpering tearfully. Before I could reach Lolidragon, however, a figure faster than me had already charged over. Lolidragon-jijie, are you okay?! Waaah! Doll didnt mean for big sister to get hurt. As she finished speaking, Doll began to cry, wailing loudly. Lolidragon stared at her in bewilderment for a moment and then looked at me. I scratched my face. Doll says she idolizes you, as you have a profound understanding of the souls of the dead. ... Prince, I think we should ask Doll to be a member of our party, said Wolf-dg. Seeing Lolidragons expression, he added, Dolls ability to summon the dead is quite impressive. Right now, Prince is our only warrior. No matter how strong he is, he cannot go on the offense and protect a priest and a mage at the same time, so a necromancer with a number of skeleton minions would be quite suitable for our group. I stared at him, incredulous. Our priest actually needs protection? Doll began to act all cutesy. Oh goody! I want to follow Lolidragon-jijie. A chill ran down Lolidragons spine. I had no opinion on the matter and thus our party C with two votes for, one against, and one abstained C gained a new member. In addition to a handsome, transgendered elf warrior, a beautiful elf thief (who always refused to scout ahead), and a two-meter-tall wolfman priest (able to send three skeletons flying with one kick) C our team now included an angel necromancer of love and justice who feared skeletons... Truth be told, shouting DIE! at the skeletons one moment and fighting alongside them the next leaves me with an indescribably weird feeling. At least Im slightly better than Lolidragon; she keeps huddling behind Wolf-dgs broad back. Only when she bes embarrassed of having leeched too many experience points does she asionally stick her head out and throw a hidden de... God damn it, Lolidragon! Aim carefully before you throw! As two throwing knives whizzed by, scraping the side of my head, I was started to feel the urge to beat someone up. Do you guys miss Meatbun? I had actually wanted to take Meatbun out for some throwing practice so that it could level up, but the moment I took Meatbun out, Doll squealed about how cute it was and snatched it away. See! Doll is still over there ying with Meatbun, tossing it up and down... Wait a second! Why is Doll holding a bone in her hand? And why is Wolf-dg beside her, looking as though he is coaching her in something? Also, why does Dolls posture seem to suggest that shes ying baseball? Before I could utter a word, the baseball C Meatbun, that is C had already been sent flying with a hit from the bone. Right, your batting posture is pretty good, Wolf-dgsaid approvingly. My jaw fell open. I could only look on helplessly as my poor Meatbun was sent flying again, hooting happily as it went. It first struck the skeleton standing next to me (which had been summoned by Doll), before rebounding and hitting a second skeleton, then rebounding back to the first, then the second, the first, the second... My head swiveled left and right continuously as I watched my innocent Meatbun bounce back and forth between the two skeletons. With a bam! and a bonk!, two innocent skeletons announced their departure from the world of the living. <Ding! System notice: Princes pet Meatbun has PKed Dolls Skeletons, Reputation -200> <Ding! Pet: Meatbun has learned a new skill C Double Kill> I seized Meatbun as it flew back to me. I looked once at Meatbun, and then at the two-headed giant I was fighting, the corners of my mouth lifting into a cold smile. Meatbun, use Double Kill. I tossed Meatbun at the mob with a savage throw, but it just bounced once before returning to my hand. That left me in deep trouble for the giant began charging at me, and I ended up having to hack the two-headed giant to death. Wolf-dgeven had to heal me once. Finally, I can take a look at the skills description... A stick-like object! I looked everywhere, at first wanting to borrow a bone stick from Doll. After some thought, I realized the bone would onlyst for a little while before disappearing. Instead, I took the sheath of my sword and C with a swing C sent Meatbun flying. Meatbun, Double Kill. This time, Meatbun struck a two-headed giant with impable precision and destroyed half of its HP. Then I rushed forward and, usingContinuous Attack, kicked the two-headed giant until it fell. The other, surrounded by Dolls ming Skeletons, fell as I dealt it a final blow. I then lent my sheath to Wolf-dg so he could use it as a bat. Doll stood beside Wolf-dg, tossing Meatbun to him so he could hit it. We waited until after Meatbun had destroyed half of the mobs HP before the ming Skeletons and I finished it off. What a perfect way to level up! In the next few days we perfected a new method: I would use Meatbuns Aroma Release to attract many mobs after Wolf-dg buffed Lolidragon up. Next, using sneak attacks, Lolidragon would get every single mob to focus its attention on her and begin running like mad around us. Doll would then toss Meatbun so Wolf-dg could hit Meatbun out; this way, two mobs would be lured out with their HP already reduced to half. Then, the ming Skeletons and I would go forth to finish them off. By repeatedly attracting mobs, throwing the ball, striking out, and then killing the mobs, we managed to take down enemies ranging from the level thirty-five two-headed giants to the level forty gorgons. We all earned experience points at an insanely fast rate, having been promoted three levels each on average. Fighting in a team really is a great way to train, I thought. But then, one day, something happened... As always, Lolidragon had gotten the mobs to focus their attention on her. However, as she began to dash around us, we noticed there was one particrly weird-looking leopard-headed mob which was running at an astonishingly fast speed. Even with Lolidragons boosted agility, which was enviably high, it was still catching up with every step. We began to worry and Wolf-dg attempted to hit the leopard-head mob using Meatbun. However, Meatbuns weakness was that it could only attack within a small area, and it could not reach the leopard-head. Lolidragon kept swerving, hoping to get close enough to us, but her swerving caused the leopard-head to catch up to her while we were still out of range... We could only watch helplessly as the leopard-headed mob raked at Lolidragons back, knocking her down. What was still more frightening, however, was that there were already a lot of mobs chasing after her. I hastily chucked Meatbun at the leopard-headed mob as I ran towards Lolidragon. This time it struck spot on, causing the leopard-head to run toward me instead. But it was toote; the other mobs had already surrounded Lolidragon and I could only look helplessly at her terrified face before she was swarmed under... Lolidragon! A white light shot into the sky from the midst of the mobs. I was extremely upset now, since I had been unable to protect Lolidragon properly. I tried venting my frustration on the damnable leopard-headed mob, but discovered that it was... Strong! This mob is incredibly strong! It ruthlessly swiped at me twice, and I still couldnt manage so much as a hit. Dont tell me... Run Prince, thats a boss! Wolf-dg roared. I frantically tried to back off, but run... Where can I run to?! The pack of mobs that killed Lolidragon had already surrounded us. We stood back to back, knowing our deaths were imminent. (Second Life did not have any scrolls of teleportation, to maintain the level of realism. There were only teleportation stations in each city that allowed yers to teleport to other cities.) Three streaks of white light shot into the sky... Death truly couldnt bepared with any ordinary type of difort. When I returned to the rebirth point in Star City C the closest city to us C I was pale-faced and suppressing the urge to throw up. Wolf-dg and Doll had already logged off, but I refused to log off with them C I had to find out what happened to Lolidragon first. I looked everywhere for signs of Lolidragon, but I couldnt find any trace of her. She probably felt so awful that she logged off first! By then, I was feeling much better. After some thought, I decided to just walk around and wait for the others instead of logging off. I wandered about the city, making sure to follow Lolidragons advice: To look like first-rate merchandise by maintaining a graceful, refined aura and wearing a mesmerizing, faint smile on my lips. Sure enough, even though the whole street was watching me, no one dared to bother me, and so I was able to roam the streets happily. Seeing a crowd gathering on an otherwise empty street, my curiosity was piqued and I decided to take a look as well. As I approached, I could hear the most beautifully poignant musicing from the heart of the crowd. Offering nearby yers a polite smile, I used the opportunity to slip effortlessly into the center of the crowd as they gazed at me, dumbstruck. As it turned out, it was a bard C a dark-haired, purple-eyed bard of the demon race C ying a guqin. It was rare to see someone of his race and ss, not to mention the fact that he was holding a very unusual instrument. Then I suddenly thought of my own teamand winced. I really have no right to judge others! In any case, he yed very well and I listened attentively to that smooth and gentle sound. Suddenly, the music stopped. I looked questioningly at the bard, only to see him staring back at me, looking surprised. It was then that I got a clear view of his face... He was handsome enough to give my brother a run for his money, that much was clear. However, while my brother gave others the impression of a suave swordsman, this guy came off more as an unearthly beauty. Hes sooooooo hot!My god, Ive finally met another man whose handsomeness can make me sigh in admiration! He, having already recovered from his surprise, had set down his instrument and was staring at me with a gentle expression, clearly captivated. Ignoring the people around us, we gazed soulfully at one another. Thank you for sending me this opportunity, God. It looks like I dont have to choose between the two options of narcissism and incest after all! The man slowly walked toward me, and he was still looking at me tenderly. A faint blush spread across my face as I shyly waited for him to approach. It was very hard to keep calm while waiting for him to walk over, however. Finally, he stood in front of me, and in an unexpectedly bold move, he knelt down. Fair beauty, you are truly the most exquisite person I have ever met. Your eyes are like incandescent stars, your lips would put even the loveliest rose to shame, and your skin is like the fairest snow... My face is red, red, red! How embarrassing! I cant help but feel shy if you say something like that in front of so many people! But hearing it feels sooooo good! ...An elegant air, oh! All of the elements of perfection are joined in you... No, you are perfection. The word perfect can be used on you alone. I wonder... May I have the honor of kissing your fair, dainty hand? He looked at me expectantly, lifting his right hand invitingly. Ah! My face must clearly reveal that Im intoxicated by his words. Feeling like a princess, I shyly extended my right hand to my knight. His expression was clearly one of extreme surprise and gratification. Receiving my right hand as though it were some sort of treasure, he kissed it tenderly, yet passionately. I want to remember this elegant scene forever... Prince, what are you doing?! I suddenly received a PM from Lolidragon. I replied breathlessly, Lolidragon, I met a super hottie and he seems to have fallen for me! My face was suffused with wonder. How fast! Lolidragon had only just logged on and had already discovered the crowd. Before replying, she ran eagerly toward the group, only to see her husband cheating on her with another man. ...Does he know you are a girl? ...Wait, thats right, I look like a man right now. Looking at the handsome bard, I felt a twinge of apprehension. Dont tell me this guy is...? Thats not possible, right?! I wanted very much to cry... And so, clinging to myst shred of hope, I opened my mouth and asked, Umm, do you know that Im a guy? God, please please, PLEASE tell me he thought I was a girl! The hottie stood up. He was taller than the current me who was about 175 centimeters tall C I think hes around 180 cm tall! Using a finger to tilt my face upwards, he looked at me with a besotted gaze and said, Of course I know. You exude such a spirited aura, how could I mistake you for a feeble little girl? Then he hugged me abruptly. With a blissful sigh, he added, Men are the best. With muscles as firm as these... It feels soooo much better than hugging those soft, squishy girls! My lips lifted into a faint smile... In a tavern... Prince, you really showed him no mercy! Actually using the Nine-headed Dragon Strike on him, Lolidragon said,ughing hard. Your reputation will go down that way! I could feel my veins popping with fury. Grinding my teeth, I replied, He should be thankful that I didnt kill him all the way back to level one! Im totally pissed! To think that Id finally found a satisfactorily good-looking guy, only for him to actually...turn out to be a GAY! Waaaaaaah! Right after I killed that stupid bard, Lolidragon and I had received a PM from Wolf-dg and Doll and wed decided to meet inside this pub. Stupid Lolidragon told Wolf-dg and Doll what had happened earlier and as a result they just couldnt stopughing. Damn it! In the end, Wolf-dg coughed twice to get Lolidragons and Dolls attention, bringing them out of their seemingly never-endingughter. Okay, lets give Prince a break and analyze the reasons for our deaths earlier. Upon hearing this, the atmosphere became heavy at once. We all paid careful attention to Wolf-dgs words. That leopard-headed monster is a medium level boss. Even if we couldnt win, it shouldnt have ended so horribly in our total annihtion. I think that happened because our team was missing a vital yer: a ranged ss. If wed had someone capable of ranged attacks, Lolidragon wouldnt have died in vain simply because we could not catch up to her. It also wouldnt have resulted in us being surrounded and gettingpletely annihted. Everyone couldnt help but nod their heads in agreement. So basically, were missing an archer or a mage? Lolidragon asked. Wolf-dg nodded and said, Yeah. I think it would be best to find both sses, since they both have their unique characteristics. They are equally important. Our team would be pretty much perfect if we could find an archer who could hit with high uracy within a fairly long range, and a mage specializing in AOE attacks. Then lets go to the Adventurers Guild to recruit new members! Lolidragon suddenly eximed. Afterwards we can also register our team. Good idea, said Wolf-dg. I nodded in agreement. This way we should be able to find some normalteammates! My first impression of the Adventurers Guild was that it was big C Huge! C like a baseball field, with an open roof. It was full of people looking for teammates, receiving quests, selling goods, etc and was on the whole a very lively ce, but... Even though it was generally noisy, I was, as usual, greeted with silence wherever I went. Under everyones gaze, we gradually arrived at the recruiting area and lifted a sign that read: Recruiting long term leveling archers and mages, between levels thirty and forty. We were pleased at everyone staring at our sign, secretly thinking it wouldnt be long until we found arade. It really was fast. After ten seconds, we looked on helplessly as a few thousand people moved toward us. The females were all shouting, I want to join, hottie, or Handsome, pick me!, while all the males were saying, Iming, cutie! or Take me, gorgeous! Lolidragon, the cute and angelic Doll, and I all turned white. I was the first to hide behind Wolf-dgs back. Lolidragon followed suit second, and Dollst. The current situation was pretty much like a game of The Eagle and the Mother Hen. Line up! Wolf-dg bellowed in his loud, ringing voice. The results were excellent. After Wolf-dg bellowed, the once-scary mob froze for three seconds. After another ten seconds, an army C with soldiers marching ten abreast C appeared. Dg, its really a waste of talent that you arent a general. We ced all our trust in Wolf-dg and handed our decision-making power over to him. Lolidragon, Doll, and I then took our guazi and beverages out and, setting up shop to one side, ate away. After a long time... How long? Long enough for all three of us to finish eating our guazi, buy a few more bags of them, leisurely go shopping, and then eat dinner...as well as to order take out for Wolf-dg. During this time I also logged off to cook, flipped through some manhua, turned on the television, and watched Naruto. Then I logged on again and started to eat Lolidragons newly purchased guazi... All right, I guess these people will do! Wolf-dg said, having finally finished his selection. We looked up, and up, and up. Finally Lolidragon said in a shaking voice, Dg, were trying to form a party, not an army! There are at least two or three hundred in this sea of people! Wolf-dg scratched his gray fur. It couldnt be helped. These people all fit the qualifications; theyre all pretty good. I beckoned Lolidragon over and whispered in her ear. I could have done this via the personal messaging system, but it couldnt be helped; it was human habit! Lolidragon, I think most of these people are here for us. Why dont we tell them about our rtionship? I cleared my throat and said, Everyone, we must rify something first. This beautiful woman and I are already married. That is why... Before I could even finish, around eighty percent of the yers had already disappeared. We could hear lots of grumbling going on below. Why didnt they say so sooner?! Making me wait for so long... Pisses me off, such a beautiful girl is already taken! Now I cant get that hottie to be my husband... But the people who stayed were saying something along the lines of, At least theres still that cute angel girl.... Lolidragon and I looked toward the youthful and na?ve Doll. No way! So I opened my mouth again, Everyone, this angel race girl is my little sister. Anyone who tries to get close to her had better.... Before I could finish, everyone had left. What are we going to do now? I asked. These people... We dont want them anyway! said Lolidragon. Might as well go level up and regain those levels from before, Wolf-dg responded. Biting her index finger, Doll tilted her head with a look of confusion. Our party began to train seriously in the barrennd of the zombies. We came to this zombie-infestednd specifically, in order to avoid another conclusion as disastrous as thest time. Zombies were strange mobs that moved slowly, but dealt very heavy blows. You could see Lolidragon walking around, asionally dozing off... All of a sudden, however, a particrly fast zombie charged toward Lolidragon. It cant be...! Lolidragon, run! Thats the Zombie King! Wolf-dgs cry woke Lolidragon, who had nearly been asleep. She looked back at the Zombie King, frightened, and was not able to hold back a loud scream for help as she ran away wildly. Damn it! I cant let Lolidragon die again. Why did the Zombie King have to appear right when Lolidragon is furthest away from us? I cant catch up...! Hang in there, Lolidragon! I shouted as I ran. This time, Lolidragon didnt dare to swerve around the corner. She ran straight ahead, not allowing the Zombie King to gain on her. However, we werent able to catch up with her speed either. As I watched Lolidragon run further and further away, I began to panic. We shouldve recruited an archer, no matter what! Just when we were about to give up hope, I heard a voice behind me. Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow. The melodious and very familiar voice was apanied by the sound of music. A translucent arrow streaked toward the Zombie King, causing it to change paths and charge toward us. I turned around to discover that stupid ck-haired, purple-eyed demon bard. He looked at me, smiling, and said, Youll have to help me block it, Im afraid. I am just a frail bard, after all. And if I refuse? I told him coldly. There was a helpless smile on his handsome face. Then... I shall die at your hands again. But thats fine; let it be revenge for kissing your hand. Hey! I gestured to Wolf-dg and Doll. They nodded in understanding and took Meatbun out, getting into a striking position. I drew my sword and inched closer to the already approaching Zombie King. No wonder its called a Zombie King C its agility and strength are all top ss. It even has a considerable amount of HP. Id already tried my Nine-headed Dragon Strike twice, but most of my attacks had been blocked because my agility was no match for the Zombie Kings. Two of Dolls ming Skeletons had already been destroyed, but I was grateful for them. If it hadnt been for the ming Skeletons blocking most of the attacks, I would long since have been pounded into the ground. Though only a mid-ranked boss, the Zombie King bosss agility and strength all greatly exceeded mine. As for me, Im used to finding and attacking a mobs weak points rather than fighting it out, therefore Im not fighting at my peak... Im currently only scraping by thanks to the FSkeletons and Wolf-dgs healing. Then, a beautiful voice began to sing, apanied by the strumming of a guqin. Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique, sang the bard, triggering the ability. I noticed a huge decrease in the Zombie Kings agility as it fell under the influence of the music. I also felt the tension in my body alleviate, finally allowing me to concentrate on attacking its weak point C its neck C rather than struggle to defend myself. Under my persistent attacks on its neck and joints, the Zombie Kings HP slowly began to decrease. Around this time, Lolidragon also came back to join the fight. With her super high agility, she helped to divert the Zombie Kings attention, making it even easier for me. Nine-headed Dragon Strike! After three of Lolidragons Fatal Blows plus three of my Nine-headed Dragon Strikes, the Zombie King was finally pushed to its limit. It exploded into a staff, two gems, and some materials that could be used to make high level weapons or armor. We identified the staff, discovering that it was a growing-type magical staff with light-type damage C the Light of Glory. We gave the wand to Wolf-dgand decided to split the rest in the city. Lets go! We need to get back to leveling up, I urged everyone, but... Would you be interested in joining our team? Noooo! Wolf-dg, can you not see me desperately trying to ignore him? Now youre even inviting him to join our team! Were you the one who saved me? Thank you, thank you very much. Lolidragon was desperately trying to fight backughter. The bard gave me a brief but passionate look. I would very much like to join your team. No way! I object! I yelled frantically. Wolf-dg cocked a brow and said, You saw it too, Prince. He...whats your name? He turned to ask the bard. The bard gave a bow and said, My name is Guiliastes. Guiliastes can not only attack from afar, but he can also use support-type magic. He would make an excellent teammate. Thats right Prince, just ept him! Lolidragon said in a falsely earnest tone. No, Lolidragon, I begged. Didnt you say we were finding teammates to protect my virtue? How could you let a pervert in now?! Lolidragon giggled but immediately feigned a contemtive look. Youre right. Then how about this: Guiliastes, you have to swear not to do anything unspeakable to Prince. Guiliastes revealed a horror-stricken face. Please do not misunderstand. Guiliastes would never try to perform any profane acts on his beautiful and noble Highness. He gazed at me warmly again. Scary! His beautiful and noble Highness should only be looked at, not touched. I looked toward myst helper, Doll, with an expression of desperate pleading. Sure, the more the merrier! Doll encouraged happily. Thus, under the circumstance of four votes for and one against, we now had a new addition to our team: Guiliastes, a gay demon bard. Gui-whatever, Im warning you, if you try to...do something to me, I will make you pay. I leveled my dao at his face. My beloved Highness, if you cannot remember Guiliastes name, then please call me by my nickname, Guiliastes told me tenderly. Whats your nickname? It would be so tiring to call you by your full name all the time, Lolidragon said. He gave Lolidragon a small smile and then turned his head to look affectionately at me. Just call me Gui. [? Prince Volume 1 Chapter 4 End]

Footnotes

Za cuinoodles: An unusual noodle dish that seems to be very popr in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It often includes carrots, pigs skin, curry fishballs, pigs blood, and pigs intestines, together with the noodles. You tiaos: Deep-fried bread sticks. There are huge air pockets in the flour, so even though its deep-fried, the inside is actually quite fluffy. A popr Chinese snack or breakfast food. Wolf-dg: The suffix is written in Chinese as 硱, meaning big brother or elder brother. The Eye of the Soul: ֮ۡ (prn. wng lng zh y?n) is a fantasy novel published by Adventurers Heaven (which also published ? Prince). For love...punish you!: Reference to the Japanese manga and anime series, Sailor Moon. This is an obvious parody of the battle-cry used by Sailor Moon, the protagonist of the Sailor Moon series. Lolidragon-jijie: The suffix is written in Chinese as 㡱, meaning older sister. Guqin: Written as ١ (prn. g? qn), which literally means ancient stringed instrument, this is a well-known type of Chinese musical instrument belonging to the zither family. It is usually associated with intelligence and grace. Fans of the ? Prince manhua should note that the guqin actually looks quite different from how it was depicted in the manhua. The manhua version of Guis guqinresembles a cross between a guqin and a harp with its curved top and fairly short body, and it is yed by Gui while held vertically. Actual guqins tend to have longer bodies, t ends (that is, not curved), and are usually yed while ced on a t surface with the strings facing up (although it is possible to y them the way Gui does in the manhua). For more information on the guqin, check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guqin. AOE: This stands for Area of Effect, a gamer term for attacks that deal damage within a certain area. Such attacks are usually quite devastatingly powerful and are used for crowd control, but their weakness is the long amount of time needed for casting. Examples of AOE spells include Meteor Shower, Blizzard, and Earthquake (such skills may have different names in different games). The Eagle and the Mother Hen game: A childrens game in a number of Asian countries, with variations. The game requires three or more yers, with one yer as the Eagle, one as the Mother Hen and the others as the Chicks. The chicks line up behind the mother hen and hang onto the person in front of them while the Eagle tries to catch the chicks by touching them. Once the mother hen loses all her chicks, the game is over. Guazi: Written as ӡ (prn. gu z?) in Chinese, guazi are a curious sort of snack thats especially popr during the Chinese New Year and are actually seeds that have been salted and dried. There are many types, including sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, wintermelon seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Each seed is encased in a hard shell (its shape would resemble a ttened almond), and you have to bite them very carefully to get the seeds to crack open without crushing the meat within. They are much tougher to eat than peanuts. Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique: Sheng-ge is written as ϸ衱 (prn. shng g). The first character, shng, refers to a Chinese woodwind musical instrument made of reed. The second character, g, means song, thus shng g refers to a song that yed using a shng. Do note that Gui isnt actually using a shng. For more information on the sheng, check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_(instrument). Volume 1 Chapter 5 Volume 1 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Sworn Enemies C tranted by Erialis I hacked, I shed, I chopped N number of times. I furiously vented all my frustration on the mobs, even as I thought to myself, What the hell! Not only did Lolidragon abandon me, even Wolf-dg turned his back on me, and Doll! Actually saying stuff about how it was more fun with more people...! Damn Gui, stupid Gui, stinking Gui! Gazing at me with that perverted look from day to night! My back feels as if a holes about to be burnt through it! I turned around and red savagely at that damn homo. Unbelievably enough, Gui, seeing that I had turned about and was ring at him, actually started waving at me enthusiastically, and... And even blowing me a kiss! Im dodging it! I hurriedly turned away and went back to fighting mobs, so as to avoid receiving any more of those blown kisses with Guis questionable intentions. Sigh! His noble and beautiful Highness really is shy, Gui said, looking at Prince C who was looking for more mobs to vent his frustration on C with an infatuated expression on his handsome face. ...Are you sure that hes SHY!? thought the others. After finishing off thest mob that Lolidragon had lured over, the two of us received a PM from Wolf-dg. We rejoined the others and listened quietly as Wolf-dg gave us a briefing. I think that with our partys current make-up C a level forty priest, a level forty warrior, a level thirty-nine thief, a level thirty-seven necromancer, and a level forty bard C we should be able to train in areas with even tougher mobs, Wolf-dg said critically. I believe that Raging Dragons Valley will suit our purpose nicely. There, well be able to find small dragons that deal different types of elemental damage. There are also high-level magical beasts. Those mobs yield quite a lot of experience and frequently drop rare items, which in turn would greatly boost our overallbat strength. In addition, the Adventurers Guild offers quests that require yers to collect dragon hide, dragon bones, and dragon tendons. Rewards include an increase in reputation, money, and even extra experience points. But all of that is pretty inconsequential. The most important thing is... Wolf-dgs expression became grave. Is...what? we asked, and each of us gulped nervously. Ive heard that dragon XXs work wonders... Wolf-dg...? I could hardly believe my ears, hearing the straightced Wolf-dg saying something like that. ...And can be sold for one gold apiece. Right then! Lets go kill some dragons! Burning with enthusiasm, I gave an experimental swing of my de, my eyes having turned into money signs. We decided to head over to the Adventurers Guild first to register our party and to take on all the dragon-rted quests. It was at this point, however, that we encountered a huge problem... For our partys name, I think we should go with Dragon yers. It sounds more impressive, said Wolf-dg. Thats no good, it sounds too coarse. Wild Roses Team sounds better. Lolidragon became engrossed in a fantasy of wild roses... Doll eximed with excitement, Lets call ourselves Sailor Team! ...I was suddenly confronted with the image of Wolf-dg proiming himself to be from Sailor Team... We should be called Noble Prince Team. I struck out with my right fist, squarely hitting the frail-bodied bard and sending him to the ground. Hey there with stars circling about his head. How about, The Legend of Wild Wolf Team? Wolf-dg asked, his brow creased with thought. Nah, Alluringly Aromatic Herbs Team! Lolidragon wasnt about to give up. Love and Justice Fight-e-rs! Doll hollered. The Wildcats... The Lilies... Cute Doll Team... Watching the three of them as they argued, I scratched my face and muttered, Looks like the only thing we can be called is weird... All three of them instantly turned to stare at me. In unison, they demanded, What did you just say? A bit of sweat ran down the back of my neck. I... In the end, we decided on a name for our party C Odd Squad. It may seem like a nonsensical name at first nce, but it actually doesmake sense if you read it as Fi, Chng Du and not Fi Chng, Du. Upon reaching Raging Dragons Valley, we spent some time observing the speed of the small dragons. After noting that they were quite a bit slower than Lolidragon, especially with Guis speed debuff on them, it was decided that we would employ the usual strategy to fight them. Meatbun, Aroma Release. I absolutely adore this ability of Meatbuns. Theres just no knowing how much time weve managed to save on looking for mobs. And its range has increased to 250 meters! After a while, the earth began to tremble beneath our feet. A cloud of dust could be seen rising in the distance, as though something was stampeding towards us... All of a sudden, we found ourselves looking at an extremely bizarre picture: Dozens of dragons, each one approximately three meters tall, surrounding a single meat bun. Thats odd; I dont think anybodys ever told me that dragons love to eat meat buns. My eyes widened. L-Lolidragon, can you handle it? It sort of looks like...there are way too many mobs! Looking somewhat taken aback, Lolidragon swallowed...and then promptly burst outughing. Dont worry! I swear, on the reputation of the worlds greatest thief, that I can handle it. The worlds greatest thief? What use is there in swearing on somebody elses reputation? Doll, summon your me-armored Skeletons. Gui, use your Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique and have your Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow at the ready, just in case. Also, use your Flurry ofMusical Notes whenever you can, to help Prince out. Prince... Draw your sword and give me the sheath, Wolf-dg instructed, even as he buffed Lolidragon and I. All was ready. Be careful, Lolidragon. We sent Lolidragon off with expressions that seemed to say, The hero leaves and will never return! Ah, the piercing winds... I watched as Lolidragon crept up on one of the dragons noiselessly and then, as though in defiance of Death, viciously stabbed the dragon in the butt. Here I should mention that the reason why Lolidragon stabbed the dragon in the butt was because she was so short that the highest she could reach was the dragons behind. It had absolutely nothing to do with her personal preferences. Then Lolidragon began to sprint frantically, her speed faster than ever before. Wow, shes so fast that shes practically flying, I remarked, sighing in admiration. Lolidragon was so quick that by the time Wolf-dg brought Meatbun back, he waspletely out of range and unable tond an attack using Double Kill. Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow. Strumming his guqin, Gui fired two consecutive arrows. He lured two dragons back before continuing to y his Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique. Charging alongside the me-armored Skeletons, I proceeded to engage one of the dragons while the skeletons held the others off. As I fought, I kept a lookout for any signs of weakness in my opponent. Although it initially appeared as though the dragon had no weak point, I soon realized that despite their strong attack power, heavy defense, and considerable speed, dragons had one major shoring. That was...their paws were too short. As the dragon could rarely attack me with its paws, I needed only to watch out for its tail, and dodge whenever it lunged toward me. That way I could slowly whittle away at its health. Even if I took a couple of blows, Wolf-dg would be there to heal me, so there wasnt anything to be afraid of. Doll was having a bit more trouble with her me-armored Skeletons. As the me-armored Skeletons had no intelligence to speak of, their skill at dodging and evading was certainly below mine, and so they took quite a number of hits. Luckily for us, they were Rank 4 minions with high defense and health, as well as strong attack power. Thus, they were able to get by with Dolls ck Restoration Spell. In addition, there was Wolf-dgs ranged attack and Meatbuns Double Kill, which lowered the dragons health considerably... Fine! Gui also frequently used Flurry of Musical Notes to help me out, so he wasnt useless... At longst, the dragon before me copsed. I rejoiced, Dragon XXs are worth one gold apiece...wahahaha! Before Gui lured back yet another dragon, I decided to take the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity by checking to see if dragon XXs looked anything like a gold coin. ...Its not there! Its not there! Why isnt there a XX on this dragon? Oh, my gold coin, where are you? Wolf-dg, why isnt there a XX on this dragon? You said they had... I asked Wolf-dg in a pitiful tone. Prince, you really... You really want to eat it? Seriously, at least dont be so obvious about it! Wolf thought as he examined the dragons corpse. Prince, this is a female, so it doesnt have one. Wolf-dg gave me a pat on the back. Dont worry; well definitely give you any that wee across. Thats right, look at how scrawny Prince is. We really should give him a tonic...Besides, that aspect of a mans life is very important C mustnt let any problems develop! Hmm, it would probably help if we gave Prince a dragons XX then, Ugly Wolf thought and his contemtion drifted to how it should be served. Stir-fried dragons XX, dragons XX braised in wine, dragons XX soup... Really? Thats great! My gold coin, hohoho! I want to go for some afternoon tea! I thought happily. Noble Highness, save meeeeee! Gui was running all over the ce like a chicken with its head cut off, and there was a dragon C the one that he had just lured back with his Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow C snapping at his backside. Although I was sorely tempted to ignore his plight... Sigh! In the end, I still hefted my ck Dao and took down the dragon. Through ourbined efforts, we managed to gradually reduce the number of dragons from several dozen to zero. As expected, since the dragons were pretty tough mobs, the amount of experience points that they yielded was incredibly high. Wolf-dg, whose level was the highest in our group, leveled up once, while Doll, whose level was the lowest, leveled up twice. However... Huff...huff... Lolidragony sprawled out on the ground in a most udylike fashion. She was wheezing heavily and was unable to so much as utter a word. I was no better off. I was weary to the bone after fighting all those dragons one after another with no respite. Every muscle in my right arm ached, protesting even the slightest movement. My legs were as weak as jelly. Wolf-dg was so worn out from his game of baseball that he had pitched forward and was all but lying on the ground. Dolls mouth was as dry as a drought-stricken country from chanting the incantation for her ck Restoration Spell. As for Gui, his fingers had cramped up into exceedingly contorted positions. Looks like hell have to eat straight from his te like a dog tonight! In this condition, the members of Odd Squady sprawled on the ground. We didnt have the energy to sort out the dragon cadavers, much less skin them or remove their tendons and bones... And yet, all I could think about was my dragon XXs and gold coins. Thus, summoning the rest of my strength, I crawled, and crawled, and crawled to the nearest dead dragon... Waaah! Why is it yet another female? Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. My afternoon tea... Does the noble Lord Prince really like dragon XXs that much? Gui asked, looking at me withpassion. Come, let Gui serve you! He then ran off towards a random dragon and began to clean it up. Gui... It was the first time Id felt that grateful towards him C the first time that he didnt say something that made me want to thrash him. I watched, wide-eyed, as Gui sliced something off from the dragon before speedily taking a pot out and getting a fire going. He then threw that thing into the pot, and started adding various condiments. ...Gui, what are you doing? I asked, my voice trembling. Beautiful Highness, itll just be a bit longer before the dragon XX soup is done! Gui replied, even as he tasted the soup to check if it was salty enough. ... When a person has been infuriated to the extreme, they possess limitless drive. Before, I had never imagined myself capable of the speed at which I sprinted towards Gui. Once I reached him, I knocked him aside with a flying kick. Fingers shaking, I grabbed the pot of dragon XX soup. M-my gold co-o-in! My afternoon tea! I wailed. I stomped, stomped and stomped on Gui the Floor Mat, asionally adding an Exploding Punch as well... HAHAHA...huff...huff...HAHA! Lolidragonughed manically between gasps. Prince? Drink dragons XX soup? Hahahahahaha! So Prince wasnt thinking about eating dragons XX after all! Wolf-dg realized. Good thing Gui acted first. Otherwise, Id have served the dragons XX up, and... Whats a dragons whip? Do dragons use whips? Doll asked uprehendingly. With a worried look at Gui C who was getting thrashed by me C she added, Is Gui-gge going to die? No, hes not. Dont worry, Ill heal him upter, Wolf-dg consoled. Secretly, he thought, It might actually be a bit better for Gui to die and return to the rebirth point... After a long while, I was finally tired from beating Gui up. Ordering him to clean up all of the dragons, I looked at all the XXs... Embarrassed? All thats in front of me are gold coins and the fragrance of tea. Whats there to be embarrassed about? Wahahahaha! Hold up there, you people. It was a womans voice; her tone was arrogant. I felt a twinge of panic. Dont tell me its yet another The way is mine to cut...with the hottie you must part highwaywoman! ncing at Gui, I thought, Perhaps I should sell him to the highwaywoman?! As for Gui... Although his expression was still as besotted as ever, a shiver suddenly ran down his spine. Odd, has the weather turned chilly?He nced at the sky. I turned around and looked, only to see an extremely cool-looking human girl standing not too far away from us. Behind her stood another four yers of different races and sses C clearly they were a team. A band of highwaymen? That cant be, right!? Now on my guard, I looked coldly at that human girl with her manly cool. I decided to scare her off C or at least to get her to kidnap Gui instead of me. I deliberately struck a pose with my legs apart, my back slouched, and my hands on my hips. Tapping my left foot impatiently, I spoke in the rudest tone that I could manage. Whaaat now! Whadaya want, girlie? Prince, what on earth are you doing? Lolidragon asked me on party chat. She sounded utterly astonished. Im pretending to be a gangster! How does it look? ...You look like anything BUT a gangster. Although Lolidragons reaction took some of the wind out of my sails, the cool-looking girl facing me was clearly furious. In fact, she was infuriated to the point where you could almost see her zing with mes. Waaah!So scary! Looks like I better not pretend to be a gangster any longer. What. Did. You. Just. Say? she asked through gritted teeth. I was so terrified that I straightened up and stood properly. With a nervous gulp, I replied, N-nothing much. I just wanted to ask you if anything was the matter, miss. WHAT did you say?! Waaah!Why are the mes of her anger even hotter and brighter than before??? Question marks hung in the air over my head. I decided C for safetys sake C that Id better put on my first-rate merchandise, princely look. Smiling my most charming, most gracious smile, I asked, Beautifuldy, what would you like tomand me to do? However, the beautifuldy in question actually cussed. (F*** YOU! was what she yelled.) Then, she promptly kicked me...using a leg-type movemonly known as a kick in the nuts. The rest of my party was stunned. To think that a girl would actually be willing to kick the Ultra-Gorgeous Princes XX! Lolidragon in particr was so bbergasted that her jaw had nearly fallen off. Uhn! Caught off guard, I had been kicked squarely in the nuts. IT HURTS! I really wanted to use my hands to protect my XX and then hop all over the ce in order to relieve the pain. That, however, was out of the question. My feminine reserve told me that a girl couldnt just shield her XX with her hands in the presence of strangers. Besides, do girls even have XXs to shield? Still, the pain! Unable to bear it, I curled up in agony, kneeling on the ground with my head hanging low. I could feel the tears trickling down my face... Prince... Gui looked at me helplessly, clearly at a loss as to what to do. Then, he stood up and faced the cool-looking girl. His gaze was merciless and as cold as ice, and his entire person radiated a freezing chill. Even Lolidragon and Ugly Wolf C who had been about to respond swiftly to the affront C were dumbfounded. Have they ever seen Gui looking this cold? Pak! Gui gave the cool-looking girl a vicious p, knocking her to the ground. He then pinned her forcefully to the earth with his right foot, and spoke in a bitingly cold tone. I dont know how Prince might have offended you, but nobody should ever treat him like that. Immediately, the girls teammates rushed over. The dark elf standing at the head of the group drew his longsword, leveling it at Gui. Release him. Seeing the situation, Lolidragon drew her daggers. Wolf-dg picked Meatbun up from the floor, clutching his Light of Glory tightly. Doll summoned her me-armored Skeletons and dashed to my side. Prince-gge, are you all right? she asked urgently in a voice filled with concern. At that moment, both parties immediately drew their weapons and took aim at their opponents. The situation was bing critical and since I was the only warrior on our side, I hurriedly wiped my tears away. Standing up with red-rimmed eyes, I drew out my level 20 ck Dao, which now had an attack power of 65. I looked at the girl, who was still pinned to the ground by Gui, with hatred and a desire for vengeance. To think that she actually made me go through the worst pain that a guy could ever experience... Damn her! Still, there was one thing that puzzled me. Why did you kick me? What did I say wrong? The girl looked at me, infuriated. F*** you! Youre an air-headed sissy who cant distinguish male from female! You couldnt even tell that Im a guy?! Calling me girlie, girlie like a dumbass...! He then turned to re at Gui, and began to cuss again. Let me go! Gui, however, merely increased the pressure of his foot, and spoke in an unrelenting tone. How dare you call Prince an air-headed sissy? Why dont you look at yourself first C what sort of guy would actually kick another guy in the nuts? As for letting you go... When you turn into a pir of white light, Ill let you go. ...A guy? I was bbergasted. I then closely examined the girl as hey on the floor. No matter how I looked at him, I really couldnt see how he was in any way like a guy, with the exception of his level brows. His face was even heart-shaped, his eyes were framed with longshes, and his physique was slender. Plus, he was dressed in a mages robes, so I couldnt tell if he had a chest or not... Let go of Ming Huang. This time, the dark elf dashed forward. With a cry of Sword of the wless Circle, the longsword in his hand pierced Gui mercilessly from five different directions. Urgh! Gui bit back a cry of pain even as he was flung onto his back by the impact. Not having expected that the opponent would actually attack when he said so, I waspletely unprepared to catch Gui as he fell. I kneeled down hurriedly to take a look at Guis injuries. Wolf-dg rushed over as well, casting a healing spell to help Gui recover his health. With Guis foot no longer resting on him, Ming Huang immediately got to his feet. Casting a poisonous look at Gui, he began to chant an incantation. Elf of lightning... Hearing the words of his incantation, Lolidragon shouted, Prince, stop him, quick! Lightning magic is exceptionally powerful. At this rate, Gui will be killed! As soon as I heard Lolidragons warning, I raised my de and charged towards Ming Huang, thinking to run him through so as to prevent him from chanting any further. However, the longsword-wielding dark elf immediately blocked my path. I swung my dao at the dark elf, my heart gripped by anxiety. He did not retreat an inch, countering me with an attack of his own instead. The two of us exchanged blow after blow, attacking and defending in turn, but I was actually frantic by then. ...Divine Lightning Strike! Ming Huang had finally finished the incantation, and a bolt of lightning struck Gui. A-argh...urgh, Gui cried out, his voiceced with pain. Meanwhile, Wolf-dg continued to cast his healing magic ceaselessly, hoping to restore some of Guis HP in time. At least hes still alive, I thought. Just as I turned my head to spare a concerned nce for Gui, however, the dark elfs longsword pierced me twice. Somewhat pissed off, I resolved not to be distracted again and began to focus my attention on fighting the dark elf. Twin Shot! The enemys elf archer actually dared to take the opportunity to shoot at the already injured Gui. I ignored the dark elfs de and began dashing towards Gui. Still, how can anyone hope to be faster than an arrow? Skeletons, protect Gui-gg. Luckily for us, Doll was right beside Gui, and she instantly directed her skeletons to stand in front of Gui, blocking any iing attacks. Seeing how things were, I was deeply relieved C to the point where I actually forgot that there was an enemy behind me. The dark elf cried out, Sword of the wless Circle, and brought his de down on my back. Uhn... I winced. Prince! My teammates shouted, clearly worried. Doll even directed three of her skeletons toe and support me. Retreating as the me-armored Skeletons shielded me, I rejoined Odd Squad and let Wolf-dg heal me. My wounds werent heavy, so Wolf-dg only had to use a medium heal to restore me to max HP. However, when I looked at Gui C his expression twisted as he fought to endure to pain C a killing intent rose in my heart. I stood slowly, and when I spoke to Ming Huang, my voice was soft C quiet like the lull before a storm. I admit that mistaking you for a girl was my fault, but you were in the wrong for injuring me before even rifying things. Gui did p you, but he had no intention of killing you. Now you want to take his life? Arent you going overboard? Overboard? For stepping on me as he did, I am only asking for his worthless life, Ming Huang replied coolly. I took a deep breath, struggling to contain my rising ire. Using party chat, I asked the rest of the team, Guys, what shall we do? Yo! The other partys been all courtesy; how can we not reciprocate? Lolidragon said acerbically. RO-O-AR! Those who hurt my teammates should die! Wolf-dg bellowed. Theyre too much! First poor Gui-gg, and now theyve hurt Prince-gg as well! For love and justice, Doll shall punish them! Doll replied, her tone conveying her indignation. Dg, hurry and heal me! I will repay them for the hurt theyve caused Prince, Gui said, his face still pale as a sheet. I smiled faintly. Odd Squad, five team members. Prince, warrior. Lolidragon, thief. Ugly Wolf, priest. Doll, necromancer. Guiliastes, bard. Kindly report your names, I said coldly. With a Hmph!, Ming Huang replied, Dark Emperor, five team members. Ming Huang, mage (human). Wicked, warrior (dark elf). Ambusher, archer (elf). ck Lily, priest (angel). yboy Lord, thief (human). A very well-bnced teamposition...ahem! Shaking off that sense of respect, I silently listened as Wolf-dg gave his instructions over party chat. Well... Theres not much to say. Prince will go against Wicked, Lolidragon against yboy Lord. Gui, your task is to interfere with Ambusher. Make sure he doesnt get the chance to shoot at anyone on our side! Youll have to protect Doll and Lolidragon in particr... Doll, your task is very important. Make sure that the enemy mage doesnt have the chance to harm anyone from our team. Otherwise, the situation will be critical. Dont worry; Ill be there to help you. The two parties all stood quietly facing each other, except for the priests, who were busy buffing their teammates up. The situation had quickly be vtile as our battle fury was ignited. Finally, I moved, hefting my ck Dao and leveling it challengingly at Wicked, who had managed to score on me twice earlier. Wicked too, held his longsword at the ready. Nine-headed Dragon Strike, I said as I rushed forward. wless Frenzied de-Dance. Wicked too, came charging in. My dao and his longsword met and there was the ringing sound of metal shing against metal as my Nine-headed Dragon Strike and Wickeds wless Frenzied de-Dance were blocked by one another. With neither having been sessfully executed, we both quickly guessed that the other was also a warrior skilled in swift yet powerful attacks. Our des shed as we continued our fight, yet neither of us could overpower the other. As Wicked and Imenced our attacks, the others also began to enterbat. Lolidragon was up against yboy Lord. He attempted one attack after another on Lolidragon, but none of themnded. Her agility was clearly way above yboy Lords. I was worried, however, since that probably meant that his strength was greater than hers. Luckily, Lolidragon seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion. Realizing that yboy Lord had pumped his skill points into strength, she avoided going head-to-head with him. Instead, she chose to dodge and evade his attacks, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Doll had directed two of her me-armored Skeletons to interrupt Ming Huangs spell-casting, while keeping two skeletons at hand to protect her, Ugly Wolf, and Gui. I had engaged Wicked, their only warrior, inbat. Thus, their mage C with no warrior to protect him C could only cast weak spells to defend against the skeletons. Things were to our advantage here. As Doll was controlling the skeletons, their archer C Ambusher C thought to take her down. At first, he fired arrows like mad, but Doll was shielded by her skeletons. Moreover, Gui was anything but idle all this while. Supremely pissed off, he alternated between drinking mana potions like in water and casting SupersonicSoul-chasing Arrow over and over again like a maniac, giving Ming Huang a royal thrashing. Ming Huang, in turn, was so terrified that he could only hide behind Ambusher and cast defensive spells. Although Ambusher had Ming Huangs defensive spells to protect him from Guis attacks, Dolls skeletons were also eyeing him hungrily from the side. Facing two me-armored Skeletons, Ambusher could only fire Twin Shot like a man possessed in order to block their attacks. Since Guis attacks were blocked by Ming Huangs Imprable Wall, hed immediately switched to ying Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique in order to support Lolidragon and I. Once Ming Huang dropped the Imprable Wall in order to cast offensive spells, however, Gui would immediately attack Ming Huang and Ambusher, casting Flurry of Musical Notes continuously. As for Wolf-dg, his role was the same as the enemy priests: to stand to one side and heal any injured party members. With Guis asional Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique, my speed instantly surpassed Wickeds. He began to retreat step by step, his body covered with numerous wounds, leaving their priest ck Lily flustered as she attempted to heal him. Lolidragon too, benefitted from GuisSheng-ge Entrancement Technique. It allowed her to greatly outstrip yboy Lord in terms of speed, even making it possible for her to asionally attack him without sustaining any injury herself. We have the upper hand now! Our team was clearly winning. It would only be a matter of time before Dark Emperor was defeated, so long as there were no sudden changes... Lily, heal me! Wicked, yboy Lord,e over and help Ambusher to cover me, Ming Huang instructed his team mates. Attack! Dont let him cast any spell, Wolf-dg bellowed in an urgent voice. I immediately rushed forward, but that bastard Wicked kept blocking me. With Wicked beingpletely on the defensive, I was unable to quickly ovee him. While the two of us were locked in an impasse, the rest of my party was busy attacking. The HP of the members of Dark Emperor dropped quickly and even ck Lily could not restore their health quickly enough. Still, their mage Ming Huang continued to chant. With such a long incantation, the strength of the spell... We did not dare to so much as imagine it. At longst, I managed to break through Wickeds defense. I swung my dao at Ming Huang ...Wrath of the Nine Heavens! Ming Huang raised both arms. He chanted the final line of the incantation, even as he was turned into a pir of white light by my strike. By that point, his teammates ck Lily, yboy Lord and Ambusher had already taken a free airne ride back to the city as well. His spell, however, was still in motion. The originally clear sky changed, turned ominously dark and overcast as lightning yed among the dark clouds. Suddenly, the first bolt of lightning struck, hitting Doll. Before we could even shout, more than ten bolts of lightning shed, almost bing a single enormous pir of lightning as they came crashing down on our heads. Prince... Even in the midst of that sea of zing light, Wolf-dg was still casting a healing spell on me. As the piercingly bright lightning vanished, I found myself the only one left standing with 450/3000 health. Wolf-dgs final, high-level healing spell must have saved my life. I was at a loss. My eyes filled with tears as I thought, Id much rather experience the awfulness of death with everyone else than survive all by myself... Come back to your senses and drink up, Wickeds cold voice came to me from behind. I was rmed that Wicked was still alive, but there was astonishment as well. Wicked didnt try to attack me while I was off my guard and now hes even reminding me to drink up? I looked at him with a questioning expression. You guys are the most worthy opponents that Ive fought. Your team might look very weird, but youre actually really strong, Wicked said with a shred of respect in his cold eyes. I will consider you and your team our sworn enemies. I hope you wont disappoint me. You wish to continue fighting? I was rather sick of fighting. No, lets stop here for today, Wicked replied wearily as he sheathed his longsword. I have to get back and console Ming Huang. Is Ming Huang really a guy? I asked, curious. ...Yes, he is. He is my younger brother in real life, Wicked exined, his tone a tad embarrassed. ... I looked at the icily cool dark elf and thought, They sure arent like a pair of brothers C but then again, Im not like my brother myself... Just then, I thought of a pressing question. Since Ming Huang is a guy... Why did you guys first tell us to hold up? ...And cause this huge fight. It was a rare sight as Wickeds expression revealed a hint of embarrassment. We just wanted to ask what sort of method you guys used to lure so many dragons and maybe get you guys to teach us. ... I stared at Wicked with a dumbfounded expression. ...If theres nothing else, Im leaving first. Wait up, Wicked, dont leave. I grabbed a corner of Wickeds shirt and looked at him with my most pitiful and helpless gaze. Is something the matter? Wicked looked at me questioningly, an odd sort of feeling stirring in his heart. You mustnt abandon me, I said urgently, on the verge of tears. ...? I I dont remember the way back to Star City... With one hand held to the back of my head, I smiled innocently at him. After all, it was Wolf-dg who led the way here... ...Follow me then. [? Prince Volume 1 Chapter 5 End]

Footnotes

Odd Squad: Written in Chinese as dzӡ (prn. fi chng du). Fi, Chng Du ... Fi Chng, Du: Both are written and pronounced as dzӡ (prn. fi chng du), but their meanings are significantly different, with the former meaning Not, Normal Squad and thetter meaning Very, Squad (which is nonsensical). The reason for the difference is because the same Chinese characters, when grouped differently, have different meanings. In the first one, fi stands on its own, and means not, while chng (which means regr or normal) is grouped with du, which means squad, hence the result is not, normal squad, or Odd Squad. In the second version, fi and chng have been grouped together and together they actually mean very or extreme, hence Very, Squad. Although this is the incorrect interpretation of Odd Squads name, most of the other yers in Second Life believed this to be Odd Squads name initially (hence everybody thought they were weird). Debuff: A debuff is the opposite of a buff C while itsts, it hampers the target in some way, such as by lower agility or strength (as opposed to increasing them). Flurry of Musical Notes: In Chinese, this is written as Ⱥ衱 (prn. qn yng lun w?) C the mental image it provokes is something like a flock of ducks scattering in panic (but substitute the ducks with musical notes). This may be a pun on the phrase Ⱥݺ衱 (prn. qn yng lun w?, pronunciation is exactly the same), which means a gathering of unchaste women. The character ݺ (prn. yng) here refers to a type of bird, but is also used when referring to prostitutes. The skill appears to be an offensive-type spell, but this is not clearly stated. The hero leaves, and will never return! ...Ah, the piercing winds: This is a reference to Jing Ke (GV, prn. jng k), an assassin who lived during the Warring States Period. He was sent by Yan Dan (൤, prn. yn dn), crown prince of Yan, to assassinate Qin Shi Huang (ʼ, prn. qn sh? hung), emperor of Qin. ording to ancient records, Jing Ke supposedly came up with this impromptu poem as he bade farewell to his friends on the banks of the river Yi C ⣬ˮ׳ʿһȥⲻ! (prn. fng xio xio x, y shu? hn, zhung sh y q x b f f?n), which can be tranted as, The piercing winds, ah, the freezing waters of the river Yi, the hero leaves, and he will never return! So in the same sense, Prince and the others are (melodramatically) bidding Lolidragon farewell. Dragons XX: When ites to herbs and tonics, there are all kinds of weird Chinese recipes involving all kinds of weird ingredients, such as monkey brains. In this case, dragons XX is basically a cure for impotency (those game developers in Second Lifemust have been very bored). Interestingly enough, the word used here for XX actually means whip. Exploding Punch: Just a generic attack name. Simrly named moves appear in a wide number ofics and video games, including King of Fighters. Whip: In case you didnt read footnote 6, the word used for XX in Dragons XX actually means whip. Volume 1 Chapter 6 Volume 1 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: A Normal Mage? C tranted by Erialis Upon returning to Star City, I headed straight for the inn where the team had agreed to meet up. As soon as I entered, I discovered an extremely somber atmosphere. The other members of Odd Squad were seated about a round table and all of them wore stiff expressions that seemed to suggest that they were actually seething inwardly. As soon as they saw me arrive, everyone gave me a brief nod, and Wolf-dg indicated for me to sit down. I quickly pulled up a chair, not daring to fool around. Everyone, what do you think of the letter of challenge sent to us by the Dark Emperor? Wolf-dg said, first asking for the teams opinion on the matter. ...? Confusion was written all over my face. What letter of challenge? Prince has only just returned, so he still doesnt know what happened, right? Lolidragon had noticed my confusion and quickly exined. We just ran into four members of Dark Emperor at the rebirth point and they... That Ming Huang in particr really deserves a verbal thrashing... No, a PHYSICAL thrashing, for actually daring to call me a pervert. You mean you arent? I asked silently in my head. Guis icy expression surprised me though. Heactually looks pretty cool... Yeah, and they even said that Doll was a weird necromancer...waaah! Doll said, teary-eyed. That...seems to be the truth as well, I thought. *Sweat* ...We began to fight with them again at the rebirth point, but this time, the citys NPC guards came rushing over. We had to stop and flee, said Wolf-dg, hammering his fist on the table in indignation. Hmph! If not for the guards, we would have killed them all the way back to level one. Gui had clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles were cracking. After that, Dark Emperor PMed Gui, sending him a letter of challenge. Theyre setting the date for our face-off as next months Adventurers Tournament. As she finished speaking, Lolidragon too pounded the table a few times with her fist. Looks like while Wicked and I werent present, the conflict between our two teams sparked into a ze! It was as Wicked had said C we had be sworn enemies. Sigh!Its all the fault of the word girlie... (Its not MYfault!) I considered sharing what Wicked had told me earlier. Would it help to lessen everyones negativity towards Dark Emperor? I wondered.After all, it was all a misunderstanding... Sigh! All that hard work that we put into fighting those dragons has gone to waste now C we didnt even manage to get those dragon XXs! That fight probably cost us at least fifty gold coins, Wolf-dgmented, heaving a deep sigh. He thought, To think that after everyone fought so hard that they were bone-weary, something like this would happen and leave us without so much as half a piece of loot... My dragons XXs... We didnt manage to collect them? I thought. My mind went nk for three seconds. Then, I rose to my feet. With two loud thuds, I created two holes in the table with my fists. DAAARK EMPEROOOOOR, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME, IM GOING TO DESTROY YOU GUYS! I roared, livid. ...Well then, well ept their letter of challenge and train extra hard this month. That way, at the Adventurers Tournament next month, theyll be able to see for themselves just how strong we C Odd Squad C really are, said Wolf-dg. Whats the Adventurers Tournament? I asked, looking at Lolidragon uprehendingly. As usual, Lolidragon rolled her eyes and began to exin. Twice a year, Second Life will hold an Adventurers Tournament. Through Pvbat, the most outstanding team will emerge. Each team must have six members and the reward is a piece ofnd. Not only must we defeat Dark Emperor, we must also emerge as the champions. Then the whole of Second Life will know who Odd Squad is, Wolf-dg added in a mighty voice. Prince, do you still remember our promise? Were going to create a legend! Lolidragon PMed me. This is a good opportunity. Besides, by creating a legend, I didnt mean simply bing the top yer, but... I know. After all, if its just a matter of bing the top yer, then I wouldnt have picked the current training method. Lolidragon, I no longer want to create the legend of Prince alone. I want to work hard alongside every member of Odd Squad and create a legend together, I said, fixing her with a resolute look. Right! Lolidragon replied with a smile. Lets all work hard together, to create our own legend in Second Life. I stretched out my right hand. Lolidragon immediately ced her right hand on top of mine. In turn, Wolf-dg stretched out hisrge wolf paw, which was followed by Dolls small hand, and Guis long and slender hand. Create a legend! we roared. Shortly thereafter, Doll suddenly held out her small hand. Counting on her fingers, she said, Prince-ggs one, Lolidragon-jijies two, Wolf-gges three, Gui-ggs four, and Doll is thest one. Thats five! I dont think we have enough people in our team to take part in thepetition! ...! Lets find a mage! Wolf-dg suggested. Were it not for Dark Emperors mage, Ming Huang, we would have won aplete victory over them this time. Unfortunately, his Wrath of the Nine Heavens left our side pretty badly off as well. Therefore, I strongly suggest that we find a mage. Agreed! Everyone approved of the idea, but I thought darkly, Thest time we looked for a mage, we found a necromancer like Doll. Then, when we were looking for an archer, we ended up with Gui, a bard... This time, what will our search for a mage yield? What other strange ss/racebination do we not have yet? Lets go search at the Adventurers Guild then? Gui suggested. Objection! The other four members replied simultaneously. Gui tapped his nose with a finger. Then how are we going to find one? Hmm... Everyone looked troubled. With only a month left, it would be best to find a mage quickly, so as to build up the camaraderie between members. Just as the members of Odd Squad were knitting their eyebrows together tightly enough to squash a mosquito to death... Excuse me, but are you looking for a mage? I was standing nearby, so I overheard... A gentle voice reached our ears. We turned our heads to look as one and a lovely young woman immediately entered our view. She reddened unconsciously under the scrutiny of five pair of eyes. Stammering a little, she said, Um... Le-let me introduce myself. Im called Yu Lian and Im a human mage. My primary element is fire, secondary element is earth...and Im level thirty-eight. We were all astonished. A human mage? Such an ordinary ss and race? Thats not possible. You are female? Lolidragon demanded, her gaze fixed on the girls chest. Yep! And its pretty substantial too. Yes... You like men? I asked sternly. ...Yes. You like love and justice? Doll inquired, her face shining with love and justice. ...? Youre not allowed to snatch the beautiful and noble Prince from me! Gui eximed, his expression anxious. A flying kick from me sent him soaring out the door. I thought hed be cool, but looks like his damnable personality hasnt changed one whit. Why do you want to join us? Wolf-dg asked in an extremely serious voice. Yu Lians expression revealed her admiration. She replied, After witnessing your conversation, I was very envious of your camaraderie and I wished I could be a part of your team. For such a normal reason? The members of Odd Squad wondered, Could it be...? Have we...found ourselves a normal...teammate? I asked, stuttering. What spells do you know? Wolf-dg inquired in a level-headed manner, not yet giddy with happiness. I know me Arrow, Fireball, Pir of Fire, Wall of mes, me Surge and Meteor Shower. I dont know as many earth spells, only Jaws of Hell, Earthquake, and Armor of Earth. Wolf-dg immediately stood up. Its a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yu Lian. Were Odd Squad, with five members. Prince, warrior; Lolidragon, thief; Ugly Wolf, priest; Doll, necromancer; Guiliastes, bard C but just call him Gui. We wee you to our team. Without dy, we dragged Yu Lian to the valley to practice, and to see for ourselves just how great the benefits of having a mage could be... I leapt back, even as a pir of fire seared the centaur. I carefully blocked the centaur from the rest of the team, so as to prevent the mob from charging off and attacking our mage Yu Lian. In a short amount of time, there was a line of me-seared centaurs lying dead on the ground. It actually took no longer than five minutes for us to defeat a centaur, which was even more powerful than a small dragon. Just so you know, it took me ten minutes to kill a small dragon. Having a mage is a pretty good thing after all! Its been tough on you, Yu Lian, Wolf-dg said. He patted the mage on the back. Not at all, this is what Yu Lians supposed to do, after all, she replied bashfully, blushing. We finally have a normal teammate. Im touched! I was overwhelmed. After all, theres finally a NORMAL person in Odd Squad. How can I not be thrilled? Beautiful and noble Highness, you are also very normal. Gui, who had recovered his irritating personality, had once again begun to address me with all those revolting terms of endearment. Hes the most abnormal person of us all, since he is the only tranny in the whole of Second Life, Lolidragon muttered under her breath and I shot her a re. Doll is very normal too! Doll said with an innocent and uprehending expression. ...Thats actually debatable. But in any case, Prince, youve got it wrong, Lolidragon told me. I got it wrong? How? Basically, if someone can remain unaffected by your or Guis looks, then that person cant be considered normal! Lolidragon replied critically. I initially thought that she might have joined because of you or Gui. However, ever since we left the city, she has spent a far greater amount of time talking with Wolf-g than she has looking at you guys. The four of us turned our heads as one to look at Wolf-dg and Yu Lian, who were talking animatedly. No matter how I look at it, it appears that Yu Lian is...blushing?And a little shy? And her expression when chatting with Wolf-dg seems rather girlish... It cant be, right? The four of us looked at one another. Then, with an expression which said that she was determined to uncover the truth, Lolidragon marched over and dragged Yu Lian back. With the excuse that it was a private chat betweendies, she forbade Wolf-dg from following or eavesdropping. She then grabbed my face with her right hand and Guis face with her left, and shoved our faces in front of Yu Lian. Yu Lian, what do you think of Guis looks? ...? Yu Lian was taken aback, her confusion clear on her face. Just say what you think, Lolidragon replied firmly. Guis looks are...very neat! Yu Lian hesitated, as though she was fishing for the right words to say without hurting anyone. ...Very neat? What sort of description is that? Lolidragon then asked, And what do you think of Princes looks? Yu Lian smiled cheerfully and patted me on the head. Prince is very adorable! Adorable... That was the first time Id heard anyone describe me like that. Youre describing this iparable handsomeness C which nearly left me a narcissist C as adorable? Then what do you think of Wolf-gs looks? Lolidragon asked, her tone cautious. Upon hearing Wolf-gs name, Yu Lian actually turned bright red and stammered, Wolf-dgs looks are ve-very unique, and also mature, andposed. Saying that, she seemed to be caught up in some kind of fantasy... Even his fur is a beautiful silver, my favorite color. Silver? We turned to look at Wolf-dgs very messy gray fur... ...He is the most handsome, most masculine man Ive ever met, Yu Lian said, her face filled with loving admiration as she looked at Wolf-dg. She then turned back to look at Gui and me and spoke in an apologetic tone. Dont worry, your looks are pretty okay. Some girl will definitely like your looks, so dont give up! She said encouragingly in her gentle voice. What a mystifying sense of beauty! I said in realization. As expected, it is impossible for Odd Squad to have a normal member, Lolidragon concluded calmly. [? Prince Volume 1 Chapter 6 End]

Footnotes

PvP: This is an acronym for yer versus yer and is used to describe in-game activities in which yers are in directpetition with another real yer (the Adventurers Tournament being a prime example). On the other hand, PvE (yer versus Environment) involvespetition against AI-controlled monsters or other elements that are built into the game itself. Volume 1 Chapter 7 Volume 1 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Blood Tiara C tranted by Erihppas In order to avenge my dragons XX in the uing Adventurers Tournament, we C Odd Squad C wiped out all the mobs in Raging Dragon Valley and Centaurs Prairie during the month before thepetition. After we hadpleted all our preparations, we even went on to defeat a twenty-meter-tall Lake Monster with dozens of tentacles, greatly increasing ourbat ability. Once again, I pored over all the various famous fighting games, shounen manga, and wuxia novels, greatly improving my fighting skills by devising five new greater ultimate attacks and ten lesser ultimate attacks. My techniques were guaranteed topletely surprise my adversaries, especially my Buddha Mountains Phantom Leg ability. The damage it could inflict was actually on par with my regr dao attacks. My weapon, ck Dao, had reached level twenty-eight and had an attack power of eighty-five. Although it might not be as strong as a godly weapon, it could still be considered a top-grade weapon. Now, about my pet, Meatbun... After Dog Beating Technique, Poisonous Meatbun, and Double Kill, Meatbun had alsoe up with numerous new abilities...which I wont reveal for now. As for Lolidragon, she has been perfecting the art of stealth attacks, researching about the ways of the ninja in Japan, the arts of assassins in the West, the blow dart techniques of the South, andst but not least, the whole range of secret weapons used in Ancient China... Sigh! Monsters she faced often died in mysterious ways, including those people who dared to oppose her C most of whom did not even know how they turned into a pir of light C causing our teams reputation to be perpetually decreasing. Her agility had increased to the point where her walking speed was about the same as our running speed, while her running speed practically seemed like teleporting ...Lolidragon, if I catch you sneaking up and hiding behind me again, Im going to get really pissed off! Wolf-dg had learned the spell Heal Party, which would make future healing easier. In addition, Dg had also learned a bunch of useful abilities, although most of them were offensive abilities... Dg, please remember that you are a priestC Hey, Dg! Killing monsters is my job, so could you please stop charging forward and sending the mobs flying with a kick? Youre making me C the warrior C lose face. Also, stop secretly increasing your strength; youre supposed to ce your points in willpower and intelligence, you hear? Kicking again?! I should also mention that Dg and Yu Lian are now husband and wife... Doll, on the other hand, had been frightened by the skeletons that she summoned on numerous asions. Her skeletons current appearances look...even Id freaked out a couple of times. Doll has also been able to summon an undead even more powerful than her skeletons. Unfortunately, the first time she attempted to summon it, she fainted straightaway from terror, and has never since gathered enough courage to summon it again. Sigh!Doll, if you only had more courage, your skeletons would have be the main pir of support for our team by now. As for Gui, his level would have been the same as mine...if I hadnt killed him twice. After causing his level to drop twice, I received a warning from the rest of the team: I was allowed to berate him, thrash him, or torture him (even slicing pieces of flesh off him was no problem) so long as it didnt affect the teams standard. Causing him to lose levels was prohibited. I agreed, although I felt I had been misunderstood... Its not like I wanted to kill him either! The first time, it was him who suddenly wrapped me in a tight embrace, causing my heart to prance like a lively deer. Then I remembered that of all things, he happened to be a gay... That made me so mad that I couldnt help but thrash him to death. (Lolidragon: He only hugged you because you were about to get dragged into theke by thatke monster...) The second time, he blew gently into my ear and caused me to blush, so... (Ugly Wolf: He was just trying to tell you that you hadnt done up your zipper...) In any case, Gui had learned quite a lot of supportive abilities, all of which would be very useful in battle. Yu Lian...is currently known as Yu Lian-ds?o. She spent a month glued to Wolf-dg, flirting non-stop until the rest of us couldnt take it anymore. We then decided to tie up Wolf-dg with chains and sent him to the wedding chapel. With our kidnap I mean, blessings, the two of them finally got married and are now indulging in the sugary, joined-at-the-hip behavior of newlyweds. In the real world... Sis, Im telling you, my team is going to participate in the Adventurers Tournament! My younger brother, Yang Ming, bragged with a superior look on his face. Oh... Team Rose, huh! I felt slightly troubled. Wouldnt the situation be really awkward if we had to face Team Rose? Thinking of my good sister, Rose... I dont think Id have the heart to fight. Plus theres also the highwaywoman Fairsky and my brother... Sigh! How am I supposed to fight? Nope, I left Team Rose a while ago. I was stunned. Why? My brothers face was mottled with anger. Its because that beauty, Snow White Rose, actually rejected me, saying something about her heart belonging to someone else. And that Fairsky! I heard she ran off chasing after him too. That damnable, interfering Prince has cost me two beauties! ... I lowered my head and continued eating my noodles. Forget it. In any case, while my current team may not have any beauties for me to chase, my current team members are actually really good yers. Well probably be one of the top teams in the Adventurers Tournament. Which team is that? I asked, curious. Dark Emperor. Coincidentally enough, their sworn enemy is Prince too. Im gonna beat the crap out of him til he cries for mercy this time. ...No supper for you tonight. What?! But I didnt do anything to you! my brother whined. Meanwhile, with Dark Emperor... Hmph! Im going to make sure that damned sissy and that perverted Gui know how powerful we are! We shall crush them under our heel! Ming Huang roared, his lovely face contorting in fury. Thats right. Besides, I must let that bard know that archers are the real ranged attackers, Ambusher added in a resentful tone. Me, all I want is to see that gorgeous elf thief again... yboy Lord submerged himself once again into images of Lolidragons beautiful face and sexy body. (Ming Huang and ck Lily: Everyone, beat up that traitor!) We must defeat Odd Squad and emerge the champions! The three members of Dark Emperor roared. ... Wicked said nothing. Meanwhile, with Rose Team... Rose, do you think Prince would really fall in love with us? Fairsky asked. Of course, Fairsky. As long as we try our best and never give up, Prince will definitely be touched by our efforts, Rose replied positively. No matter what, we will make Prince ept us. ... Broken Sword, Legs, Lil Strong, and For Healing Only could only look on helplessly. Time passed quickly as each team busied itself with its preparations, and soon the day of Second Lifes first Adventurers Tournament arrived. Prince, draw a number for our team! Wolf-dg said to me, after we had registered our team. Okay... I extended my hand into the box, searched around for a moment and grabbed a piece of paper. This is it, I thought, and decided to take it out of the box. Lolidragon asked enthusiastically, Hows it? What number is it? I unfolded the paper slowly. The fourth division... Number 4444. ... ...In any case, shall we go and see who our opponents are? Wolf-dg suggested. In single file, we walked over to where the chart with the list ofpetitors was. The chart felt like it was as long as the Great Wall of China as we tried to figure out where our squads name was. The ce was so crowded that we all decided to simply let Wolf-dg open the way for us. We hid behind his broad back and discussed the details of thepetition... Although, to be more urate, it was just Lolidragon exining to me the bits that I didnt know... Sigh! Why are there so many people participating in thispetition? I grumbled. Isnt it obvious? The winning team gets to own a piece ofnd, plus theres the fame C the teams name will be known throughout Second Life. And on top of that, participants get to earn experience points! Lolidragon provided the exnation, as usual. We earn experience points? I looked at Lolidragon doubtfully. Because the tournament will probably take up a lot of time, Second Life came up with this scheme: as long as you win a match, you will gain experience points equivalent to killing monsters that are the same level as your opponents, multiplied by ten. No wonder so many people participated. Its worth it just as a way to gain experience, I mused, finally seeing the light. Found it! Doll found it! Doll shouted. Our gazes immediately followed the direction her finger was pointing. The fourth division, number 4444 C Odd Squad. Thats us all right, Gui observed. Our opponent is the Perfect Princess Team, Wolf-dg slowly intoned. ...I have a bad feeling about this. I felt a shiver run down my spine. There were two more matches before our turn. I once again checked to make sure my boots were zipped up, tightened the cinches on my soft leather armor, and unsheathed my ck Dao and gave it couple of swings. Alright, Im ready. I turned toward my teammates and received an okay signal from them. At this moment, Lolidragon suddenly walked over to me and I saw that there was a broad smile on the others faces. Are they plotting something...?! Lolidragon took out an elegantly wrapped box. Happy birthday, Prince. This is a present from all of us. Tha... Thank you. My voice choked as I took the package, touched. Aside from that, however, I thought, Crap, if I dont bake a cake for my twin brother today, I wont be having any peace for the rest of the year! I quickly unwrapped the present. Opening it, I found that it contained a wine-red tiara with mysterious and intricate patterns engraved on it. Even though it wasnt heavily decorated, it still looked extremely elegant. I love it! Realizing that my teammates wouldnt gift me with a useless essory, I quickly checked its stats. I stared at it, dumfounded, thinking, This is a rare item!And its a rare item thats practically designed for me! Hurry up and wear it, Prince! Youll definitely look great in it! Lolidragon said anxiously. I put it on, feeling the cool metal slide perfectly into ce on my forehead. I quickly asked, How do I look? Oh, you look simply splendid! It suits you perfectly, Your Highness! I knew it, buying a headgear for you was a great idea! The adoration in Guis eyes was more intense than before. I resisted the urge to give him a thrashing. Paaatieeeence, there are plenty of chances to beat him up after thepetition... It really does look great on you. The wine-red color of the tiara is very simr to the color of your eyes, plus itpliments your fair skin and white hair... Lolidragon! Kindly wipe the drool off your face. Thats why Doll insisted on pink! Dolls expression was one of determination. Wolf-dg sighed. It was so difficult just trying to agree on what to buy! Gui insisted on buying a crown so that youd look like a true prince. Lolidragon thought only something exquisite could be worthy of your looks. Doll insisted that we get something pink because its pretty, and I thought usefulness was the key. Later, I saw someone selling this tiara and I thought it was simply too suitable for you! So we bargained with the seller for a long time C we even used Lolidragons female charms and had Doll make puppy dog eyes... But we finally managed to buy it! Be sure to cherish it, Yu Lian-ds?o said tenderly as she patted my head. Feeling embarrassed yet touched, I said, It must be expensive! Thank you, everyone... Everyone smiled at me fondly. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, silently vowing that I would work hard, so that we would all be seated on the champions throne and create our own legend together. However, never would I have imagined that in the uing days, this crimson tiara would be one of the major traits of the Blood Elf, one of my nicknames, or that this tiara woulde to be known as the Blood Tiara. [? Prince Volume 1 Chapter 7 End]

Footnotes

Blow dart: A blow dart is a weapon using a pipe to blow a projectile or dart to a target. The idea can be widely found in South East Asia and South America. Yu Lian-ds?o: The suffix is written in Chinese as ɩ, meaning sister-inw. It is usually only used on the wife of ones elder brother, however. Number 4444: Chinese usually considers the number four inauspicious because it is a homonym for death in theirnguage. To read up more about this, check out Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraphobia. Tiara: Although tiaras are usually worn on top of the head (like a mini-crown), the one that Prince is wearing is the type thats a band around the forehead, as depicted in the manhua. It can still be considered a tiara, however. Volume 1 Chapter 7.5 Volume 1 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: Yu Lian VS Ugly Wolf C tranted by Erialis Wolf-dg, do you think the timing for my spell just now was okay? Is there any area that I should work on? Yu Lian asked bashfully. Not at all, I think it was really well done. The timing, direction, and strength of the magic were all perfect, replied Ugly Wolf with a gentle smile. Really? Yes, it was pretty well done, but I think she would do even better if she didnt stop to ask Wolf-dg for his opinion C and end up chatting for ten minutes C each time she finished casting a spell, I thought exasperatedly. I continued to fight mob after mob, even as I rolled my eyes N number of times at the couple, who were happily chatting away. Its been so long and theyre still there in their private little world, and theyre not even paying the rest of us any attention. Their behaviors...going to make me die of envy, Iined as I cast yet another somewhat aggrieved nce at the two. What are you envious for, Prince? Lolidragon remarked sardonically. You must be aware that you already have a super-ultra-beauty by your side, one of the most beautiful women on EarthC Here she pointed at herself. CAs well as a super-ultra-hottie, whose looks have no rival in this universe, she added, pointing at Gui. Plus, if youre bored, you can always admire your own peerlessly handsome looks... Lolidragon muttered under her breath. Right! Lets see: So I can either be a lesbian and fall in love with Lolidragon or I can fall in love with Gui, who happens to be gay! And if I have too much time on my hands, I could always indulge in a spot of narcissism... Great, just great! I thought, coldly mocking my own wonderful luck at attracting people. Waaah! There goes my self-confidence... Sigh, I really wish that Prince and I could be like them someday. Guis expression was one of envy as well. Doll also really hopes to meet a prince on a white horse. Dolls expression clearly showed that she was lost in her own fantasy. You could...just buy me a white horse to ride on? Sigh... Im so envious! The four of us said simultaneously, directing our resentful gazes at the beauty and the beast, who were still engaged in an intimate conversation. With a slight smile on her face, Yu Lian walked over toward us. However, the moment her back was turned to Wolf-dg, her smile instantly vanished and her eyebrows furrowed. In a woeful tone, she said, Everyone, I would like to ask you something... Does Wolf-dg have someone that he likes? I dont think so. Ive never heard him mention anything about it! I hesitated, thinking that something like that was just in unlikely. Did something happen to make you think that way? Yu Lians gaze was full of distress. Tears were welling up in her eyes, making the four of us panic. Then why doesnt Wolf-dg respond, no matter how many times I hint to him that I like him? Um... Did you say it as clearly as possible? Lolidragon asked carefully. I told him, if a guy as great as him wanted a wife, Id definitely marry him... Was that not clear enough? Yu Lian asked anxiously. Lolidragon gave her a helpless look. To most people, that would be sufficiently clear, but Odd Squad has two members who are very slow when ites to feelings and one of them is Wolf-g. Whos the other? I asked, curious. Its Doll, right? Ahem, thats not important. What is important right now is that we should help out Yu Lian and Wolf-g. After all, its not an everyday thing that such a lovely girl falls for Wolf-g. How could we possibly idly stand by and just watch when Wolf-gs obliviousness might cost him the love of his life? Lolidragon said virtuously. Well guys, shall we help them? Yes! we roared enthusiastically. Yes to what? Wolf-dgs voice came suddenly from behind. We turned around slowly, innocent smiles on our faces. Yes to training hard, Wolf-dg. My smile was especially incandescent and artless. Yes, lets all work hard! Wolf-dgs face broke into an ugly smile. Yu Lian gazed at him, drunk with happiness at the sight. We stood in a line, waiting for Wolf-dg and Yu Lian to leave, engaged in a discussion about magic. Once they were out of earshot, we began to discuss amongst ourselves... How should we help them? I asked. Write a confession letter in Yu Lians name, Gui suggested. Prepare a romantic candlelit dinner for Wolf-gge and Yu Lian-jijie, offered Doll. Slip Viagra into Wolf-dgs drink, said Lolidragon. When the three of us turned to re at her, she said calmly, Its far more direct and simple. Well just use it as ast resort. Mission Help Yu Lian to Catch a Husband: Begin! Gui immediately began to pen a confession letter. As for Doll and Lolidragon... After messing up five of the dishes I was trying to prepare, they were escorted out of the kitchen under my baleful gaze and the threat of my ck Dao. After that, they busied themselves withying out the table instead. Gui hurried excitedly toward to Wolf-dg, the finished letter in hand. The rest of us had followed him and were secretly watching from behind. Wolf-dg, I found this letter lying on the ground on my way here and its addressed to you! Is that so? Ugly Wolf said, a dubious expression on his face as he took the letter from Gui, and began to read its contents aloud. Warm rain falls; a gentle breeze shatters the frozen chill. The willows eyes and the plums cheeks C here is Spring, awaking. Yet who is there to share a cup of wine or talk of poetry with me? Tears melt the powder as the flower-pins on my head grow heavy. Clothes with their golden threads, I try them on; the cliffs of my pillow, they ruin my hair adornments. Alone, with only intense sorrow forpany, without good dreams; I light a flowermp in the silence of the night. Yu Lian... The three of us turned ashen-faced. I hurriedly grabbed Gui and towed him back. What on Earth did you write in that letter? I demanded. Li Qing Zhaos Flower of Butterfly Love. Its a very touching poem, Gui said in a moved voice. He was even dabbing away tears from the corners of his eyes. I believe that after reading that poem, Wolf-dg will definitely understand Yu Lians heart. Is that so? I looked at Wolf-dg with a dubious expression. Will he really understand? Just then, Wolf-dg beckoned me over. Prince, do you understand what this is talking about? Wolf-dg asked softly, embarrassed. I do know! It means that Im going to give Gui a sound beating, I replied as I stretched my neck to loosen my muscles and clenched my fists tightly, cracking my knuckles. I ced thest dish on the table and then looked at the candles, the fresh flowers, the snowy white table cloth, the white tes, and the bowls holding delicacies cooked with painstaking effort, as well as the star-studded skies. Ah, how romantic! Not for nothing did I get Lolidragon to borrow things from the local diner... Hurriedly, Doll, Gui, Lolidragon, and I hid ourselves in the bushes by the candle-lit dinner and waited. After receiving our note, Wolf-dg and Yu Lian shoulde here and then enjoy this romantic candlelight dinner... Hehe!With that, their feelings will blossom! Prince, what are you guys doing? Why did you leave a note instead of using the team channel? Wolf-dgs suspicion-filled voice came from the team channel. Panicked, the four of us started pushing the me, mentally cursing: Stupid online game, why must it have a team channel! Guys, dont make a sound on team channel, Lolidragon told the rest of us. When Wolf-dg cant get a response from us, hell definitelye here with Yu Lian. We nodded. Forget it. I have no idea what they are doing. Yu Lian, are you hungry? Lets go get a bite in town before we look for them, Ugly Wolf said over team channel to Yu Lian, who was beside him. I sat glumly at the table, watching as my painstakingly prepared meal was devoured by three gluttons. Waaah! I cooked all that for Wolf-dg and Yu Lian, so can you guys not gobble it all up so unceremoniously?! Hmph, I told you guys that your methods were no good. Whats the point of being so reserved? Lolidragon swallowed thest mouthful of the goose drumstick that she had snatched from the other two before she continued haranguing us. Using Viagra is so much simpler and faster. Once the deed is done, everything will be okay. After all, we all know that Wolf-dg is not the type of guy who would deny responsibility for his actions! It cant be helped, I guess. Since all our other ns have failed, it looks like we have no other choice. I stood up, steeling my resolve. Lolidragon, tell me where they sell Viagra. Ill go and buy some. Uhh...Why dont you check and see if Watsons sells it? Lolidragon replied, her expression hesitant. I doubt that they sell it... Besides, since when did Watsons open a store in Second Life? Gui asked, looking at Lolidragon suspiciously. I gave Lolidragon a savage cuff on the head. A bunch of half-assed ideas! Gah, All of you are useless! Looks like well have to resort to this, I said. I looked at my fist with a vicious glint in my eyes. Seriously irked, I immediately rushed into town and bought a spiked club, a length of chains, a small knife, a bottle of hair cream, and a birdcage containing a white dove. Then I went in search of Yu Lian and Wolf-dg. Upon locating them, I snuck up stealthily behind Wolf-dg with the club in hand. Yu Lian watched with eyes as wide as saucers as I rendered Wolf-dg unconscious with a direct hit to his head. As everyone else watched in stupefaction, I C a slender elf C bound a two-meter tall, physically impressive wolf up in chains and hauled him away! Lolidragon, Doll, you guys are to take Yu Lian to buy a wedding dress and do her makeup. Well meet at the church in an hour. Gui,e with me. Yessir, they chorused. I took out the small knife and the hair cream, passing them to Gui as I said, Make Wolf-dg look more presentable and like a proper gentleman. Hell be married in an hour. A proper gentleman? Gui looked at Wolf-gs wolfish face. Im afraid thats...impossible! ...A proper gentlewolf, then. With a two-meter tall wolfman slung over my shoulder, I walked toward the church, ignoring the startled expressions on the faces of passersby. In this brusque fashion, Gui and I stood waiting at the churchs entrance for the lovely bride, Yu Lian. As Id predicted, they had yet to arrive even after an hour and a half, and so I switched to the team channel and issued a final warning. Ladies, I will give you another ten minutes. After that, I will auction off this male wolf on my shoulder. With that, I could hear the sounds of them panicking. Im here, dont sell off my wolf! Yu Lian came at a run, wearing a snow white wedding dress, her face the picture of anxiety. Seeing that everything was ready, I dumped Wolf-dg on the floor. As expected, Wolf-dg had already regained consciousness. In a ferocious tone, I growled, Yu Lian wants to marry you. Will you take her as your wife or not? Ugly Wolf looked at Yu Lian in astonishment, while Yu Lian lowered her head bashfully. In a slow voice, he said, Do you really wish to marry me? I am only a priest, and have no way to protect you from monsters. I am an ugly wolf, with no handsome features to speak of. Nor am I a rich man and I cannot provide you with equipment. Knowing all that, do you truly wish to marry me? With a face shining with tenderness and resolve, Yu Lian replied, You are a priest, so you stand by my side and aid our friends together with me. You may not have handsome features, but your kind heart is more valuable than that. You are not rich, but you have passion and treasure your friends deeply. To me, you are iparably perfect. Yu Lian took a deep breath and said, Yes, I wish to marry you. Doll took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her tears. This is so moving; Doll is going to cry. Lolidragon and I had long since begun to hug one another and cry. And Gui? That fellow who had tried to sneakily hug me had already been kicked all the way to the next street. Wolf-dgs face was bright red. Yu Lian... I looked impatiently at the two furiously blushing, wordless individuals. Then I picked up Yu Lian with my right arm and Wolf-dg with my left (thats the good thing about having a lot of strength! If youre bored, you can drag people to the altar...) and kicked open the door to the church. With one person under each arm, I walked over to the pastor and said, Pastor! Wedding! With that, I dumped the two of them onto the floor. The pastor began to rattle off the usual lines for a wedding ceremony. (My apologies, I was busy cleaning up the dove, since I was nning to release itter, so I didnt pay any attention to what he said.) All I heard was thest few lines: ...Then, Yu Lian, do you take this man, Ugly Wolf, to be your husband, tofort his soul in times of difficulty, to care for him in times of sickness, to be by his side from this day forth, and never to leave or forsake him? Yu Lian looked at Ugly Wolf briefly and in a passionate voice answered, Yes, I do. Ugly Wolf, do you also take this woman, Yu Lian, to be your wife, tofort her soul in times of difficulty, to care for her in times of sickness, to be by her side from this day forth, and never to leave or forsake her? Yes, I do, Ugly Wolf said unhesitatingly. Wooooo!Release the dove, release the dove! With a whoop of joy, I released the dove C a symbol of felicity C and roared, Three cheers for Yu Lian-ds?o! [? Prince Volume 1 Extra Chapter End]

Footnotes

Luck at attracting people: The actual phrase used here is һˡ (prn. to hu yn) C to hu refers to the cherry blossom flowers and yn means luck. For its meaning, think of it as the flowers luck at attracting the birds and bees. As such, Prince is mocking her own luck at attracting such weird people. Li Qing Zhaos Flower of Butterfly Love: The lines which Gui penned in the letter are actually the lines of a poem by a famous poetess in Chinese history, (prn. l? qng zho). Li Qing Zhao (1084 to approx. 1155 A.D.) lived during the Song dynasty. She was born into a fairly well-to-do family, with a schrly father and an artsy family, and began to write poems in her youth. When she was eighteen, Li Qing Zhao married. She was extremely close to her husband, and their marriage was a happy one until war and civil strife separated them. Her husband passed away approximately two years after, leaving her heartbroken. ?? (prn. di lin hu), the title of the poem, literally means the flower of a butterflys love. The poem is written in wn yn wn, a style of writing often used in poetry and even general writing in the past. The notable feature of wn yn wn is that it condenses many words into very few words. As a result, each line of the poem is actually packed with meaning, but its almost like reading a poem that only has nouns and adjectives in it. Thats one of the reasons why Wolf (and everyone else, except Gui) are absolutely lost after reading the poem C because very few people these days actually know how to read stuff written in wn yn wn! In Chinese, the poem reads, ůƶ÷ѾĶʫ˭빲ڲзۻءէԼƷ죬ɽб쥣ͷŨ޺ΣҹƻŪ (Note that the original poems rhymes.) The persona is that of ady, who is sitting by the window, admiring the view outside as Spring arrives. The willows leaves and the plum blossoms remind her of eyes and cheeks respectively, and she is reminded also of happier times early in her marriage. Seeing the beautiful sight, her feelings awaken C feelings of extreme sorrow. Her husband is away, and she remembers the times when he was by her side, and longs for his return. Her sorrow ovees her; her tears ruin her makeup and even the pins in her hair feel heavy. Thus, she stays indoors rather than head outdoors, even though she has already tried on the new clothes for Spring. She lies on her bed (thus her pillow dents C hence the mention of cliffs) and ruins her hair adornments. She attempts to find some peace in good dreams, but is unable to even enter the realms of sleep. Finally, it is already night, and in the silence she lights amp to lessen her solitude. Watsons: A famous convenience store. They sell shampoo, snacks, boxes, makeup, and even some medicines. Volume 2 Chapter 1 Volume 2 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Tournament, Begin C tranted by Kat Wearing the Blood Tiara that the team had given me, my heart was overwhelmed with emotion and I hardened my resolve. We will create a legend together, a legend that belongs to us. I closed my eyes and gathered my focus, calming down before I gradually reopened them. With self-confidence and determination etched in my expression, I gave the rest of Odd Squad a smile and took the first step in the journey to creating our legend, the first step onto the stage where we would perform, the first step into...the tournament arena. Within the arena, the announcer loudly introduced himself. Hello everyone, Im yourmentator for today, Xiao Li. Let us begin by introducing the two teams who will be fighting in this match! First,ing out from the west entrance is the Perfect Princess Team! The Perfect Princess Team is led by Perfect Princess, a mage of the elf race. Their five other members are a beastman warrior, a human warrior, an elf archer, a human archer and an angel priest. I walked over to stand at the very front of our squad. Judging by the thunderous cheers filling the stadium, it seemed that our opponents had already stepped out into the arena. Dont tell me that the Perfect Princess Team is that famous? Looks like Im really out of the loop, seeing as Ive never even heard of them. It doesnt matter anyway, since Odd Squad will definitely defeat them and be renowned throughout the whole of Second Life! Mic in hand, the tournamentsmentator loudly introduced the next team to enter the arena. Now,ing in from the east entrance is Odd Squad! Odd Squad has an extremely peculiar teamposition consisting of an elf warrior, an elf thief, a beastman priest, an angel necromancer, a demon bard and a human mage! Murmurs began to run through the crowd immediately. What a weird team!, Extreme Squad? What a weird name!, and other simrments could clearly be heard. If this team isnt the lousiest team around, then theyll have to be one of the best... Perfect Princess Teams strategist, the angel priest, muttered quietly to himself. It doesnt matter what kind of team they are. You guys will obtain victory for me, right? the eye-catching beauty, Perfect Princess, asked sweetly as she addressed her team members C though to me, it seemed more like she was cajoling her suitors! The five guys immediately nodded fervently. Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, I slowly stepped into the tournament arena. As usual, wherever I went I was met with a stunned silence. My looks usually possessed a lot of devastating power, but now, coupled with a tiara that could only greatly increase my attractiveness, that destructive power immediately jumped from 100% to 200%! I ignored the crowds stares (Sigh, after being stared at for so long, Ive already be ustomed to it...) and instead looked directly at our opponents for today: the Perfect Princess Team. Initially, Id thought that this team would be made up of six girls. To my surprise, it was made up of only one girl and five guys! In my heart I kept thinking, That girl is acting as though shes bringing her own Inner Court to participate in this tournament and yet her looks arent even nearly a match for Lolidragons. Im so envious...! Ah, no...Im a guy right now; theres nothing to be envious about! Setting my envy aside, the other five team members and I each took our ces and struck the pose that Lolidragon had spent three days teaching us. I obediently followed her instructions C I was to drop the attitude of an elegant Prince and instead maintain a suave, arrogant, undefeatable image during battle. That way, we could undermine our opponents confidence... Although, personally, I felt that guys would only be infuriated by my handsome looks, causing their battle spirits to ze even more fiercely. How can someone be this handsome...? Perfect Princess stared at my face, mesmerized, while her five team members red at me, their expressions clearly showing their desire to skin me, rip the flesh off my bones for meat, and then boil my bones to make a stock for soup. Prince, Lolidragon, the other team has two archers and two warriors, so prolonging the battle would be nothing but a disadvantage to us. I have a n though, so listen up... Wolf-dg then proceeded to meticulously exin his n to us. After Wolf-dg finished giving us our instructions, our squad strode forward, brimming with confidence. There was even a faintly sadistic smile on my face. Lolidragon was the one who taught it to me. (Lolidragon, the nickname Blood Elf must have been all because of you...) I looked at the Perfect Princess Team and said coolly, Shall we begin? The huge beastman warrior immediately gave his enormous axe a couple of swings. Unfortunately for him, he was shorter than Wolf-dg by a couple of hand spans, plus hecked the intimidating and powerful aura that Dg possessed. The human warrior walked up toward us and replied coldly, No problem. Lets begin then! The referee standing on one side saw that we were prepared and, with a wave of his g, the battlemenced. Normally, battles would begin with both teams priests casting buffs and bolstering their teammates defense. Only after this was done would thepetition truly begin. However, Lolidragon and I went against this norm and, making use of our high agility, we charged forward the moment the judge announced the start of the battle. Before the enemy teams warriors could even react, I had already darted past them, my targets being the two archers... Next, with a swift movement, I grabbed Meatbun and used my sword to bat it with all of my strength. Meatbun, Double Kill. Meatbun immediately flew towards those two archers, who had yet to figure out what was going on, and began smacking back and forth between them like a ball in a pinball machine. Given that archers tended to have low HP, this attack was more than enough to keep them both upied. With my ck Dao in hand, I rushed towards the human archer, whose health was probably higher than the elf archers. Reaching him, I called out, One of the Five Ultimate Techniques, Dragon Whirlwind Strike! I lifted my sword over my head as my legs pushed, propelling my body off the ground. Twisting my body in mid air so that I was flying parallel to the earth, my ck Dao cleanly stabbed into the human archers abdomen. The speed of my attack left even the agility-oriented archer unable to dodge in time. Although it wasnt a fatal attack, the move Dragon Whirlwind Strike could severely injure enemies with just the surrounding air pressure alone, even if it didntnd a direct hit. The unlucky human archers left arm was immediately broken by my twisting attack. The moment my feet touched the ground, I executed a reverse sweep of my de, sending him flying back to the rebirth point to contemte his mistakes in his past life. While everyones eyes were glued on me, Lolidragon, whose agility was so high that her every action seemed toe out of nowhere, had long since crept up behind the elf archer with a dagger in each hand. Now she pressed one of them against the elfs neck and gave a savage sh across his throat. It would have been a fatal blow if not for the fact that Lolidragons strength was too low and thus was unable to directly kill the elf archer. Just when it seemed that the opposing priest C who had started to chant a healing spell C would be able to heal the archer, Lolidragons lips curled into a cruel smile. Unseen by everyone else, the dagger in her other hand was already ced against the elfs back, pointing directly at his heart. Now she gave a vicious stab and the priest could only watch helplessly as the archer died. At this point in time, Perfect Princess Teams warriors were being kept busy by Dolls super scary Hells Inferno Armored Skeletons. In addition, their agility had been lowered by Guis Sheng-ge Entrancement Technique. The skeletons alone were nearly enough to KO them; there was no possibility of them helping the rest of their team! Perfect Princess, whod been busy admiring my face initially, finally realized that something was wrong and immediately cast a spell to destroy one of Dolls skeletons. However, Lolidragon and I had already finished off the two archers by this time, so I charged straight at the warriors, providing support for Dolls skeletons. Lolidragon, on the other hand, employed an ability that she had created after studying Japans ninjutsu: Burrowing. (This technique had note easy to anyone, because whenever she failed, the entire squad had to organize an excavation, in order to dig Lolidragon out from the earth that she was trapped in.) Using it, she stealthily snuck up behind the mage, Perfect Princess... Princess, be careful! The priest hurriedly shoved Perfect Princess C who was about to have her throat slit by Lolidragon C to one side. As for Lolidragon, she simply took in the change in situation and immediately changed her target. Two fatally dangerous daggers shed through the air as she shed at the priest. His face quickly paled as he tried his best to replenish his health even as he yelled for the warriors toe over and help. Warriors? I scoffed; the supposedly nimble human could barelynd a hit on me, let alone the muscle-for-brains beastman whose goal seemed to be imitating a tortoises speed. They mouthed off angrily at the priest, yelling at him for not healing their health. Itd be a shock if they could find the time to go and save their teammates! In fact, the moment the two archers C who had posed the greatest threat to our n C died, the opposing teams fate had been sealed. At this thought, the corners of my mouth rose to form an evil grin, scaring the opposing warriors into thinking that I was about to use that move Dragon Whirlwind Strike again. I smiled coldly and used... ten continuous strikes to finish off the human warrior instead. What a joke; you think Dragon Whirlwind Strike can be used so many times in a row? Using it that often will leave me dizzy, okay? In this fashion, Lolidragon and Gui kept the priest and the mage at bay while the skeletons and I gave the remaining beastman warrior a free ride back to the rebirth point. Momentster, the priest was dead as well. The six of us converged upon the mage, Perfect Princess, who had backed away into a corner. Walking at the head of the group, I smiled coldly at her and asked, Surrender? Perfect Princess lifted her head slowly. As she looked at my face, the fear written all over her face melted away and was reced by a coquettish expression, and she even dared to sweet-talk me. Surrender, I surrender! Since I lost to you, Ill be your girlfriend, okay? I gazed icily at this girl, whose beauty lost to Lolidragon, who was not as cute as Doll, who was not as elegant as Yu Lian-ds?o, and felt extremely put off. And she has the audacity to ster herself all over me like some sort of invertebrate now?! Catching a whiff of her disgustingly over-powering perfume, I thought, I am still a womanjust because I look like a guy doesnt mean I need to be like one and appreciate feminine beauty, do I?! I slowly raised my ck Dao and, still smiling faintly, drove it through the body of the woman in front of me. Its your fault for being prettier than the female me!Not to mention stringing along five somewhat handsome guys... Clearly you are trying to trigger my envy! To enrage me into killing you! I watched with satisfaction as Perfect Princess flew away with a look of resentment and disbelief on her face. I swung my ck Dao lightly a few times, trying to shake off the nauseating blood on it, but suddenly I realized that the entire arena was silent and everyone was staring at me with an odd look in their eyes. Lolidragon, is something wrong? My countenance remained serene, but secretly I was PMing Lolidragon with some trepidation. ...Its probably because you were covered in blood and smiling as you stabbed a beautiful woman to death, before nonchntly flinging away the blood. Its just too handsome, too cool, and too bloody! Thats why everyone is stunned! Lolidragon said with a helpless shrug. I just got slightly carried away with my jealousy, I thought, feeling misunderstood. Odd Squad, victory, the judge, who had finally snapped out of his shocked stupor, announced btedly. Emitting a frosty aura, I stood on the bloody arena, a cial look in my eyes as my sword rose and fell. As I cut down thest enemy, I could hear the crowd beginning to cheer. However, I turned and scrutinized the entire audience with emotionless, icy eyes, until thest person fell silent. It was only when I was satisfied that I smiled an evil, bloodthirsty smile, and then led Odd Squad out of the arena as the judge dered our victory. Why had I be like this? It wasnt like I was a willing party to this. I had no idea when it began, but recently, the area outside the stadium would always be packed with my fans after each match. Initially, this was a problem that gued only me. However, on one asion, I was walking behind my team members when we were leaving the arena. My fans, who were standing outside the stadium, trampled over my teammates in order to get to me. After that incident, the matter became a squad-wide issue. After that, Lolidragon came up with the Blood Elf strategy. With five votes to one, I was forced into the terrifying role of a remorseless, cold-blooded killer, just to discourage those fans from getting too close. Unfortunately, the strategy was an unexpected sess, for while my fans continued to admire me, they no longer dared to evene within ten meters of me... After all, I was the one who had mercilessly cut down the beautiful Perfect Princess, so anyone who had eyes could see that I did not know what the words feminine and charm meant. Taking the point guard, I walked at the very front of the squad (no one dares to walk ahead of me anymore...) with an impassive look on my face. My left hand rested on the hilt of my ck Dao out of habit, as though I was ready to kill someone at a moments notice. However, what I was actually thinking was, Sigh, Im so hungry! Why havent we reached the restaurant yet? Prince! a delighted voice cried out from not too far away. Who was it? I furrowed my brows. To think that there is still a girl who dares to call me by my name in this crowd, I thought irritably as I nced around. The surrounding girls were all silently gloating, thinking, Who is the suicidal person who actually dares to call Prince by his name? Prince? Whats wrong? Upon meeting my frigid gaze, Rose revealed a startled expression, tears nearly leaking from the corners of her eyes. Rose? Seeing that familiar face, my facial muscles rxed; it had been a long time since Ist saw her. Its been a while, Rose, and everyone in the Rose Team, I greeted and gave them a brief smile as I looked at Lil Strong, Legs, For Healing Only, and Broken Sword, whom Id only met briefly previously. Prince, its not good to stay standing here for too long. You can catch up with them over a meal instead! Lolidragon PMed me, cautioning me about the surrounding fans. Seeing how some of the fans were beginning to move in, Lolidragon thought, if we stay here any longer, the lives of Odd Squad and Rose Teams members might all be at stake... Why dont we have a meal together? Rose, lets meet up at the usual restaurantand make sure youe! I too was beginning to feel the threat from our surroundings, and so I hurriedly PMed Rose... and fled! The moment we reached the restaurant and secured a booth on the second floor I dropped my act. As I massaged my face, I apologized to Rose, saying, Im really sorry about just now, Rose. About what happened outside C treating you so coldly just now, I didnt mean it. Actually... I proceeded to exin the entire situation to the Rose Team, so as to prevent a misunderstanding from urring again, the next time we met. After all, I had no intention of losing such good friends. Hahaha! To think that being too handsome could cause this much trouble. Lil Strong broke intoughter C at my expense C upon hearing the entire story. Its not like I asked for this... I mumbled under my breath as I scratched my face. Lil Strong gave me a hearty p on my back and the lot of them began tough. Apart from Fairsky, whose head had been hanging low all this while, the rest of the party were all chatting happily. Broken Sword and I were particrly lively, since wed been getting along very well. He told me that he had attended every single one of Odd Squads matches and was really interested in the unusual and even bizarre techniques I had executed. Apparently, he too often tried out the moves that hede across in wuxia novels. It seems like Im not the only weird person around here after all! Thus, the two of us found ourselves chatting enthusiastically about my Nine-Headed Dragon sh and Dragon Whirlwind Strike and his Taichi Strike and Nine Swords of Du Gu. Prince, Lolidragon, about what happened the previous time we met... Well, Fairsky has been feeling really guilty about it... Rose trailed off and nced worriedly at Fairsky, who had held her head low and kept silent the entire time. Oh, that. Ive forgotten about thatit was such a long time ago. Dont fret over it, Fairsky, I said and turned to look at Lolidragon, You dont me her either, right? Lolidragon? Huh? What happened the previous time? Lolidragons face was covered in confusion. (Your memory really sucks... *sweat*) In any case, Lolidragon and I have already put that incident behind us! I said, but saw Fairskys shoulders had suddenly begun trembling.Crap! Shes crying! Waaah, what did I do wrong this time?! Im sorry... Fairsky darted towards me and started sobbing in my embrace. I patted her on the backfortingly, thinking, Sigh! Having a sister feels pretty good. A sister would definitely be way cuter than that idiotic brother of mine; nowadays, all he does is brag about Dark Emperor having cleared round X of the tournament. If not for fear of angering my ancestors by killing the only sessor of the Feng family, I would have long since used my chopping knife and turned him into a charsiew bun! Its okay, youre a good girl, dont cry... I said in a gentle voice, trying to console Fairsky. Fairsky hupped, lifted her face, and looked at me with an iparably pitiable gaze. May I ask you a question? ... Sure! Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this? Noticing that remaining members of Rose Team were standing on the sidelines as though they were waiting for the show to begin, my sense of foreboding intensified. Can I be your second wife? Im willing to acknowledge Lolidragon as my Dji! Fairsky looked at me with an expression of utmost yearning as she uttered that shocking, headline-worthy sentence. As one, the members of Odd Squad spurted out the mouthful of drink that they had just taken before stealing a nce at me,ughing silently... And still more shocking was... Me too. My good sister, Rose, actually tugged at my shirt, her gaze determined. When two beauties have offered to be your second and third wives, yet you are a girl...Can anyone tell me what a person is supposed to do in such a situation? I couldnt think of an answer myself, so I could only look pleadingly at Lolidragon, who was snickering silently. The two girls then turned to stare at Lolidragon and thetter gulped down her drink before hurrying to rify our rtionship. The rtionship between Prince and I is only that of siblings. I only pretended to be his wife in order to scare off those other girls. This entire thing is none of my business, so dont look at me, she said. That damnable Lolidragon! I thought, cursing that treacherous sister of mine from the bottom of my heart. Now what reason am I to use to discourage them? I was stunned and at wits end when Gui suddenly pulled me into his embrace. Holding me tightly, he stared at the others, his frosty gaze even more terrifying than my Blood Elf act. In a tone that sent shivers up the spines of all the listeners, he said slowly, Prince is mine. Everyone was shocked by his actions, and I was no exception. It wasnt his hug that shocked me (that sort of thing happened often), but rather the coldness of his tone; it was very difficult to reconcile this Gui with the one who rarely raised his voice and constantly fooled around. As a result, my heart pounded wildly for a while... ROAR! Im going to kill that freaking homo, I thought, but just as I was about to go in for the kill... Sigh! Actually, the rtionship between the two of them is like that! Lolidragon suddenly dropped the bomb on Rose Team, leaving them staring in shock at Gui and me. Rose-mimei, Fairsky-mimei, actually, I too have feelings for Prince (Prince: The feeling between sisters...), but it just cant be helped! Prince h-he... the ones he likes arent women, but. MEN! (Prince: She isnt actually lying there...) So I would advise you wake up from this infatuation and look for love elsewhere! Lolidragon said, ncing at me with sorrow and disappointment from time to time. Prince, dont deny it; otherwise youll really have to ept the two of them as your wives! Lolidragon warned me over party chat. I sighed and cast a helpless look at the ceiling. Ahhh, two choices!One is to ept the feelings of a homosexual fellow and the other is to be a homosexual and ept the feelings of two women? Who was the person who said there is no path in life without hope? Im on one right now! Having received such an intense shock from the revtion, the members of Rose Team were now looking as though they had each swallowed three broiled eggs. Is it just my imagination or has Broken Sword C who was just sitting next to me a moment ago C moved away by a few seats? The corners of my mouth twitched and veins started popping on my forehead, but still I fought the urge to deny it... Unwilling to open my mouth and admit that Lolidragons words were true, I could only bow my head as though it was a silent admission. At first, Rose and Fairsky were shocked. Then they bit their lips, looking as though they were on the verge of tears. Finally, seeing my head bowed in silent admission, they couldnt take the shock anymore. The two of them got up from their seats and fled, running out of the door in a storm of tears. Oh! I think w-we should be going after our teammates now. Lets chat again some o-other time! With that, the remaining members of the Rose Team almost flew out the door and, within the blink of an eye, had disappeared. In the booth, my squad members and I silently bade Rose Team farewell as they made their escape. After a few quiet minutes Wolf-dg said calmly, Lets take a look at who our opponents are for the next round. ording to the data, this teamsbat strength probably greatly outstrips our seven previous opponents. Also, Prince you cannot allow Gui to lose a level. If hes about to die, call me over so that I can heal him before you continue to fight! Dont worry. His death alone is no longer able to satisfy my anger, I said, and grabbed Gui by the cor, my lips curling into a slight grin. Two hourster... We have already won seven matches; another three more and well clear the preliminaries and officially enter the finals. But our opponents are getting stronger and stronger, as everyone here may have already realized. Hence, we need to think through each move ande up with an urate analysis of our opponents. Only then will we emerge victorious from each of the uing battles, Wolf-dg advised as he flipped open the booklet in his hand. This is the Adventurers Tournament Analysis of Competing Teams that Ive just bought. Lets take a look at the next teams data. [Team name: Team Phoenix | Team members: Six] Obviously, I thought. Odd Squad looked below the heading, but... There was nothing else. Wolf-dg coughed a couple of times and said, Very well, our opponent is Team Phoenix. Everyone got it? In the end, Yu Lian-ds?o grabbed her husband by his fur, warning him to not buy things on impulse again. Team Phoenix! Might it be a teampletely made up of girls? I asked, worried. Im really close to developing gynophobia... Lolidragon shrugged. Ill help you ask! She then burrowed underground, left for the main street, and grabbed hold of a random passerby. I led the squad through the tunnel as per usual, preparing to step into the arena. Odd Squads fame now was no longer what it used to be. Our unusual teamposition, odd team name, and unorthodoxbat strategies and moves had already achieved some level of fame within Second Life. Add to that the notoriety of the Beautiful Blood Elf, our teams fame had increase exponentially. Listen! These cheers sure are loud and theyre all shouting, Go Team Phoenix!, Defeat Odd Squad..., Odd Squads nothing! Long live Team Phoenix! I stopped in my tracks, my ire rising as I thought, What is this? During the previous seven battles, even if the spectators didnt yell out Odd Squads name when our team was announced, they would at least call out my name or nickname... But how is it that I dont hear that at all now? Even if you look down on us, there should be a limit! Theres nothing we can do. After all, this is Sun City C its Team Phoenixs territory, Lolidragon saidzily. And from what I hear, Team Phoenix is made up of six beautiful men. Six beautiful men? I asked with some enthusiasm, thinking, Theres going to be eye candy! Hearing my words, Gui looked at me with a hurt expression. Im a beautiful man too! Does Prince-gge like beautiful men? Just like Doll; Doll likes beautiful men too! Doll said, looking delighted, but the others faces were filled with suspicion. Crap... No way, I dont like beautiful men, I was only thinking about how much I will enjoy beating them into the ground. Lets hurry up and go, hahaha, I said and gave a falseugh before quickly continuing forward. Whew... That was close; I almost let it slip. But I walked away too quickly and missed hearing my teammates discussion at the back, saying... To think that what Lolidragon said was true. Prince has that kind of inclination and so does Gui. Its such a loss for women all over the Earth... Then why does he like beating Gui up? Didnt you hear how excited he was about beating up the six beautiful men? Maybe Prince is a closet sadist! To hit is to care, to scold is to love? Then I should allow Prince to hit me more often...? Gui questioned. In unison, the rest of the team said, Yes! So long as you dont lose any levels. Listening to their conversation, Lolidragon broke out in cold sweat and muttered under her breath, This has nothing to do with me, this has nothing to do with me. We were about to step out of the passageway. I adjusted my facial muscles, adopted a cold expression, and then prepared to look at the beautiful men... Ah, no! What I meant was, prepared to step onto the arena floor. I was about to step out of the tunnel when my eyesnded on the six so-called beautiful men. In one nce, the image of six guys whose bodies were contorted into strange poses entered my view... GROSS! My stomach...! Honestly, they didnt look too bad their eyes looked like eyes, their noses looked like noses (Otherwise what?)... However, ording to my standards, apart from myself, my brother, and Gui, Ive not yet met anyone else who was handsome enough to sigh over. They merely look passable, yet the six of them dared to wear pure white outfits,plete with matching weapons, cloaks, and stand there in that sort of pose? And whats with the roses in their mouths? I should also mention that their members belonged only to two races C they were all either elves or holymen. I immediately made up my mind to teach these six guys, who thought far too highly of themselves, a lesson. They will face the consequences of not living up to my expectations and then learn what a truly beautiful man is! Wahahaha! Gui,e here! I said, and Gui nearly went crazy with joy upon hearing that sentence. Let us acquaint these brainless flirts with what makes up a real beautiful man. [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 1 End]

Footnotes

Extreme Squad: In case youve forgotten about our earlier footnote about Odd Squads name, Odd Squads name (in Chinese) can also be read as Extreme Squad. Inner Court: This is an area within the Forbidden City itself. The Inner Court was the private quarters of the Emperor and his family, and it was also where his concubines resided. As such, Prince is implying that Perfect Princess is bringing along her personal harem. Dragon Whirlwind Strike: This is yet another move from Rurouni Kenshin C this is written as W in kanji and pronounced as rykansen. The original move is pretty different from Princes version, and is essentially an extremely fast counterattack aimed at the back of the opponents neck. The move is also called Dragon Windup sh by some fans. Taichi Strike and Nine Swords of Du Gu: Tai Chi Quan (̫ȭ, lit. the ultimate fist) is a type of martial art frequently practised for health reasons; its execution is usually quite slow and it has some grounding in Chinese philosophy, such as in the concept of ying and yang. Here, it seems that Broken Sword has incorporated elements of Taichi into his swordy to create the Taichi Strike. As for the Nine Swords of Du Gu (¾Ž, prn. d g j?u jin), this is from Jin Yongs The Laughing, Proud Wanderer C Du Gu is the name of the person who came up with the skill. Charsiew bun: A type of bun with charsiew filling. Charsiew (, prn. ch sho) is basically roasted pork; its a bit sweet and is usually bright red. Dji: This literally means big sister, but it can also refer to a woman who is your senior in terms of age, rank, et cetera. Hence, Fairsky and Rose (as second and third wives) mentioned calling Lolidragon (the first wife) dji, since she would be their senior in terms of rank. Mimei: A suffix which literally means younger sister, but can also be used on younger women. Gynophobia: A fear of women. There is also a fictional phobia called venustraphobia which supposedly means a fear of beautiful women. To hit is to care, to scold is to love: This is amon saying. In Chinese, its 顢ǰ (prn. d? sh qng, m sh i). Volume 2 Chapter 2 Volume 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Food is Invincible! C tranted by Shonen19 Icy expression? Check! Blood Tiara? Check! Hairstyle? Check! Clothes? Check! All checked! Wahaha, everythings perfect and in ce! After a short three second deliberation, Id decided to use the icy bad boy strategy, as per usual. After all, isnt it widely known that girls dig bad boys? I looked at Gui and thought, Not bad, not bad at all! Under my coercion, (Weird; when I threatened to beat him up, he refused to cooperate, but when I threatened not to beat him up, he agreed... Is he a masochist?) he too adopted the attitude of an aloof bad boy and he seemed to be even better at it than I was! So handsome...Whoops! I shook my head, flinging off the two hearts that had reced my eyes, and resumed my cold and impassive appearance. Lets go, Gui. I walked out into the arena at a stately pace, looking like the epitome of style. Hello everyone, I am Xiao Li, yourmentator for this match! Emerging from the left entrance of the arena right now is Team Phoenix, consisting of four elf warriors, a holyman priest, and a holyman mage. Theyre a very strong team specializing in offense; up to this point, no team has managed to stand against their attacks, reported Xiao Li excitedly. These six beautiful men have made all thedies go wild just listen to them cheer! It sure looks like this team has got quite a few supporters here in their home city! Anding in from the right is... Xiao Lis voice trailed off as he flipped through his log book, his heart skipping a beat at the unusual name. Odd Squad? If I remember correctly, their team members are... As Gui and I stepped out of the tunnel and into the arena, the crowds cheers gradually subsided into a dead silence as their gazes slowly came to center entirely on the two of us. Gui gave the other team an indifferent nce, as though he didnt see them as threat at all, thus intentionally provoking our opponents. I, on the other hand, tilted my head to one side and gave Team Phoenix a faintly sadistic smile, silently picking a fight with them. And here we have Odd Squad! Their team consists of an elf warrior, an elf thief, a beastman priest, an angel necromancer, a demon bard, and a human mage. With their unique team makeup and unpredictable and diversebat strategies and tactics, they have been the victors in every match until now, Xiao Li announced. However, as amentator, he was clearly aware that what the spectators really wanted to know was... The only warrior in Odd Squad, Prince, has been dubbed by many as the Blood Elf due to his cold-blooded and merciless fighting style. Of course, even more people have taken to calling him The UltraCGorgeous Prince! In addition, there is also another, equally rare, beautiful man on their team: Guiliastes, whose devilish and unearthly beauty has also earned its share of attention. In Odd Squads home city, Star City, the two of them have been gained reputations as extremely hot guys... In any case,dies, youre in for some serious eye candy! What is he, amentator for a beauty pageant? Lolidragon murmured to herself. Aiyah! Itd be great if this really were a beauty pageant; then we wouldnt have to put so much effort into fighting. Wed probably emerge as the champions right away, Yu Lian-ds?o said confidently. Lolidragon and I looked suspiciously at Yu Lian-ds?o. Has her extraordinary sense of beauty been cured? Yu Lian looked lovingly at her husband, Ugly Wolf. With Wolf here, we would definitely win. ...Nope, not cured yet. Dg, they have four warriors. How are we going to fight them? Whats our strategy for this round? On the surface, my expression remained as aloof as ever, but in secret, I was hurriedly PMing Wolf-dg. The four warriors across from me were so furious that their faces looked awfully twisted. I suspected that there was a high possibility that the instant the referee shouted Begin!, they woulde charging directly at me to skin me alive and swallow me whole... I have no interest in bing pieces of human sashimi! Hmm... Thisll be a bit tricky. This team is mostly made up of warriors and although their teamposition might not be effective against monsters, it works pretty well in this tournament. The best method now is for you and Doll to stall them and then have Yu Lian cast a powerful spell to finish them off in one go. Wolf-dg paused and considered the situation for a moment longer before continuing, Lolidragon, your job is to assassinate their mage. Gui will support both the defenders and Lolidragon. Stall four warriors? Iughed weakly and put on my most innocent and pitiful look. Dg, dont you think that youre overestimating my ability? Even Superman faces only one adversary per episode! Wolf-dg replied calmly, Unfortunately, youre not Superman, so youll have to handle four enemies. Remember! Even if it means dying, you must stall them. Of course, if you can avoid losing a level, then all the better. Waaah!How heartless! I thought, mentally crying. This is warrior abuse... Crying aside, I resigned myself to my fate, unsheathed ck Dao, took out Meatbun, and began contemting which technique to use in this situation. Ah! I suddenly recollected that Meatbun had a move that seemed quite appropriate for this sort of situation. Haha, why are you taking out a bun here in the arena? Dont tell me that you have to eat buns to get your strength to fight? Thats right, eat up! You dont look like you weigh much. When the wind blows, youll probably just get blown away! the elf warrior standing at the very front jeered while looking contemptuously at Meatbun. That meat bun has eyes. Dont tell me its a pet? A pet bun? Ahahahaha! The elf warriors opposite me all broke out intoughter. Let me show you what a real pet is like! said the holyman priest, and a ball of mes seemed to emerge above his head, unfurling into... A fire phoenix? Wolf-dg eximed in shock upon seeing it. Its so beautiful! Doll cried out in admiration. This is bad; the odds are heavily stacked against us in this situation, Wolf-dg said worriedly. As should be expected of Wolf-dg, to be able to immediately recover from his initial shock and begin analyzing the situation, I thought. Yu Lian specializes in fire magic, so itll be futile for her to attack the fire phoenix. Dolls skeletons will be upied with stalling the warriors. This means that the best solution left to us is a pet VS pet fight... As soon as he said those words, we turned and looked at Meatbun, who was bouncing excitedly on my palm, squealing Whee! Whee!.We then lifted our heads and looked at the fire phoenix soaring majestically in the sky. The odds are definitely against us, I remarked. Battle, begin! shouted the referee. What? Its already begun? I havent thought of a way for a meat bun to defeat a fire phoenix yet! ...Never mind, I doubt Ill be able toe up with a way in this lifetime anyway. Meatbun, Machine Gun Meat Attack, I ordered. Holding Meatbun in my left hand, I fired continuously at the four warriors, sweeping from side to side. While the damage from the meat bullets wasnt very high, the hits were still painful, plus... My god, what is this? Its so sticky and gross! As expected, the opposing team began to wail andin. Heh heh, this is Meatbuns still-raw-and-dripping-blood Machine Gun Meat Attack, with a grossness level thats beyond the tolerance of a person who has not cooked before. Fire Phoenix, stop that meat buns attack. The priest of the opposing team hurriedly ordered the phoenix forward in order to aid the warriors on the frontline. A surge of mes shot from Fire Phoenixs open beak, countering Meatbuns meat bullets. Instantaneously a delicious smell wafted towards me and I thought, The raw meat from Meatbun has been roasted...? I caught a piece, and with some skepticism, I ate it... and was duly astonished. Its sooooo delicious! God, why did you let me eat such delicious roasted meat? What will I do if I never have the opportunity to taste it again? Unbelievable! If we add a fire phoenix to my Meatbun, then we would never have to worry about not having any meat to eat in the future, I said. Then I smiled coldly as I made up my mind. Lifting my ck Dao, I leveled it challengingly at the priest of the opposing team and said, Hey, you, owner of the fire phoenix! Lets make a bet, a bet on which team will win this match! Team Phoenix was stunned at first, then all of its members began guffawing. With some difficulty, the priest managed to stopughing and said in a tone of utmost contempt, You think your team will win? How? Using a meat bun to beat a fire phoenix? I didnt answer and merely continued to smile tauntingly at him. As I expected, there wasnt any guy alive would could stay calm when taunted by a beautiful fellow like me. Enraged, the priest snapped, Fine. What are the stakes? Your fire phoenix C if Team Phoenix loses, youll give us your fire phoenix. If Odd Squad loses, Illmit suicide over and over again until I hit level one. The priest smiled darkly. No problem! Just you wait; youll be retraining from level one all over again. Prince, arent you acting too rashly? Lolidragon asked concernedly over the team channel. I didnt answer right away. Instead, I tossed some roasted meat to each of my teammates. They looked dazedly at the roasted meat in their hands, and gave me uprehending looks. Finally, with some hesitation, Lolidragon took a bite of the roasted meat... Ahhh, its just too delicious! My god, Ive never eaten such heavenly roasted meat before! The fresh and juicy meat, together with the searing heat of the fire phoenixs me, creating a tender roast thats been cooked to perfection, with every bite filled with such goodness... Its definitely a delicacy that cant be created using ordinary meat and an ordinary oven. Its so divine that Im moved to tears! Prince, even if you die till you reach the negative hundredth level, you have to find a way to get that fire phoenix, you hear me?! Lolidragon roared. ROAR! Even if I have to kick them to death, Fire Phoenix is ours! Wolf-dg bellowed. We can save lots on food money! Yu Lian-ds?os smile was serene, but the shadow behind her smiling face was way more hair-raising than Wolf-dgs bellowing. Undead creature bone dragon from the remotest depths of hell, abandon your slumber and answer the call of the necromancer, Doll. Come and help Doll snatch roasted meat to eat! After swallowing the roasted meat, Doll actually summoned the terrifying undead creature C an undead bone dragon C which she had originally refused to ever summon again. If Prince wants something then I will help him get it, using whatever means possible! Gui said, emitting a frosty aura once again. All six members of Odd Squad broke into bloodcurdling grins, all the while mumbling, I want to eat roasted meat and Fire Phoenix is ours. W-why do t-they suddenly seem so fired up? the priest stammered. His face was pale as a sheet as he looked at the six hungry wolves in front of him. N-no worries; even if they have a bone dragon, its no problem. Fire Phoenix is the nemesis of all undead creatures, one of the warriors said shakily, attempting to reassure his teammates. Gui- Berserk! Doll- the bone dragon, over here, I shouted. Got it. Berserk Melody. Gui began to y, casting Berserk Melody on Lolidragon and I, increasing our strength and agility to 150%. The buff wouldst for ten minutes. Bone dragon, go! Not a trace of fear could be seen in Dolls demeanor as she calmly directed the undead creature. I leapt onto the bone dragon and we charged at the elf warriors directly in front of us. At the same time, Fire Phoenix came rushing towards us under its owners orders, and it looked as though we were about to crash. Hmph!, I sneered coldly. Dont assume that my Meatbun can only spit meat. Maybe it cant win directly against a fire phoenix, but... Heh heh! Ensnaring it is a simple matter. Meatbun, use QQ Dough Wrap and bind Fire Phoenix, I said, throwing the meat bun in my hand at the fire phoenix. It immediately began to stretch like soft dough and pinned itself to the fire phoenixs wings. The fire phoenix gave a loud wail and plummeted to the ground, struggling furiously. Without any more obstacles in front of us, the bone dragon and I were about to crash into the four pale-faced elf warriors. Just then, the enemy mage managed to finish casting the spell for a barrier, catching the bone dragon and I off guard. We mmed into it, receiving quite a bit of damage. I pressed on, ignoring the pain, and asked Doll to make the bone dragon fly higher, over the barrier. However, just when I nned to attack, the enemy mage began to fire a continuous stream of small-scale magical projectiles at us to impede my advance. The bone dragon and I flew around dodging the projectiles while keeping an eye on the four warriors, making sure that they did not dare to step outside the mages barrier. After a few minutes of this impasse... Urgh! The holyman mage couldnt believe his eyes when he saw the dagger sticking out of his chest. He quickly turned into a pir of white light and flew off while Lolidragon gave an evil chuckle from behind, right where the mage had been standing. Then, before the warriors in front even sensed her presence, she used her Burrowing skill again to get back to where the rest of Odd Squad was. The end was in sight. Hahahahaha! Perched atop the bone dragon, Iughed manically. My wild and arrogant demeanor sent several girls into a dead faint, unable to take the sight anymore. ...Meteor Shower, Yu Lian-ds?o recited thest line of the spell with a smile and instantaneously nearly a dozen meteors rained down from the skies, crashing onto the arena floor with earth-shaking booms. Finally, four columns of white light flew off, leaving only a warrior C the one who hadughed at Meatbun C copsed on the ground. As per usual, I maintained the air of a conqueror as I hopped off the bone dragon. For a moment I stared at my opponent, a merciless look in my eyes, and then I drove ck Dao through his weak and unresisting body, sending him to the rebirth point to relive his life as an elf. Odd Squad, victory! The judge shouted a line that I had heard seven times before. After that, I picked my invincible Meatbun up from the floor. We sessfully received the fire phoenix, which had reverted to the form of an egg. (When the ownership of a pet changes hands, the pet will revert to the form of an egg, go through the ownership ceremony again, be demoted a level as though it has died once, and its loyalty will decrease to 50/100.) We then began discussing who the fire phoenix should be given to. First, take Doll and me off the list. I already have Meatbun, and Doll can summon many undead minions, so neither of us needs this pet egg, I said after some thought. Mm, I dont need it either. I dont believe that I need a pet to protect me, Wolf-dg said, flexing his impressive muscles. Neither do I; Wolf will protect me. Yulian-ds?o and Wolf-dg stared at each other ardently. I dont want it. I cant rear pets... I recollected Lolidragons bloody, tearCfilled history with pets. That might be for the best. Otherwise, Lolidragon will be setting a new record by killing an immortal fire phoenix, and adding yet another chapter to that bloody history. So were left with...Gui? Me? Yay, then I can roast meat together with His Highness! Anticipation was written all over Guis face. Its roasting meat with Meat-bunbun! The whole of Odd Squadughed long and loud. Oh,e on, Prince, sometimes youve got to reward Gui as well! Roasting meat with him isnt that big a deal, right? Wolf-dg said, patting me on the back heartily. Huh? I wasnt the one who said that! I replied. However, I found myself wondering, Did I really not say that...? That voice was so adorable, so it was probably Doll who said it, right? Lolidragon guessed. Eh? Doll raised her small face. Her mouth was stuffed with food, making it impossible for her to speak. Then who on earth was it? Here! Mama. Mama? I could feel Meatbun struggling in my hand. No way! A meat bun with eyes is already unbelievable enough, but a talking meat bun?! I slowly lowered my head to look at Meatbun, but only saw its watery eyes looking at me as usual. Mama. Meatbuns little mouth suddenly opened, saying that word, and I froze in shock. Mama? Is it referring to me? The other members of Odd Squad realized that an event as iprehensible as aliens invading Earth, Stephen Chow acting in a tearjerker, or A-mei doing a strip dance had taken ce. All of them were now staring with wide eyes at the talking meat bun. Everyone, dont stare at Meat-bunbun like that. Meat-bunbun is shy... At this, two red spots slowly appeared on Meatbuns cheeks. ...Its a girl? I mean, a female meat bun? Why did you call me Mama? Dont tell me that my real gender has been discovered by a meat bun? Its possible, since my Meatbun had a wisdom level of ten when it was only level one! Mama is Mama... Meatbun said as it lowered its head, an endearingly innocent look on its face. It was even rubbing against my palm, seeking affection. Its so adorable! But, waaah! Im not even married yet and already Im a mom! Plus, my child is a meat bun... I wonder if its a boy or a girl? Lolidragon, do pets have genders in Second Life? I asked calmly. Yes... And if you have two pets, they can even have babies! The chances are slim, though, Lolidragon replied. She stared at Meatbun, the cogs in her brain turning quickly. But Meatbun... Lolidragon observed Meatbun with suspicion in her eyes, while I flipped Meatbun over, studying it from every angle, trying to find a clue as to its gender. Wouldnt it be faster if you just asked? suggested Yu Lian-ds?o. Meatbun... After such a long examination, all we saw was a buns white and fluffy covering, so I had to ask calmly, ...Are you a male or a female? Meatbuns eyes were wide and filled with confusion. It asked, Mama, whats male and female? Meat-bunbun doesnt understand. ... Definitely a female, we thought. I think the fact that shes talking is more important than her gender, Wolf-dg said gravely. Its because shes reached level forty, Lolidragon said as she suddenly remembered why. When the pets in Second Life reach a certain level, they gain artificial intelligence. At level forty, they begin to speak, and their artificial intelligence improves continuously ording to their level. I see. So its normal for pets to know how to talk? I asked, seeing the light atst. Mmhmm. Lolidragon smiled weakly, embarrassed. I forgot all about it until now. My daughter, ah, no! My PET can talk! I happily pinched Meatbun here, there, and all over. As I pinched... It hurts, it hurts, Meat-bunbun is hurt, it hurts! Meatbun squealed. Her watery-looking eyes became REALLY watery. One teardrop, two teardrops... HUGE teardrops began to fall from Meatbuns eyes, which finally became two faucets that werepletely out of control. Waaah, waaah, wuuuaaah... waaah...! Ah! Meatbuns crying, what should I do? I asked. I felt at aplete loss as to what to do as I watched the meat bun that was crying uncontrobly in my hand. How does onefort a meat bun? Its like a faucet. Lolidragon looked at the floor, which was beginning to show signs of a potential flood. Thats great; we dont even need to bring water along in the future! Yu Lian-ds?o said, beaming. After ten minutes... Prince, I should warn you in advance that I dont know how to swim! Lolidragon was looking at the water, which had already risen to her waistline, clearly wanting to cry. Holding the two faucets in my hand, I smiled stupidly,pletely in a daze... Lets get out of here! This is such a high ss restaurant. Now that weve flooded their booth, thepensation will definitely cost quite a bit. Wolf-dg didnt look very concerned about the flood. It wasnt surprising, since he was so tall; he would definitely have been thest person to drown, anyway. Our reputation level has gone down again. We had sessfully used the ruckus caused by opening the booth door and letting the water flow out to escape, but we couldnt prevent our reputation level from going down again. Yu Lian-ds?o looked at the teams reputation level and then turned to look at me, wearing that terrifying shadowy smile. Prince, take good care of your daughter Meatbun. Dont let her cause any more trouble, okay? Okay. Waaaaah! Ds?os terrifying shadowy-yet-gentle smile is simply spine-chilling! Im scared... I looked angrily at my daughter Meatbun. Grabbing her in one swoop, I wanted to give her a good spanking. However, just as I was about to swing my hand down, Meatbun looked at me in confusion with those incrediblyrge, innocent, and guileless eyes. Mama? Waaah, now how am I supposed to spank her? Lolidragon patted me on the back and said, Forget it. Whats the point of spanking a meat bun? It would be better to just ask her to spit out more meat for us to eat! Youre right. Gui, quick C get Fire Phoenix to hatch, I urged, drooling at the thought of roasted meat. Okay. Gui bit his finger, breaking the skin, and dripped some blood onto the fire phoenix egg. Wide-eyed, we waited for the fire phoenix to emerge. We didnt have to wait for long before the familiar form of Fire Phoenix appeared before our eyes. The members of the Odd Squad hugged each other joyfully. Now therell be roasted meat to eat! Heavens zing me, thats the ability! Thats the incredible ability that roasted the meat in an instant! I hurriedly held Meatbun out. Lolidragon immediately took out a foldable table. Yu Lian-ds?o rushed to set the table with tes and chopsticks. Wolf-dg nervously held a huge pot, worried that he would miss catching even a single piece of meat, and Doll... was already sitting at the table, a napkin around her neck, ready to eat. Gui. I signaled, my gaze determined. Come on! Yes. Gui looked at the fire phoenix flying in the sky. Gui and I shouted in unison: Meatbun, Machine Gun Meat Attack. Fire Phoenix, Heavens zing me. There was only silence. The highly-anticipated aromatic roasted meat was nowhere in sight. Mama, thats Gui. Does Mama want to fight Gui? Meatbun turned its head to look at me in concern. I... Hmph, who do you think you are to order the immortal Fire Phoenix around? An unfamiliar and proud voice came from the sky. However, this time, none of us were surprised. We merely lifted our heads to look at the sky. Fire Phoenix is already level forty-one, Lolidragon said stiffly. Moreover, its loyalty is too low, so its not very obedient, she added. Crap, then what about our roasted meat? I asked, looking stonily at the recalcitrant Fire Phoenix. Little children must be spanked in order for them to listen, Yu Lian-ds?o smiled. Youll scald your hands if you spank Fire Phoenix... I said. I want to smack it, but Im scared of getting hurt! In the end, since the rebellious Fire Phoenix refused to obey, Odd Squad could only return dejectedly to the city to purchase some meat buns to eat. We were unable to beat up Fire Phoenix despite our hunger C so we could only vent our anger on Gui and order him to raise Fire Phoenixs loyalty as quickly as possible. However, from Guis grievous howls of pain after being scalded by the phoenixs mes, we realized that it would be a long time before we could have any roasted meat to eat... Waaah...Im so hungry! Wolf-dg bellowed half-heartedly, Listen up, guys! Although were all really hungry, the next battle must still be fought. Just hang in there for another two rounds and well be able to enter the finals. Our opponent for the next battle is Hells Murderers, Wolf-dg said. His tone suddenly became serious. ording to the information Lolidragon obtained from interrogating Passerby A, this teamsbat strength is considerable. Moreover, their fighting style is quite violent and cruel. The battlefield never failed to be a river of blood after every battle, and some of the spectators would definitely faint at the sight of all that blood. Im afraid that theyll prove to be difficult opponents. Are they really that scary? I furrowed my brows and asked, Whats their teams line-up? Theyre all humans. A priest, a mage, a warrior, a necromancer, a thief, and a bard. I was astonished. Their sses are exactly the same as ours? And they have two pet dragons. Wolf-dg heaved a sigh. While we have a meat bun and a disobedient fire phoenix, I added mentally. This is going to be really tricky. Will they disembowel me? I asked, worried. Very likely, yes, Wolf- dg answered heavily. Im scared! I want to cry... At that moment, Passerby A was talking to his friend B. Do you know what happened? I was kidnapped by Odd Squad just now. Passerby A looked close to tears. Are you serious? My god, you were actually captured by the terrifying Odd Squad? asked Friend B. Yeah, they wanted me to give them information about Hells Murderers. After I finished, they seemed very anxious! Anxious? Hells Murderers may be scary, but they cantpare to the scary-beyondprehension Odd Squad... The very sight of that beautiful fellow who smiles so evilly even as he hacks people to pieces can give people nightmares. And that spirit-like beauty who keeps appearing behind peoples backs... After she kills someone, she never fails tough callously! And that scary bone dragon, plus those skeletons burning with a ck fire... And also that fortress-like wolfman... plus that mage who seems so gentle and yet uses Meteor Shower to annihte her opponents. Odd Squad is just tooooo SCARY! both Passerby A and Friend B eximed in unison. Meanwhile, with Hells Murderers... Has everyone heard about our opponents for thising match? their elected leader, Blood-soaked Demon King C a mage C asked with a grim expression. Weve heard... How can we, Hells Murderers, allow someone else to be more terrifying than we are? Blood-soaked Demon King demanded furiously. We swore that wed be the ones whose names would make children cry upon hearing them, the ones whom adults would have nightmares about... The demon kings of Second Life! How can we let that Odd Squad be OUR nightmares? This is just too pathetic... We have to defeat them in as terrifying and violent a manner as possible and be THEIR nightmare! BECOME NIGHTMARES! After the team gave a mighty shout in unison, one of the members suddenly shivered. But Odd Squad is really scary! he added. [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 2 End]

Footnotes

1 Stephen Chow: Famous Hong Kong actor,edian, and film director. He has acted in tons ofedies over the decades, such as Kung Fu Hustle. 2 A-mei: Famous Taiwanese pop singer and often called a diva of the Mandarin pop scene. Volume 2 Chapter 3 Volume 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Odd Squad Strikes Back C tranted by xosugarhighox Ahahaha... Iughed callously. Hahahaha, Im not scared. Im not scared! Hahaha! Looks like Prince is really scared... Ugly Wolf looked helplessly at me, who had beenughing maniacally in a corner for a while now. Well, hes always been the one who ughters everyone in his path. Now that the time for retribution has arrived, obviously hed be scared! Lolidragon responded indifferently. What do we do, then? With things like this, how are we going topete? Yu Lian asked, her voice filled with anxiety. Dont tell me were going to have to forfeit! Haha, its okay; dont worry about him. Prince has always been like this! Hes routinely scared half to death before the fight, but once the battle actuallymences, hell be their most enthusiastic opponent by far. Dont worry, dont worry! Lolidragon replied,ughing heartily. Is that so...? Its time, Wolf-dg said calmly. Hearing that, I stood up and turned, holding ck Dao in my left hand. Its time to kill people, I said emotionlessly. Im not really sure why, but no matter how scared I am before a fight, somehow, I always manage to calm down the moment I step in the arena and feel the weight of the spectators gaze on me. Although I still cant think of a way to defeat the two dragons using a meat bun and a disobedient fire phoenix...didnt we still win even though I couldnt think of a way to defeat a fire phoenix with a meat bun? Wahaha, this is called Heaven watches over the good guys... (Actually, its more like God looks out for fools, drunks, and little children!) As usual, I was the first to enter the arena. Hells Murderers had only just emerged from the tunnel, led by a person garbed in a blood-red mages robe. Thats the Blood-soaked Demon King, a frost-type mage. He loves to skewer his opponents using giant icicles. Hes the most terrifying figure in Hells Murderers, Lolidragon exined. Skewer? So the worst that could happen is that Id get a hole through my stomach? Thats not too bad... You guys nearly scared me to death! I thought he would XXX out my intestines and stuff them into my mouth, Then XXX my heart from my chest as it dripped with blood. After that, he would crack my skull wide open, sttering the ground with the soft white brain XXX as it spews from the wound... I heaved a sigh of relief. All that talk about them being the scariest team ever; I was terrified for nothing! Your Highness! I beg of you, please dont say any more! Guis face had grown frightfully pale as he listened to my XXX-filledmentary. With a hand covering her mouth, Lolidragon growled from between gritted teeth, If you say anymore, Im going to puke up even my breakfast! Heheh, sorry about that! Its just that Ive been watching too many horror moviestely... Thinking back to the horror movie I had watchedst night, I realized that Id gotten those ideas from the homicidal psychopath who had ughtered his victims using simr methods. Iughed, embarrassed and feeling somewhat foolish. Just then, Blood-soaked Demon King C who was standing across from me C suddenly spoke. In an ominous voice, he said slowly, Today, I am going to turn Odd Squad into a barbequed meat kabob. Im going to skewer each of you one by one and then let my pet dragon slowly burn you all alive. I am going to acquaint you with REAL TERROR! I merely smiled impassively. Shall we begin? My indifferent attitude seemed to have driven my opponent into an inarticte rage, and several veins popped on his forehead... Whats there to be mad about right now? I asked, chuckling. Wait until after I XXX open your stomach, XXX out your intestines, and then use them as a rope to tie you up with. Then Ill XXX up your skull, extract your brain, and get Fire Phoenix to roast it into a crisp usingHeavens zing me. Ill XXX it in your mouth and, finally, drench you in a sauce made of your own fresh blood! It wont be toote for you to be mad then! Wahaha, it would be just like the movie I watched the day before yesterday. That day, after watching it with my brother, I even deliberately created some new recipes. Using high quality tofu that was as white as brain XXX and fresh red beans that were as vibrant as fresh blood, I made red bean tofu soup for him. That was the first time in his life my brother skipped dinner... Was I too evil? Well, who asked him to keep repeating in my ear for three days straight that Dark Emperor had already made it past the preliminaries, and were now in the finals? Stupid brother, do you know how much pressure this puts on me?! The throbbing veins on Blood-soaked Demon Kings face disappeared without a trace. Instead, his face had be white as a sheet and his hands were trembling slightly. He was probably imagining himself being tied up in his intestines, watching helplessly as his own brain was sliced up and roasted to a crisp then XXX down his throat, before finally being drenched in his own blood... (I dont think youd still be alive by that time...) But wont I be giarizing the movie? I pondered for a while. Would I be charged for theft of intellectual property? Or why dont we.... Gouge out his eyeballs and stuff them up his ass? Nope, cant do that; that was from the horror movie three days ago. Bury him alive and then y his skin? If I recall correctly, this was one of the ten major torture methods of the Qing Dynasty! Cut off all four limbs and throw them into a cesspit? Where am I going to find a cesspit? Carve his flesh slowly off him, slice by slice? Dont they call this rending flesh from bone? Castration? ...I dont think he can die from that. ording to the games design, that area isnt a weak spot for attacks...right? Stuff my de up his ass? No, thatd be filthy. How can I sully my darling ck Dao like that! I let out a sigh. I never realized thating up with new methods of torture and execution would be so difficult. Forget it, Ill just pick one of those methods and use it. Lets start! Referee...eh? Where did everyone go? I looked everywhere around me, but... Strange, Im the onlyperson left in the whole arena? Wheres Blood-soaked Demon King? I looked at the deserted arena in front of me. Our opponents have disappeared? I turned to ask my teammates where our opponents had gone, but... Lolidragon? Wolf-dg? Gui? Ds?o? Doll? Where have they all disappeared to? Just then, an announcement came over the broadcasting system, apanied by the sound of vomiting. Everyone...this is yourmentator, Xiao Li. As thepetitor Princes descriptions were simply excessively violent and gruesome *BARF* ...It has caused all of thepetitors to flee from the arena. I presume they are in the restrooms...vomiting. There are still five more minutes before the match must start. If not a single member from Hells Murderers has returned before the five minutes are up, the victory will be awarded to the team that still has a member in the arena, Odd Squad... *BARF* At this moment, in the restrooms... The members of Odd Squad were shouting loudly as one. Prince, youre dead meat! *BARF* The members of Hells Murderers next to them were sobbing from fear. No matter what, theres no way were going back there! *BARF* *BARF* Odd Squad, victory! the referee announced. Standing alone in the middle of the arena, I twiddled my fingers, muttering in a small voice, I didnt do it on purpose... I had only just left the arena when Lolidragon approached me with a dangerous glint in her eyes. Prince, youre DEAD MEAT! You caused me to puke up evenst nights dinner! Yu Lian-ds?o said, and her terrifying shadowy smile appeared again. Prince-gge, Doll is very scared! Scared? If youre truly frightened, why is the expression on your face reminiscent of the time you summoned the bone dragon to try to get that delicious roasted meat, Doll? Sigh. Prince, you know that I have always thought of you as a younger brother... said Wolf-dg. Then please dont wave your two meter-long staff around... Youre even doing warm up exercises? Wolf-dg, dont you know how humiliating itll be for a warrior to be ughtered by a priest using sheer brute force? Your Highness... Gui looked worried. Seeing that a dagger, two magic staves, and a skeletal hand were about toe crashing down on my head, I could only throw Gui a pitiful look and tragically cry out, Gui, savemeeeee! Unable to bear the sight of me getting hurt, Gui immediately flew forward to shield me. Dont beat up his Highness! A small brawl ensued, in which fists and feet were not the only things used even slippers, forks, and knives came flying my way. I hid beneath Gui, protected securely by his body, narrowly escaping the storm of attacks. I gazed gratefully at Gui, whose body no longer bore any resemnce to a humans. Strange, why isnt he dead yet? Actually,e to think of it, Wolf-dgs healing spells have been leveling uprgely because of Guis assistance. In my heart, I silently vowed not to beat Gui up too badly next time. Prince! You really are despicable, Lolidragon panted, worn out from the fight. How is that true? You had an enjoyable time beating someone into a pulp, I didnt have to endure any pain, and Guis masochism has been satisfied. Weve killed multiple birds with a single stone, so why not? Hahaha. I really am coolly calcting, heh heh! I wonder why the tournamentmittee was looking for Dg? Im starving, I want to eat. A moment before, the system had broadcasted out of the blue that the tournamentmittee wanted our team leader to go see them. They said that they needed to discuss something with us... Dont tell me that theyre not going to count our victory just now?Do we have to fight again? I dont want to... Ive already been dealt with so harshly by my team members. If they nullify our victory, I will really use the ten major torture methods of the Qing dynasty on the tournamentmittee members. You really love to eat. It makes me wonder if you really are a girl... Lolidragon suddenly realized that she had made a blunder. My face paled as I looked at Ds?o and Doll. ...A girls dream guy. ... Great save, Lolidragon! I let out a relieved sigh. Wolf is back! Yu Lian-ds?o had spotted him from afar. Sigh. Everyone, I have some not-very-bad-but-still-bad news. Wolf-dg furrowed his brows together. We still have to fight one more match. Now? Right now? But Im hungry... To be precise, we have twenty more minutes. Gui... We all looked worriedly at Gui, who was lying on the ground like a misshapen lump of mud. Ill heal him up, dont worry. Wolf-dg said, before adding, These injuries are nothingpared to the ones he receives when Prince beats him up. ...I pretended not to hear that. Spirit Spirit Team is our next opponent. Also, the reason why we are fighting twice in a row is because were one of thest remaining teams in the preliminaries. The tournamentmittee wishes to conclude the preliminaries today, Wolf-dg said, his voice troubled. The damn thing is, theres no time for us to wring information about our opponents out of random passersbys. However, our opponents know exactly what theyre up against, since they probably saw everything that transpired in our previous match. The situation is clearly very unfavorable for us. Bats beri unhayeraber hor arshe, I said indistinctly through a mouthful of mantou. That might not be true. Luckily for us, there was no fighting at all during the match just now, so at most, they would know our sses, Yu Lian-ds?o said with aforting smile. I hope thats true... In the arena... Those are...our opponents? I forced myself to ask. *SWEAT* Looks like it. Wolf-dgs brows were knitted even more tightly together than before. Are you serious? Youre saying that flower, that de of grass, that tree, that rock, that pool of water, plus something that we cant see C theyre our opponents? The corner of my mouth twitched as I thought, Isnt this a bit over-the-top? No wonder theyre called Spirit Spirit Team theyre actually made up of a flower spirit, a grass spirit, a tree spirit, a rock spirit, a water spirit, and a wind spirit. This is bad; spirits have many sub-categories and their abilities vary widely. Plus, very few yers choose to y as spirits. We have never encountered a yer of the spirit race before, so our knowledge of them is simply too superficial. This will be a tough battle, Lolidragon exined worriedly. Sigh! And here I was, thinking I could try repeating the horrifying descriptions I used during thest fight, but now... I sighed. Lolidragon, do you think it/he/she/they will have intestines for me to yank out? ...No idea. It doesnt matter, I guess. After all, we still have to fight anyway, I said. I didnt really care who my opponent was. Instead, I moved into a fighting position, readying myself for battle. Prince is right. Lets wipe the floor with them! roared Wolf-dg maniacally. I began tough wildly and unsheathed my ck Dao. Thest match in the preliminary rounds begin! The moment the match started, I immediately rushed forward, thinking to get rid of one or two of the opponents first. However, I suddenly discovered that something seemed to have twined around my foot, sending me sprawling onto the ground. Hastily, I nced at my foot... Grass? The arena actually has grass for me to trip over? I quickly hacked at the grass with my dao, but just as I was about to climb to my feet, numerous long strands of grass suddenly sprouted all around me... Urgh. The grass had twined about my entire body, leaving me immobilized. Prince! Odd Squads members were shocked. Wolf-dg rushed forward to where I was and began to yank at the hindering grass while Doll directed her skeletons to cover us. Lolidragon who had been about to burrow towards the opponents ran over as well, desperately hacking away at the grass with her dagger. As I struggled, I saw that the rock spirit was charging at us from the corner of my eye. My princely countenance turned ashen and yelled, Forget about me quick, defend yourselves! Skeletons, hurry forward to shield them! Doll hastily dispatched her skeletons to bar the rock spirits path. However, with each sweep of its thick branches, the tree spirit next to it easily sent a skeleton flying. Although it wasnt enough to destroy the skeletons, the attack hindered their movements, wasting precious time as they struggled to crawl back on their feet. Seeing the hefty tree spirit surge forward, Yu Lian immediately cast a fireball, which sent it scurrying back to the Spirit Spirit Team. The rock spirit was unaffected, however, and instead threw a punch at Doll. Intent on pushing Doll out of harms way, Wolf-dg was struck by the heavy blow. Even with hisrge frame and towering height of over two meters, Wolf-dg was sent flying. Wolf...! Yu Lian-ds?o cried out in rm. ming Skeletons! Quick! Fall back to defend everyone! Doll urgentlymanded her skeletons to defend against the rock spirits onught. Gui! Berserk Melody! Hurry up and cast Berserk Melody! I bellowed. Right, Gui replied, immediately casting Berserk Melody on me. I felt my strength increase. With a heroic effort, I struggled and finally managed to free my right arm. Bat Catching Sword! I sliced, hewed, cleaved, stabbed, shed C in mere moments I had executed all sorts of sword moves to chop up the grass ensaring my body. After freeing myself, I jumped to my feet and ran urgently towards the rock spirit... Suddenly, a pir of water came gushing up in front of me. Surprised, I took a hurried step back. Unfortunately, having no eyes in the back of my head, I did not see the second pir of water behind me. To make matters worse, the strength of the current in the one behind me was even stronger than the one in front. I was trapped. AHHH! I was immediate swept away by the currents. Just as I was about to be washed right out of the arena, I stabbed my ck Dao into the ground. Hanging on for dear life, I managed to avoid getting flushed out of the arena. However, as soon as the water receded, I found myself once again bound by the grass. This is damn irritating! I thought. I would hack away at the grass, only to be washed away to the edge of the arena; when the torrent of water finally stopped, Id once more be tangled in the grass... In the midst of all this, I threw a nce in Dolls direction, worried about how the others were faring. Luckily, Doll and Yu Lian-ds?o were stalling the rock spirit together. Gui was ying his guqin and casting Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow to interfere with the enemys attacks, but... Wolf-dg seems to be fighting an imaginary opponent?! Abruptly, I recalled the presence of an invisible opponent C the wind spirit! The wind spirit has forced Wolf-dg into a one-on-one fight. This is bad! Wheres Lolidragon? I turned around to look at the other members of Spirit Spirit Team. As expected, I saw Lolidragon crouching stealthily behind the water spirit. She was nning to take it down by surprise, but... Lolidragon, RUN! Having returned to its teammates side, the tree spirit had already raised its guard against this thief who could burrow through the ground to assassinate her opponents. As soon as it noticed her presence, it immediately swung itsrge tree branches at her. Urgh...! Unable to evade in time, Lolidragon was struck squarely by the attack, and her HP dropped drastically. She got to her feet immediately and burrowed her way back to Odd Squad. On her way back, however, she noticed that Wolf-dg was in peril and instantly rushed to his aid. Although its really hard to see an invisible person with the naked eye, even an invisible person would have trouble hiding from the trained eyes of a thief. Guis supporting fire added to that, and soon the wind spirit was clearly on the brink of defeat... At that moment, the flower spirit that had remained motionless all this time unexpectedly started to chant a healing spell. Flower petals drifted slowly down onto the wind spirits head, and we watched as its injuries healed up substantially. So the flower spirit is a priest! Wolf-dg uttered in surprise. Just then, the tree spirit ran over to help the wind spirit. With the addition of the incredibly strong tree spirit, it became an even match between the enemy and Lolidragon, Dg, and Gui. Doll and Yu Lian could only stop the rock spirits offensive as their attacks had no effect against the granite-like skin and thick body of the rock spirit. As for me, I was still trapped by the grass spirit and the water spirit... We cant go on like this! Once again, I struggled free of the grass, and then whipped Meatbun out. Mama? Are you ying with water? Meat-bunbun also wants to y! Meatbun said as it looked at my water-battered appearance with an innocent wide-eyed gaze. After this match, I will never y with water again! Having little strength to resist, I was once again bound up by the grass spirit. Meatbun Cter, use that XXX skill to lift me out of the water while Im being washed away by the current, you understand? Oookay! I hacked my way free of the grass for the Nth time and then leapt to my feet. Immediately, the stream of water began to surge towards me again. Meatbun, use Take-copter! I cried out. A Take-copter suddenly grew out of the top of Meatbuns head. It began to twirl, slowly lifting Meatbun into the air, and I hung onto Meatbun for dear life. Stay away from that water current, Meatbun, I ordered, and Meatbun immediately dodged to the left, evading the pir of water that was spinning towards us like a hurricane. Helpless, I had no choice but to rely on a meat bun to weave left and right while I analyzed the situation. I decided to first get rid of the grass spirit and the water spirit, both of whom would hamper my movements. If I didnt, I wouldnt be able to move on ground at all. Meatbun, carefully approach the enemy. Whats an enemy? I nearly fainted upon hearing that. Instead, I said, Go towards the people gathered over there. I leveled my ck Dao in the direction of Spirit Spirit Team. Oookay, Mama! Meatbun obediently began to advance on Spirit Spirit Team. Dragon Whirlwind Strike! I darted past a pir of water and, like a whirlwind, I charged at the water spirit. Arge gaping hole immediate appeared in that hateful water spirits stomach, but just as I was about to send it to heaven with another thrust of my sword, my body was bound up by grass again. Worse still... Icicle Spears. Although seriously hurt, the water spirit smiled sinisterly, nearly ten icicles held in its grasp... Bat Catching Sword! I hurriedly cut myself free of the grass, but I was still unable to dodge in time. Five icicles pierced my body. My face turned white... Urgh! It was extremely painful, but the worst injury was on my left thigh C it had been pierced by an icicle, which remained lodged there. The rest of my wounds ranged from deep gashes to light cuts. Though I still had more than half of my health left, I was once again bound and immobilized by the grass spirit... Waaah! In front of me, another N number of icicles suddenly appeared! Looks like Spirit Spirit Team is about to fulfill Blood-soaked Demon Kings will of turning me into a kebab. Even if I have to die, Im taking one of them with me... Meatbun, Dog Beating Technique! I lobbed Meatbun at the water spirit with all my strength. Urgh! One after another, spears of ice struck me piercing my left hand, waist, and shoulder C one even scraped past my forehead. Across from me, the water spirit was unable to dodge Meatbuns attack in time, but s the flower spirit quickly healed it. Iy on the ground and watching the remnants of my HP drain away bit by bit. Looks like I cant even bring one of them down with me, damn it! Prince, lets go! Lolidragon suddenly appeared behind me and began dragging me back towards the rest of the team with all her strength. Seeing that, the grass spirit was about to use its grass to prevent us from escaping when a translucent arrow stopped it. Gui C now infuriated C began to rain a spray of arrows down on the grass spirit, forcing it to hastily use grass to protect himself, the flower spirit, and the water spirit. Were almost there, Prince! Lolidragon was pulling me along as hard as she could, trying to get me close enough to Wolf-dg so that he could heal me. Wolf-dg would havee forward himself, but without Lolidragon and Guis help, it was all he could do not to be killed by the wind spirit and the tree spirit. There was no way he could get himself out of his fix ande heal me. Grasping at once the severity of Wolf-dgs situation, I bellowed urgently at Lolidragon, Go help Wolf-dg! He he cant hold them off by himself! Lolidragon looked at Wolf-dg, and then looked at me. God damn it C if I dont help Wolf-dg get rid of those two, we wont be able to save Prince at all! Lolidragon gritted her teeth, then let go of me and rushed over to help Wolf-dg fight back against his two opponents. You have to hang in there, Prince. You hear me?! Lolidragon roared over her shoulder as she ran. Helpless, I could only nod my head weakly even as I thought, Hang in there? Damn this 99% realism level. How am I supposed to hang in there with my HP steadily draining away thanks to my open wounds? Were not allowed to bring health potions to a match either... Crap! My consciousness is starting to be fuzzy... I hastily shook my head, trying to clear my mind. By this time, the water spirits wounds werepletely healed. Enraged, it sent a tidal wave towards me, but I was still lost in my hazy consciousness... PRIIIINCE! Gui, Lolidragon, Ugly Wolf, Yu Lian, and Doll cried out in despair. Prince! Gui cried out again. With a heroic effort, he leaped over and held me C now nearly unconscious C in his arms, futilely trying to shield me with his body as the tidal wave hit us. What little blood that was left in my body was still sufficient to stain the water red... Suddenly my head cleared. In my heart, I understood that I was just an inch away from death. Fight hard, Gui! Gui looked at me with fear starkly visible in his eyes. Prince... No, you cant die! I smiled gently as my corporeal form gradually turned translucent and indistinct, before dissolving into bits of sparkling stardust. Under Guis devastated gaze, I turned into a pir of light and shot into the sky. Prince... Gui whispered in a choked voice, clenching his hands C hands that had held Prince just moments earlier C and pounded on the ground... Prince... The blood had drained from Lolidragons face. How could... Yu Lian covered her mouth, her eyes glittering with tears. NOOO! PRINCE! Wolf-dg howled. Waaaah...waaaaah, Prince-gge! Doll wailed and began to cry... Mama? Where is Mama? Waaah, waaaah... Meatbuns two super-ultra faucets had made aeback. The atmosphere throughout the entire stadium seemed to have frozen/solidified. The feeling of grief began to permeate throughout the spectators, and even the members of Spirit Spirit Team seemed to be at a loss for what to do. The minutes ticked away, one by one. Just as Spirit Spirit Team finally decided to continue the fight, the mes of fury ignited C zing C with Gui at the heart of the inferno... Fire Phoenix, as your master Imand you: Burn! Send all those ignorant fools who dared to hurt my true love into the fiery depths of hell. Guis eyes smoldered with the thirst for revenge, and even the recalcitrant Fire Phoenix knew that it wasnt a good time to disobey. He gave a long cry before he flew high up into the sky and breathed a surge of mes at Spirit Spirit Team. The grass spirit had thought to set up a barricade, but what could grass do to impede fire? The water spirit immediately took over, using a screen of water to block the fatal mes. Sensing that the situation had somehow turned ominous for them, the grass spirit immediately thought of using its Grass Weaving Technique against Gui. Long strands of grass suddenly sprouted from beneath Guis feet... Earthquake! Yu Lian casted a spell as she crouched on the ground, her right hand touching it lightly. A huge crevice instantly appeared beneath the grass spirit as the ground split in two. The grass spirit lost its footing and nearly fell into the rift, but luckily for it, the tree spirit was nearby and managed to catch it in time. However, Yu Lian only smiled lightly as she finished reciting the incantation a second time. Yet another crack ran towards both the grass spirit and the tree spirit... You used this move to kill Prince C do you really think Im going to let you kill Gui too? In your dreams! Yu Lian lightly spat out these words. Inferno from the darkest depths of hell, ze upon the mighty undead creature, bone dragon! Incarnate as Hells Inferno Dragon, prideful and haughty creature, and descend upon the human realm to aid your master in destroying all that stands in her way! Fury was evident on Dolls stubborn face, and even having to summon the iparably terrifying Hells Inferno Dragon couldnt make her give up her desire to avenge Prince. Thus, aside from Fire Phoenix with its divine mes, Spirit Spirit Team now had to contend with an additional airborne enemy C a bone dragon belching mes of darkness. Undoubtedly, for Spirit Spirit Team, it was like having hail on top of a snowstorm...no, it was like adding fuel to the fire. The wind spirit and the rock spirit saw what was happening and immediately charged towards Odd Squad, nning to get rid of these three dangerous individuals quickly. Lolidragon darted in front of the wind spirit, however, barring its way. Someone once said it is a foolish endeavor topare speeds with the wind, but I will now show you that it is even more foolish topete against me, Lolidragon said menacingly. As she uttered those words, she flipped the two daggers in her hands and began hacking, chopping, and stabbing swiftly, forcing the wind spirit into a hasty retreat. Ugly Wolf swung his Light of Glory, having begun to fight the rock spirit one-on-one. Technically speaking, Ugly Wolfs strength and physique clearly couldntpare to the rock spirits. Ugly Wolf scoffed, however, remarking silently in his heart: Even a three-year-old kid knows how to defeat a rock; dont you just let the heat and cold deal with it? Gui! Get Fire Phoenix to breathe fire at this rock spirit! Ugly Wolf told Gui over the team channel and Gui immediately did as he was asked. You think fire will have an effect on me? The rock spirit was engulfed in mes, but was unconcerned. Ugly Wolf grinned icily. Oh? And what if we add water? Fine, just watch as I shatter you to pieces using water... Should I ask Yu Lian for water? No, Yu Lian only has fire and earth-type spells. Not Doll, and Gui doesnt have water either, while Lolidragon is a thief. Crap! No water, Ugly Wolf thought, freezing where he stood. What should I do now? Theres no way I can go up to the water spirit and say, Hey! Can you lend me some water so I can kill the rock spirit?...right? Waaah, waaah, Mama! Meatbun cried unceasingly at one side even as signs of imminent flooding began to present themselves. Ugly Wolfs ugly face broke out into a hideous smile. How unexpected, Prince. Youre already dead, but you didnt forget to leave such a useful orphan behind, Ugly Wolf thought. He quickly scooped Meatbun up and began to negotiate with it. Meatbun, that rock over there caused your Mama to die. Do you want revenge? Waaah... Whats revenge? Meatbun asked, its huge innocent eyes widening. Ugly Wolf scratched the fur on his head. Just... go over to the rock spirit and cry, and your Mama will be very happy! Ugly Wolf said, doing his best to use a cajoling tone of voice, just as one would use on children. Then Mama wille back? Meat-bunbun misses Mama. Hmm...probably! Okay! Meatbuns little face filled with resolve, and it bounced and bopped its way towards the rock spirit. Ugly Wolf wiped cold sweat away, thinking, Its a good thing that buns dont have brains... The rock spirit initially stared, dumbfounded at the meat bun which hopped towards him before jumping onto its shoulder. As two pirs of water gushed forth, the rock spirit seemed to hear the sound of himself cracking. It paled in rm and frantically began to try to grab Meatbun. What are you doing? Get off! However, Meatbuns body was small, and it was quite nimble. One moment, Meatbun was on its head, the next moment, it had hopped to its shoulder, and then its arms... The two faucets began to fulfil their purpose and began to destroy the rock spirits body. The situation had begun to turn around... I left the rebirth point, experienced the after-death nausea, and then found myself somewhat rooted to the spot. Now what shall I do? I mumbled to myself. Then, suddenly, I remembered. That right! I should go and watch the match. Worried that I would not get to the stadium in time to watch the match, I hastily grabbed a bag of guazi, bought a te of fried rice, and got a can of Coke before hurrying to the stadium. I got there just in time to see Gui going berserk. Then, I found a seat and began to watch my teammates go crazy as a result of my death. Wooow! If Id known that Gui could control Fire Phoenix just like that, then I would havemitted suicide. That way, wouldnt we have roasted meat to eat? What a scary Inferno Bone Dragon... Yu Lian-ds?o is seriously impressive... I emitted sigh after sigh of admiration as I watched my teammates do their best to go berserk. By the time I finished eating my fried rice, the whole arena was in a state of deep waters and hot fires, fallen skies and cracked earth... Deep waters. Wuuuuuaaaaah! Wuaaah! Mama didnte back! Mamaaaaa! Meatbuns two faucets had evolved into two very impressive waterfalls. As a follow-up to the restaurant-booth-flooding incident, Meatbun once again set a new record for flooding a stadium... Hot fires. Fire Phoenix, quickly! Burn all of the damnable spirits to ashes! AHAHAHA! Gui was already half-insane, and Fire Phoenix was starting to turn into a pyromaniac. Aside from the small area where the members of Odd Squad stood, Fire Phoenix breathed streams of me all over the ce whenever and however it pleased. Fallen skies. With a huge, earth-shattering WHAM!, Dolls terrifying Hells Inferno Dragon once again identally rammed into the pirs on the edge of the arena. Blocks of debris the size of human heads went flying all over the arena. Even the spectators in the stands were not spared the misfortune of this assault. Dodge! Whew, that almost hit me. As for the one responsible for the catastrophe... Doll just stood to one side of the arena with her head tilted, wearing an innocent expression on her face... Cracked earth. By the time Yu Lian-ds?os terrifying Earthquake spell was cast for the eleventh time, the floor of the arena had already fragmented into six bs of rock of different sizes, and showed signs that they would be fractured into even more pieces... In short, the immediate surroundings is one of airborne rocks and pirs of white light shooting into the sky together, while the seas of mes and floodwater surge as one. Wonderful! What a wonderful hell on earth! The spectators around me had long since fled for their lives. The referee was clinging on for dear life to the only pir that the bone dragon hadnt KOed. Listening to the broadcast by thementator Xiao Li would have given anyone the impression that Armageddon had arrived, and as for Spirit Spirit Team... I really couldnt tell if any of Spirit Spirit Teams spirits had survived. Someone should have, right? Otherwise, the match should have ended already. In the end, Wolf-dg C who still had a little bit of reason left in him C finally stopped. He surveyed the surroundings and then howled, Enough, thats enough! Everyone stop right now! We have already avenged Prince. I think Princes soul in heaven will rest easy now. Hearing her husbands roar, Yu Lian-ds?o also stopped. She looked at the ruined arena and said in a choked voice, Prince, you can rest in peace now... Prince-gge... Waaah! Tears welled up in Dolls eyes again. Prince! I have avenged your death! Gui howled at the sky, tears glimmering on hisshes. Do you hear me, Prince? Weve AVENGED YOU! I swallowed a mouthful of guazi, took a swig of my Coke, and dodged another surge of mes. Okay, okay, I heard you. Although youre yelling in the wrong direction, Gui. Im not in the sky, Im here, by your left hand side! In the arena, Wolf-dg lifted his head to look at the referee, who was perched on top the pir. He asked, Referee, arent you going to hurry and dere us as the victors? Unless you want us to continue wreaking havoc? You should know that my team members arent very patient people. Hearing that, the referee almost began to cry as he hurried to exin. But theres still a survivor in the Spirit Spirit Team. ording to the tournament rules, all members of the opposing team must either be dead or have surrendered. Only then can I dere the victors... Surrender! We surrender! Wolf-dg didnt even have the chance to open his mouth before a shrill voice cried out from under the rubble of rocks. Wolf-dg walked over and shifted the rocks away, only to see a flower with a single petal left lying in a pathetic state under it. The referee looked as relieved as a man who had just been saved from certain death. Victory goes to Odd Squad! Victory goes to Odd Squad! They have sessfully cleared the preliminaries and entered the finals! I ran down to the arena floor happily and hugged my teammates. Thats great! Weve cleared the preliminaries! Sometimeter, I heard a strange rumor about me. Someone said that I was even more terrifying dead than alive. Whats that supposed to mean? Like Meatbun, I could only listen uprehendingly with wide, innocent eyes. [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 3 End]

Footnotes

Heaven watches over the good guys... God looks out for fools, drunks, and little children: What Prince actually says here are two separate proverbs. The first is ࡱ (prn. j rn z y?u tin xing), which means that the heavens will ensure that no harmes to good people (like heroes). The second is ɵɵ (prn. sh? rn y?u sh? f), which means that even fools have a fools luck, implying that heaven grants an extra dose of luck to fools. Spirit Spirit Team: The character for spirit, (prn. yo), is actually quite ambiguous C depending on its usage, its meaning ranges from spirit to demon to monster. In essence, it suggests a supernatural being C and not necessarily an agent for evil either, such as the fox spirit/demon in Japanese myths. Take-copter: A reference to Doraemon. Go (Wikipedia) for more information. Deep waters and hot fires, fallen skies and cracked earth: The two are both sayings in Chinese. The first means in deep trouble and the second basically means a very extreme scene of destruction along the lines of Armageddon. Volume 2 Chapter 4 Volume 2 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Fate C tranted by Spence Listen up, guys! Wolf-dgs tone was serious as he addressed us before the start of our first round in the finals. We will need to work harder than ever now that were in the finals. The opponents that we are going to face will definitely be worthy foes. We must not take them lightly. All of us nodded earnestly. Lolidragon, do you know who were fighting next? I asked. Lolidragon nodded, and I took another bite of bread before pressing her for details about the enemy. Lolidragon wrinkled her brow and said, Theyre called Ascendant Dragons. I havent heard any special rumors about them, but their teamsbat strength seems to be pretty average. They only managed to get into the finals because they havent met any strong opponents thus far, so they should be pretty easy to handle. I let out a sigh of relief. Thats great, then. It seems like our first match will be a cinch. I stepped into the arena, looking the epitome of cool as usual, but... Although it was normal to be nervous during the first match of the finals, my legs felt like jelly. My eyes were listless, my mind waspletely nk, and my lips drew into a tight line as I stared dumbly at the opposing team. At the center of that team, a very conspicuous couple was engaged in an extremely cloying and disgusting public disy of affection...but that wasnt the reason for my sudden loss ofposure. The reason I was so shocked was because... They were my parents C the same parents who had left my brother and me to fend for ourselves for months at a time as they went on their Nth honeymoon! My god, Dad and Mom! You guys went on a honeymoon C how did you guys end up in Second Life?! How am I supposed to fight? If I beat up my parents, will I be considered an unfilial daughter? Worse yet, if Im found out, MY ALLOWANCE WILL BE HISTORY. Prince, whats the matter? Is something wrong? Lolidragon asked, looking slightly concerned. Uh...everythings fine! I answered, willing myself to calm down. It wont happen! Even my own twin brother C who sticks to me from dawn to dusk C doesnt realize that Im his sister, the lovely Feng Lan. If thats the case, theres no waythat my parents C who go on honeymoons two hundred days a year C would recognize me! My allowance wont be reduced for beating up my parents... Hubby, dont you think that hottie over there looks a bit familiar? remarked Ascendant Dragons mage, the lovey-dovey wife. The more she looked at him, the more she felt like she had seen Prince before... The lovey-dovey husband looked fondly at his wife and, upon hearing her words, reluctantly raised his head to look. He replied, Eh! He does look a tad familiar. Could he be one of our neighbors? No idea! I rolled my eyes. Dad, Mom, cant you talk more softly? Even my teammates can hear you! Helplessly, I met the probing eyes of my teammates and shrugged innocently. Battle, begin! the referee mercilessly shouted. Ah, it started, it started! What do I do? My thoughts were in disarray as I looked at my teammates and then at my parents, my mind a battlefield of conflicting emotions. Honey, the fights started. Lets finish this quickly so we can get on the ne and head home. Oh...but if we go home, it wont be just the two of us anymore! Plus, youll have to cook and do the chores, and you wont be able to spend time with me. Itll be so bothersome! the lovey-dovey wife said, her face clearly revealing her desire not to return home. Haha, dont worry! Ive trained Feng Lan well! Well tell her to do the chores and cook. That way, Ill be able to spend all my time with you, okay? replied the lovely-dovey husband. Hahaha, he thought. As the saying goes, Care for a daughter a thousand days, and she will take care of you for the rest of your life! Mom! Dad! Ive changed my mind! A vein popped on my forehead asI clenched my fists till my knuckles cracked. Even if it means that I will lose every cent of my allowance for the rest of my life, I will beat both of you to a pulp! Prince...? The members of Odd Squad looked at me in astonishment, as my entire body seemed to ze with an unseen fury. I. Will. Obliterate. Them! The words were ground out from between clenched teeth. In the real world... Briiiiing! Briiiiing! I stretched my hand out to turn off the noisily ringing rm, and removed my game helmet. Pinched by guilt, I wondered, Was I too brutal to my parents? Hmph! Forget it, they were the ones who betrayed me first, so they cant me me for getting back at them. Besides, all I did was punch my dad about a few hundred times. And I was really merciful to my mother; I killed her in one hit! I stretched, crawled out of bed, and went to prepare breakfast. Todays the first day of school; itll be bad if Imte. I decided to quickly wash up, and then do battle with the mess of eggs, toast, and coffee. Striding out of the kitchen with the aromatic te of breakfast, I saw my brotherzily sprawled out on the dining table. Whats for breakfast, sis? One specially cultivated energy-boosting egg, high ss French toast, and a cup of thick and creamy Turkish coffee. Oh... So its an egg sandwich with a cup of coffee! my stupid brother said, before boorishly grabbing the te and beginning to wolf it down. Waaah! Thats the breakfast that I poured my heart and soul into making! Cant you eat it in a more gentlemanly manner? I suddenly remembered something. By the way, well need to buy groceries after breakfast. Mom and Dad areing back. Eh? How do you know? my brother asked, giving me a suspicious look. My heart nearly stopped. Uhhh...they called. Really...? Since when did they learn to call and check up on their children? Disbelief was clearly written all over my brothers face. Just eat your toast, all right? If you keep pestering me, Ill see to it that you dont get dinner tonight, I bellowed, pushing my guilty conscience aside. Okay, okay! ...Youre always threatening me with food, whined Yang Ming. What can I say? Foods the only thing that works on you, I said with a shrug. In this respect, we are clearly siblings. Food is not our onlymon ground. Let me make it clear here that this unfortunate bond between my stupid brother and I goes a LONG way back. In both elementary and middle school, we were in the same ss. We went to the same high school (although we were in different sses, as the school separated boys and girls), and now, we have the same sses in university. Theres only one way to exin this situation: fate. I seriously suspect, however, that the REAL reason we have the same sses in university is because myzy brother secretly copied my career nning form as he was toozy to even fill out his own! (Not that hes admitting to it!) In any case, we now attend the same university and even have the same sses. (Just as a side note, the university is very close to home, so we live at home and go to school via public transport.) Hurry up, sis! The bus is about to leave! Yang Ming roared furiously. Okay, okay! I yelled as I began sprinting madly, swearing silently, Stupid Yang Ming! You think my agility and the length of my legs in real life are the same as they are in Second Life? Out of breath and panting hard, my brother and I entered the ssroom a minute after the bell rang, where I discovered that the teacher was already at the podium! I hurriedly bowed and apologized to the teacher. Im so sorry, Im so sorry. Dont worry, just quickly find a seat and sit down. The teachers deep, gentle voice soothed me, but somehow it felt weird... Why is this voice so incredibly familiar?An rm sounded in my brain, and with some reluctance, I slowly raised my head to look at the teacher. Wow...what a handsome face...GUI! I stared at him, ck-jawed and bug-eyed, and thought, Am I still ying? Sis? If you want to stare at hot guys, at least do it after you get to your seat. My brothers infuriating voice rang out in the ssroom, and my ssmates erupted inughter. I could only stagger to my usual seat in a stupor. My two best friends sat next to me: Gu Yun Fei (hes male, but hes a gossip queen so Jing and I treat him as a female) on my left and L Jing (shes a cute girl) on my right. Whos he? I asked Yun and Jing, pointing at the familiar face at the podium. Seems like hes a new professor, Jing replied as she stared at the new professor, clearly mesmerized. Hes too young to be one! I looked at Gui in disbelief. He cant possibly even be thirty years old. Hes definitely not a day over twenty-five, at most twenty-six! Hes only a few years older than the students, but hes already a professor? I heard that hes a genius with an IQ of 200, that he entered university at the age of fifteen, graduated at eighteen, received a doctorate at twenty-two before furthering his studies overseas, and returned with another doctorate at twenty-five. And, at twenty-six years old, top universities in the country were all vying to employ him as a professor, Yun said, envious. ...Then he might not be Gui after all! Whether or not Gui actually has anything inside that head of his is something Ive been deeply suspicious about to this day. Still...he looks too much like Gui. He looks exactly as Gui does in Second Life, without any beautification whatsoever. Professor Looks-Like-Gui smiled and said, Good morning, students. I am your new Professor for History of Chinese Literature, Min Gui Wen; you can just call me Gui. Im actually not that much older than you, so I hope we can get along like friends. I copsed onto my desk. If I said he isnt Gui, who would actually believe me? Gui is my professor? My god, I DONT BELIEVE IT! Jing, can you help me ask him C Professor Min C if he ys Second Life? I asked, having gathered up my courage. I decided to ascertain once and for all whether my luck really was that rotten. Jing regarded me with suspicion. Why dont you ask him yourself? Uhhh, I... Im shy! I replied with a weakugh. ... Jing and Yun looked at me incredulously and my face burned with embarrassment. I have no idea what youre trying to pull... Fine, whatever, Ill help you ask! Im interested, since I y Second Life as well, Yun muttered. He then raised his hand and asked, Professor Min, may I ask you something unrted to ss? Professor Min replied with an easygoing smile, You may. Do you y Second Life? Professor Min paused for a moment, surprised, and then replied enthusiastically, Of course! Im taking part in the Adventurers Tournament. My team has already cleared the first round of the finals! Four out of every five students present gave a surprised exmation, such as Really?, Thats incredible!, or What team are you in? As the atmosphere in ss livened up, Professor Min also dropped his professor-like demeanor and answered all the questions happily. Im a bard of the demon race. Im a member of Odd Squad. Odd Squad? Thats a very famous and weird team. I heard that their main fighter, the warrior Prince, is extremely strong and incredibly handsome! Yun eximed. Professor Min... Gui enthused, Yeah! Prince is really very strong, and hes also extremely handsome. Are you serious? Even more handsome than you, Professor? Jing asked, astonished. Hes much better looking than me, Gui replied, his expression serious. Oh my god, Lan, did you hear that? Arent you ying Second Life? Have you ever seen Prince? Jing suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and began shaking me, causing me to snap out of my zombie-like trance. I guess... you could say so! I replied weakly, all my strength drained away now that the truth had been confirmed. Ohhh...so you must have seen Professor Min in Second Life! Thats why you wanted us to ask him, right, Lan? Yun said, his bright voice attracting Guis attention. Oh my god, Gui is looking at me! I avoided his nce and casually raised a hand to cover my face even as I mumbled, Nah. I went to watch the Adventurers Tournament, so I saw him from afar, thats all. Out of the blue, a disgruntled voice rang out in the ssroom. Prince? Hmph! Feng Yang Mings scorn was clearly written all over his face. Do you have something against Prince? Gui asked. His expression had be frosty, and the atmosphere in the ss cooled rapidly as well. Yang Mings head was tilted to one side, his posture a clear disy of arrogance as he replied, I just had a run-in with him before, thats all. I regarded the tense atmosphere between my brother and Gui nervously, but for some reason, Gui seemed to have frozen. The look in his eyes was tooplicated for me to figure out. The chilly atmospherested for a while before... Stand up, Gui said in a stern voice. Everyone in the ss emitted an apprehensive gasp. I, too, nced anxiously at my brother, deeply worried that he would offend the professor on the first day of sses. Yang Mings expression stiffened, and then he slowly got to his feet. Although he was doing as he was told, the look in his eyes said that he had no intention of backing down. Gui seemed shaken at first. Then, as though he could hardly believe his eyes, he spoke at longst. Prince...? Yang Ming looked at the professor uprehendingly. ... My eyes widened. What is this scene that Im seeing? Gui seemed to have realized that he was behaving oddly in front of his ss, because he immediately calmed down and smiled. You may sit down now! Lets do a roll call so that I can get to know everyone. I sat there uneasily with a heap of unanswered questions until the dismissal bell finally rang. As soon as Gui walked out the ssroom, I immediately copsed onto my table. I thought, Just how exactly am I going to get through this semester? And Gui eximed Princewhen he was looking at my brother earlier on C what on earth could that mean? Could Gui have mistaken my brother for me? Thats impossible... CRAP! I thought, having suddenly remembered that Gui was GAY! ...If he mistook my brother for me, then... Oh god! My blood seemed to freeze within my veins. Lan, Lan! Professor Min said that if we y Second Life, hell take us to meet the members of Odd Squad. I sooo wanna meet Prince! Jing said with a longing face, So Ive decided to y, can you help me level? ... *SWEAT* Lan, tell me your username. Ill PM you once Im online and we can power-level Jing together! After that, we can all go and meet Prince. I want to ask him how he managed to be that strong, said Yun, his expression simrly anticipatory. I... What should I do...? I want to cry... Whats the matter? Or could it be that your levels too low and youre too embarrassed to tell us? Yun asked,ughing. Err, yeah, thats it! I didnt train much, so I cant help power-level Jing. You can take care of her, I said hastily. Puzzled, Jing said, So what? Well just ask Yun to power-level the two of us in that case! I cast about for an excuse, any excuse. I...uh, my hubby will power-level me! Ohhh C so you just dont want anyone barging into your private world, huh! You traitor, ditching your friends for a guy, said Jing and Yun, poking fun at me. I... Waaah... I really want to cry now... In the school clinic... Gui stepped into the school clinic. Leaning against a wall, he watched the tall, broad-shouldered doctor inside, who was busy putting away the medical equipment. After a long while, he finally said, I met a student today who really resembles Prince. The doctors back seemed to freeze for a moment. Then he turned around. What a coincidence! Prince is also here? Im not certain if its actually him. In terms of their looks, theyre not that alike, but their posture and attitude are almost identical, Gui said, his brow creased with thought. Try asking him? I wanted to ask at first, but he didnt seem to recognize me. I dont know if hes just pretending not to know or if he really just isnt Prince. Gui raised his head and looked at the doctor. Wolf-dg, should I ask him or not? About that...hmmm! Wolf-dgs C Li Tian Langs C rough-hewn and open face was filled with hesitation. Your appearance is exactly the same in real life as it is in-game, so if he really is Prince, he must have just been pretending not to know you, since he could probably recognize you... Why dont you just ask him tonight, when youre online? Hmm, all right, Gui replied, deep in thought. At this time, I had just dragged my exhausted self home, where I saw my dad and mom fuming in the living room. Dad, Mom, youre back, I greeted them cautiously. XIAO LAAAAAN! my mom suddenly hugged me tightly and began sobbing incoherently. Shocked, I didnt know what to do, so I turned hurriedly to my dad and asked, Dad, what on earth happened? Its all because of that Prince... my dad said indignantly through gritted teeth. It took us so much effort to get into the finals, only to be defeated in the first round by him. Damn him! ... Its about my male alter-ego again, I thought, breaking out in cold sweat. That damn Prince, I hate him, said my mom as she looked up, her face contorted with hatred. Who said that they hated Prince? Yang Ming asked as he came through the door. I hate that punk too C he stole my chicks and caused me to get punished on the first day of school by my professor. Ill kill him, even if it costs me my life! Thats right! We will kill him, even if it costs us our lives! echoed my parents. ... *Cries* I finally understand how you felt besieged by enemies on all fronts, Xiang Yu! Online... I met Lolidragon the moment I logged on to Second Life that night. Prince, you look rather pale, said Lolidragon. She looked at me worriedly as I alternated between sitting down and pacing about uneasily. Is Gui here yet? I asked, not really answering her question. Instead, I kept ncing left and right, unable to calm my heart down. Not yet... Since when did you care about him that much? Lolidragon asked, looking at me with uncertainty. Quit having fun at my expense, Lolidragon! You have to save me! I wailed as I hurtled into her arms. Lolidragon clearly received a fright from my action. She quickly asked me what on earth had happened, so I tearfully recounted todays tragic encounters. First, I told her about my meeting with Gui, and then about how he actually mistook my little brother for me. After that, I told her about my brothers resentment towards me, and finally, about how even my parents vowed to kill me or die trying... My god, this has to be my unluckiest day ever. Hmmm... He really is pitiable. Its such a big world, yet Prince simply had to run into Gui C this must be fate! After three seconds of silentlymiserating over Princes misfortune, Lolidragon began to feel that the whole incident was...very interesting! Unfortunately, with my head buried in her arms, I did not notice that Lolidragon C who delighted in chaos C was grinning evilly, her foxs tail showing... You dont need to be so worried, Prince. You dont even need to rush to deny it; I suspect that Gui might not believe you anyway. Its only a matter of time before we meet Feng Wu Qing, and when that happens, Gui will realize that hes made a mistake, said Lolidragon. In her head, she was thinking, Still,before we meet Feng Wu Qing... Heh heh, therell be a good show to watch! Lolidragons grin grew even more cunning... Really? I asked, my brows furrowing. Lolidragon began to nod frantically. Then...okay, I guess! I said. Im still a bit hesitant, but... Sigh! What will happen shall happen. What can I do about it, anyway? Lolidragon suddenly pointed behind me and said, Guis here. I froze. As I turned slowly, Guis familiar face with its yful, cheerful smile came into view. I forced my tense facial muscles to rx and smiled awkwardly. Morning, Gui. Good morning, your Highness is as beautiful and noble as always on this morning. Gui gave a sweeping bow as per usual. Yeah... Ahahaha... Iughed weakly. Gui C who had already raised both hands to protect his head in preparation for a beating C froze for a moment, before raising his head and giving me a puzzled nce. The yful smile that was originally on his face had disappeared, and the brainless Gui was reced by the Gui with an IQ of 200. He stared deeply into my eyes as though he was contemting something. Prince, are you still a student? he asked. Eh? Uh, yeah! I replied, and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. He continued to stare intently at me as he asked, Do you attend XXX University? He finally mentioned the name of my university. Breaking out in a cold sweat, I lied through my teeth and said, No. Oh. The word suspicion was clearly written in Guis eyes as he looked at me thoughtfully. My face paled, and I turned to look at Lolidragon, but all she did was give me an OK sign. OK? Is there anything in the world less OK than this? Luckily enough, Gui suddenly changed the topic. Oh yeah, I met Wolf-dg at my school. Hes the school clinics doctor! Hearing that, my eyes nearly fell out. WHAT? Wolf-dg is at my school as well? Oh god, is this series of fated encounters going to continue for much longer? GIVE ME AN ANSWER, GOD! Even as I was cursing the heavens, Lolidragon was reviewing the tournaments elimination flow chart with indecision on her face. Unfortunately, I had no interest in hearing who our next opponent would be. Doesnt matter who it is, Ill just vent all my anger on them! I though vehemently. Just then, Wolf-dgs voice rang out clearly, and I crawled unwillingly from my dark corner of despair to listen. This time, our opponent is someone we know. Its Rose Team. WHAT? This was yet anotherheavy blow to me. I crawled back into my dark corner to bewail Fates prejudice against me. Its bad enough that I cant vent my anger, but why does it have to be Rose Team, whose members all think that Im gay...? Waaaaaaaaah! This match might prove troublesome for Gui, Yu Lian-ds?o said, looking at Gui with sympathy. Yeah, poor Gui. Lolidragon, too, was looking at Gui as though he were someone who had already died. However, Gui and I were both extremely confused. What does this have to do with Gui? Arent I the one who deserves more sympathy? I heard that Rose and Fairsky formed a support group for Prince, and that theyve managed to get a lot of girls to join. Their group name seems to be... Rescue the Super Handsome Prince from the Demonic Clutches of the Gay Guiliastes and Help Prince Understand the Goodness of Women Once Again Support Group. Lolidragon finished saying the name of the group in one breath, and almost choked in the process. What sort of strangely named support group is that? I thought as I listened, bbergasted. A support group has actually formed because of me? My god, am I not in enough trouble as it is? Moreover, in order to give Gui a huge thrashing, theyve been undergoing a special training regimen recently. Fairsky has also spent a lot of money on all kinds of godly weapons, which have greatly boosted Rose Teamsbat strength, Yu Lian-ds?o added with a frown and a sigh. Theres finally someone with worse luck than me, I thought, heaving a sigh of relief. I then gave Gui a look ofmiseration. Unfortunately, the grin on my facepletely gave away the fact that I was actually rejoicing in his suffering. Gui merely smiled. For Princes sake, I can handle anything, he said. He looked at me, his feelings written clearly on his face. He was promptly taken aside for a beating ... Right now, I can hardly be bothered with the fact that he is my professor. After all, hes currently under the impression that Im Feng Yang Ming! Even if Professor Min Gui Wen wants his revenge in real life, he wont be looking for Feng Lan... Heh heh, Lolidragons advice is actually pretty good! While Prince is preupied with beating up Gui, lets put our heads together ande up with a battle n, Wolf-dg said sternly. Can anyone think of a way to deal with their godly weapons? Hmph! I dont believe that my ck Dao would suffer inparison to a godly weapon! I replied, even as I threw another punch at Gui. I also dont feel that their godly weapons are that big a deal. I dont believe they could beat us by using godly weapons alone, Lolidragon added coldly. Money isnt all-powerful; money can buy godly weapons, but not the skill to use them. I lowered my fist for a moment and said slowly, Lolidragon, you seem...rather pissed off? Lolidragon scowled, and shouted bitterly, Of course Im pissed off! Do you know how much money Fairsky spent on those godly weapons? Ten million real life dors! She spent an entire ten freaking million dors, just like that! If I had ten million, I wouldnt have to work my ass off as a GC I WOULD HAVE RETIRED! So, basically, youre jealous that she has so much money, I thought, looking helplessly at the resentful Lolidragon. Then first of all, lets set aside the issue of the godly weapons. Now, Rose Team isprised of two warriors, one archer, one priest, one mage, and one thief. Its a pretty good teambination, but it shouldnt pose much of a problem to us. Still, just to be on the safe side, we should take them seriously and not underestimate them, Wolf-dg said seriously. All the members of Odd Squad nodded in agreement, except for Gui... It wasnt his fault, however, since a person who has passed out on the floor couldnt possibly nod. As I led the way into the arena, the unmistakably familiar faces of the members of Rose Team came into view. Standing at their helm were Fairsky and Rose, their expressions aggrieved as they looked at me. Inwardly, I felt extremely awkward, but on the surface, my expression was as cold and distant as ever. Prince... Rose called out to me hesitantly. I raised my hand, cutting her off. Say nothing now. A match is a match; if theres anything you want to talk about, it can wait until after the match. Hearing my words, tears began to well up in Roses eyes. The sorrow and hurt in her gaze intensified... Uncertainty suddenly assailed me. Did I say something wrong? Prince, how could you say something so heartless? Fairsky was filled with resentment, and she cried out, Do you know how much we think of you each day? We attend every single one of your matches to cheer you on, and we even formed a support group for you. Is all that still not enough to move you? Im heartless? I just wanted to deal with the matter at hand first! I really dont understand the way girls think... Shit! Am I bing less and less like a girl and more like a guy!? Lets get started! I had no choice but to continue speaking coldly. Only after weve taken care of business can I openly discussthat support group with the super-hard-to-pronounce name with them. The familiar voice of the judge rang out. Battle, begin! Doll immediately summoned her skeletons. ording to my calctions, the skeletons and I would be more than enough to keep Lil Strong and Broken Sword busy. I decided to take care of Broken Sword first and leave Lil Strong for the skeletons to take care of. Our conversation in the restaurant booth had made me realize that Broken Sword was a foe to be reckoned with. As expected, Broken Sword swept his de towards me with a cry of Swaying Sword Style!. I immediately blocked his attack with my ck Dao, thinking, Hmph! My brother has described the contents of Jin Yongs novel series to me so many times that I already know them like the back of my hand. There was a shower of silver and golden sparks as our weapons met with a resounding sound of metal shing against metal. Broken Sword was a worthy adversary, as I had predicted. As we fought back and forth, my blood began to boil from excitement. After we exchanged a series of blows, we found ourselves locked hilt to hilt. Disengaging, we each retreated a few steps for a slight reprieve. You are indeed strong, Broken Sword, I said, looking at him with respect. Quit talking trash. Broken Swords eyes were vengeful and filled with hatred, shocking me to the core. Whats wrong? Theres really no reason for him to hate me this much, even if he does believe me to be gay, right? After all, I didnt XX or OO him, right? A match is just a match, Broken Sword. Is there really a need for you to hate me this much? I roared even as I blocked his sword with my dao. If it wasnt for you, our Rose Team would not have be like this! Broken Sword cried out agitatedly. Be like this? Like what? I thought, and froze... but, most unfortunately, freezing up on a battlefield was not a smart thing to do. Even though I managed to block his sword, I was punched square in the face by his left hook and fell to the ground. Broken Sword immediately used his knee to pin me against the floor, and ced his sword against my throat. He had clenched his teeth together so tightly that he was grinding them as he stood over me. Through gritted teeth, he spat, Its you.Youre the one who changed Rose and Fairsky. Rose can only stare at your picture all day long and cry. Meanwhile, Fairsky keeps spending thousands and thousands of dors to buy godly weapons, or to bribe opposing teams to surrender, just in hopes of meeting you in one of the matches. This team... T-this team! If not for the fact that we dont have the heart to abandon Rose and Fairsky, the four of us wouldve quit this team a long time ago. By now, both teams had stopped to listen to Broken Swords words. I was no different C I could only listen to his usation dumbly, before turning to look at Lil Strong, Legs, and For Healing Only. They were all ring at me with a mixture of fury and indignation. Rose had covered her face with her hands and begun to cry, while Fairsky shouted resentfully, Cant I like him? The person I like is Prince and Prince alone. No matter what, I will never give up. No matter what methods or strategies I have to use C even if I have to spend immeasurable amounts of money C I will never give up. Without sparing a thought for the number of people you will hurt C people who are by your side, and care for you? Doll asked, looking sorrowfully at Fairsky. A twinge of guilt flickered across thetters face. I listened, feeling rather numb, as the usually childlike Doll actually said something so mature. Thereve just been too many astonishing happenings today. My nerves have taken too many shocks; I cant feel anything anymore. I dont care! Fairsky yelled, covering her ears as though she could block out Dolls words. And Broken Sword, move your weapon away from Prince! Dont you dare hurt Prince, or...or Ill take back the godly weapon I gave you! The instant those words left Fairskys mouth, everyone realized that she had made a huge mistake. Broken Swords face first flushed. Then it turned pale, and then green... He gave Fairsky a pain-filled look before wordlessly moving his sword away from my throat. With a loud ng, he tossed the sword to the ground. Then, he turned and left the arena. Broken Sword... Fairsky watched him as he left, stunned. There was another ng as a heavy object was dropped to the ground. Lil Strong had discarded hisrge axe as well. Thats enough, Fairsky. I dont want your money, he said before following Broken Sword out of the arena. With a cold expression, Legs threw down his bow and left without saying a word. Finally, For Healing Only heaved a deep sigh and let go of his staff, casting a sorrowful nce at Fairsky and Rose before leaving. Rose looked at the backs of the departing Rose Team members, and the expression on her face betrayed her inner struggle and indecision. At longst, she walked towards me and said, Prince, I will learn to forget you. Then she suddenly wrapped her arms around me and KISSED ME... My mind was a sea of white. Feelingpletely numb, I thought, Great! Another event to add to my list of shocking events for the day...Ive just given my first kiss away to a beautiful woman! Good bye, Prince. Rose said with a tearful smile C a smile that seemed to say that she had freed herself from something at longst. I watched as she gracefully turned and left. Although she may have stolen my first kiss, I still wished her well from the bottom of my heart, and I hoped that she would find her true Prince Charming next time. Rose, youre leaving too? Fairsky shouted. Even you are leaving me? Rose paused in mid-step and took a deep breath before replying. Yes, Im leaving. I hope you too can snap out of it soon, Fairsky. Then she continued to walk away. I dont want to! I dont want to give up! I wont give up, Prince, Fairsky shouted at me, her eyes full of tears. Then, she fled from the arena, sobbing into her hands...and for some unknown reason, Doll chased after her... As the first team that Id met when I had first started out in Second Life crumbled apart before my very eyes, there was an indescribable pain in my heart. However, what upset me even more was... Is it my fault? I couldnt help but wonder, After all, isnt it me who caused Rose Team to be like this? Lolidragon, is my deception also hurting many people by my side who care for me? I asked over team channel. Err... Well, I think Gui enjoys being hurt by you, Lolidragon replied casually. Lolidragon... I said reprovingly, but she interrupted me immediately. You neednt concern yourself with it, Prince. Trust me, it isnt your fault, she said firmly. Really? I asked, still feeling doubtful. Wolf-dg, Yu Lian, and Gui listened to the dialogue between Lolidragon and I, exchanging confused looks. However, they were very thoughtful and refrained from asking me any questions at the time. Fairsky, wait up! Doll was already out of breath from running, but she was still unable to catch up to Fairsky, who was a thief. Fairsky spun around. What do you want? To make fun of me? she demanded. Its not that. Its just... I understand Fairsky-jijies way of thinking, Doll said softly. You like Prince too? Fairsky asked skeptically. No, its just that Dolls family is also very rich... Fairsky seemed a little stunned. You...? I couldnt tell at all. Thats not the main point, Fairsky-jijie. Doll just wants to tell you that you cant continue to be like this. Many things cannot be bought with money, Doll said. Her tone rxed. Doll also used to think you could get everything you wanted with money... It was onlyter that I realized you couldnt buy anything that truly mattered. But... but I really like Prince. Aside from using money, I dont know of any other way for me to obtain his heart, Fairsky said dejectedly.Im not as pretty as Rose or Lolidragon, and my personality is too fiery. Without my wealth, how else could I outshine other women? Doll replied firmly, If you really like Prince-gge, then do as Doll says. What should I do? Apologize to everyone in Rose Team. Upon hearing that, Fairskys face immediately stiffened, and Doll quickly added, If you had gotten along well with your team members and worked hard together to defeat our team, Prince-gge wouldnt have begrudged you. He might even have really respected you, or liked you a lot! Didnt you see how much regard Prince-gge had for Broken Sword-gge? Mm! Fairsky agreed reluctantly after a moment of thought. After all, it wasnt like she wanted such a rift between her and the other members of Rose Team, either. Doll, you really are an unusual person, Fairsky said, looking at Doll curiously. Who exactly are you...? Doll only smiled mysteriously. As always, it was time to eat up and rest after a match. Gathered in the restaurant with a huge number of dishes on the table in front of them, the members of Odd Squad...watched helplessly as I heaved yet another sigh. I hadnt even picked up my chopsticks. To think that even food cant cheer Prince up; this is truly unprecedented! Lolidragon said helplessly. She looked around the table, but everyone else just shook their heads, unable to think of a way to improve my mood. Sigh... I had been mulling over what had happened to Rose Team; the guilt that weighed my heart down felt like a stone that had been picked up from a pile of dung C it was crushingly heavy and reeked disgustingly. Even if I wanted to, it was impossible to pretend that I didnt care... In particr, Dolls words kept echoing in my head. Should I juste clean with everyone? I wondered. But what will happen if I tell the truth? What if they cant ept it? I was on the verge of pulling my hair out. What should I do? What should I do? Dont me yourself for this, Prince. After all, there are too many girls out there who like you. Theres just no way you could possibly return all of their feelings, Yu Lian-ds?o said gently. But... The problem is that Im a girl, and it remains a fact that I lied to all those girls... But what? There was a slight note of coerciveness in Yu Lian-ds?os gentle voice as she asked. Err... My face became white as a sheet. Do I really have toe clean with them? Is today the day that the truth gets revealed? Prince, what is it that youve been lying to everyone about...? I... Ille clean with the truth then! I dont want to keep deceiving everyone, I thought unhappily. Im a gir... Yu Lian-ds?o interrupted me, saying, I think the deception that you were talking about refers to something that you have been hiding from us, right? Prince, you dont have to fret over something like that. Everyone conducts themselves differently on the Inte than they do in real life. Take me, for example. Im actually not nearly this gentle and easy-going in real life! As she said that, Ds?o even attempted to demonstrate for us by assuming a stern, frowning look... Ds?o, I think your gentle and easy-going shadow smile is far scarier... Wolf-dg also tried tofort me, saying, Thats right, Prince. As long as the you in-game is still you, thats enough for us. What sort of person you are in real life isnt important. Thats not exactly true, either. After all, what if Prince is one of the ten most wanted fugitives? Lolidragon faked a terrified expression as she looked me... You! Get this through your head, you stupid Lolidragon! Whos the one whos on the ten most wanted fugitives list? Youre the one who tops the list of ten most wanted criminals in Second Life! Thats impossible. His noble Highness cannot possibly be a wanted fugitive, Gui said, looking at me with unwavering certainty. His eyes seemed to say that he trusted in me absolutely...so I began to beat him up. Why, you ask? Because my hands were itching from not having beaten him up for so long! Yay! Prince-gge started beating up Gui-gge! Thats great! It looks like Prince-gge has recovered atst! Doll eximed as she happily began to watch a certain person beat Gui up. Yep, yep, if he can beat up Gui, then it means that everythings fine now. The remaining members of Odd Squad nodded in relief. Whew! That was a long and satisfying work out. It felt like I was using my fists to vent out all the negative feelings that had built up in my heart. I looked down at the broken and tattered form of Gui. Thank you for your sacrifice! I ced my palms together and prayed for his departed soul. May you rest in peace! It was about time for us to go offline.See you, guys, said each of my teammates in turn. I watched as everyone logged off one by one, but just as I myself was about to log off to cook breakfast, Gui suddenly grabbed my trouser leg. He raised his head and looked up at me, his gaze as unwaveringly certain as before. Im sorry, Prince... Huh? I waspletely mystified. Since when does a victim apologize to the person who beats him up? I wont try to pry into your affairs anymore, Gui said, gazing at me tenderly. His expression was so captivatingly beautiful that it set my heart aflutter. No matter who you might be, I dont mind, Gui said, his voice intense. Oh really? For some reason, I felt very displeased upon hearing that sentence. I thought, Youre gay, but Im a girl. Are you sure you dont mind? Even if the person I am in real life is drastically different from the person I am in-game? I asked coldly. I firmly believe that who you are now is the true you, just as the person I am right now is the true me, Gui said firmly. Everything else is of no importance C be it gender, appearance, or even the facades we assume in real life... none of those are important. Guis words made me very curious. Does that mean that the brainless Gui is the real Gui? So the Professor Min in real life is just a facade? As soon as those words left my mouth, Gui froze. I froze as well. Doesnt that sentence clearly imply that I know Gui in real life? My face paled, but there was no way out of this now, so I looked at Gui sternly and said, I am not Feng Yang Ming. I might as well say it. After all, the cats already out of the bag. Besides, if it means preventing Gui from continuing to mistake my brother for me... See how nice I am to you, Yang Ming? Waaah... Gui suddenly recovered hisposure and, with a smiling face, replied simply, Mm, youre not Feng Yang Ming, then... Im not Min Gui Wen, Im Guiliastes! Wait a... Oh my god, forget jumping into the Yellow River, I think even jumping into bleach wont clean this mess up! Bro, I didnt set you up on purpose. Ive already tried to clear your name. This is heavens will; I have no say in it! [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 4 End]

Footnotes

Care for a daughter a thousand days, and she will take care of you for the rest of your life: In Chinese, this is Ůǧһ (prn. y?ng n qin r yng zi y shng), which literally means take care (as in feed and clothe) a daughter for a thousand days and she will be useful for the rest of your life. This is a pun on ǧһʱ (prn. y?ng bng qin r yng zi y sh), which means take care of a soldier for a thousand days and he will be useful for a short moment. Xiang Yu: Xiang Yu is one of the most prominent generals in Chinese history. Following the death of Qin Shi Huang, the Qin dynasty came to end (overthrown by Xiang Yu) and there emerged two groups C the Chu and the Han. Xiang Yu was of the Chu nobility, and thus he rose to assume the kingship of the Chu, but he was defeated ultimately by Liu Bang, leader of the Han and ancestor of Liu Bei (you know, that Three Kingdoms fellow). ording to legend, Xiang Yu was surrounded on a battlefield when he and his bodyguards made a final stand. Xiang Yu ultimately fell on his sword (some said he decapitated himself), preferring to die to on the battlefield and with his honor intact. After his death, the Han dynasty came into power. Go for more information. Forget jumping into the Yellow River: Here, Feng Lan is referring to a Chinese saying, which goes, Jumping into the Yellow River wont wash you clean of your transgressions/the stigma of suspicion. Volume 2 Chapter 5 Volume 2 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Zhuo Ling Bin and Ou Yang Mei C tranted by Smerian From the time I woke up, cooked breakfast, chased after the bus, all the way until Guis ss ended, my mind was on only one thing:Should I sneak into the school clinic and take a peek at Wolf-dg or not? Rationallyspeaking, it would be wiserfor me not to go; after all,who knows if Wolf-dg will recognize me or not? However, emotionallyspeaking...Ohhh, I REALLY want to see what Wolf-dg actually looks like! Theres just no way he resembles his in-game counterpart, is there!? Thats obvious, since Wolf-dg isnt a werewolf. Uncertain about what to do, I could only start plucking flower petals... Go look, dont go look, go look, dont go look, go look... Suddenly, a deep voice spoke from behind me. Miss, you cant pluck flowers here! Sorry, sorry, I apologized, bowing to the groundskeeper uncle. I think Ill go and take look after all! Having made up my mind, I turned around to go to the school clinic, but I suddenly thought, Shouldnt I get some small injury first before going?Otherwise, what would my excuse for going to the clinic be?But injuries hurt and this isnt like in the game, where I could just drink health potions to heal my injuries. A real injury will hurt for many days, plus it would also leave a scar! I dont want to get injured... But I wont get to see Wolf-dg otherwise. What should I do? Sis, what are you doing here? Yang Ming suddenly appeared and gave me a p on the back. AHHH! You scared me, pighead Yang Ming! I said. Im in the midst of agonizing over something! What are you being so fierce for? Did thate? Feng Yang gave me a knowing wink. That? Ah, right, that! Now Ive got an excuse. I gently pushed the clinics door open and poked my head in for a look. It seems like theres no one around? Is something the matter, little girl? said a hearty voice behind me. I turned around, startled. Is this the human edition of Wolf-dg? Wooow! Even though hes not handsome, hes very stylish in his own right. How should I put it hes like anauthoritative, elder brother figure from an action manga, with a loud and voice... Fine!I admit that my analogy is a pathetically poor one. Wolf-dg looked at me as I scratched my head, then gently asked, Female student, where are you hurt? I returned to my senses. Uh, I I have cramps... I said. Even as I rubbed my stomach, pretending to be in pain, I continued to peek at him from the corner of my eye. Wooow, Wolf-dg is really as tall in real life as he is in-game. My neck muscles are starting to feel sore from having to look so far up at him, since Im only 165 centimeters tall. Oh, then quickly lie down on that bed over there. Ill go and get you a hot water bottle now. Iy on the bed obediently, but my eyes continued to follow Wolf-dg as he moved around the room. Heehee,is my staring making Wolf-dg a bit embarrassed?Somehow I get the impression that his back looks very, very stiff I never expected Wolf-dg to be so shy!Secretly, I was giggling inside. Holding the hot water bottle, Doctor Li Tian Lang said as gently as possible, Here, ce this on your stomach. Itll make you feel better. I epted the hot water bottle gratefully. Wolf-dg really is as gentle in real life as he is inCgame. Thank you, Wolf-dg, I said sincerely. Wolf-dg and I both froze. My god, I reallymust be an idiot! My sss Professor Min told everyone about you! I I heard that you two are good buddies in-game? Ive also watched your tournament matches before, so I actually went out of my way to catch a glimpse of you... Hahaha, Im sorry, Im not really having cramps, I said,ughing weakly. God, please let Wolf-dg believemy story! Oh, so Gui told you about me! Li Tian Lang recovered,ughing. You gave me a shock, since usually only that fellow C Prince C calls me Wolf-dg. Everybody else calls me Wolf-g, or just Wolf. What ss do you y in-game? Are you in a team? I charged headlong into the rest of my cock-and-bull story. Uh, Im a mage. As for a team... Yes, but its not as famous as yours. Wolf-dg probably hasnt heard of it! Waah, Wolf-dg, I didnt intend to deceive you! Oh. Do your best then! Li Tian Lang reached out and patted me on the head and I giggled as always. Write your name and student ID number on this patient log-sheet. Even though you were only pretending, its still better to fill it out. Okay. I took the sheet from him and filled in my name. Well, there arent many people around now, so you can lie here until you want to leave! Wolf-dg said to me with a smile. Haha, Im leaving, I replied, getting off the bed. Yeah right, continue to lie down?I havent even cooked dinner yet; Im going to be cornered and killed by three people once I get home. Goodbye, Wolf-dg. Good-bye. Li Tian Lang gazed after me as I pushed the door open and left. Li Tian Lang raised the log-sheet in his hand and carefully scrutinized it... Feng Lan? Feng Yang Ming? Hmm... The door was pushed open a second time. Wolf-g? Was that my student just now? Is she hurt? Gui worriedly inquired. No, she came to see me. Who asked you to go around bbing about me! Li Tian Lang said reproachfully. Gui waspletely perplexed. Me? Did I ever talk about you? Upon hearing that, Li Tian Lang pondered silently for a while before asking, How is Feng Lan rted to Feng Yang Ming? Theyre twins why do you ask? Gui asked, puzzled. No real reason. However, Li Tian Lang still felt that Feng Lan and Princes actions were very simr. When he patted Princes head, Prince had also giggled in the same way. Or is this resemnce simply due to the fact that Feng Lan and Feng Yang Min are twins and twins often behave alike? Ill go see what Feng Yang Ming looks like some other day. Hmm... But I promised Prince that I wouldnt pry into his affairs anymore, Gui said, sounding troubled. You may be right. Well, if Prince doesnt want to tell us, then lets forget it and let nature take its course! I wont pry either, said Li Tian Lang candidly. At this time I was walking home, unaware that my identity had almost been exposed. I was just thinking about whether to cook spare rib soup or potato soup when Rose walked past me. I looked up, wondering, Should I say hello to her? But thest time we met she said that she would forget about me. I wonder if shes still willing to be friends with me... Wait! I nced down as I tugged my shirt cor wider C I have breasts! I looked around me.Its a normal residential area. Im in the real world, so how is it that Im seeing Rose? I gathered my focus and looked at her again. Rose was now standing next to the bus stop sign post, waiting for the bus. This is such aweird feeling... Wait a second! The guy standing about three steps away from Rose looks reeeally familiar... Wicked? MY GOD!Worse still, it seems like Ill be taking the same bus as them! Ahhh, Buddha!Ahhh, God!Ahhh, Ah! I began chanting a Buddhist scripture as I formed a cross in front of myself with my arms. I beseech you all! This must be a hallucination... Or let it be a daydream! Waaaaaaah... However, reality remained cruel as ever. I still ended up boarding the bus and standing side-by-side with the two of them... Forget it, after all, they probably wont No, they absolutely wont be able to recognize me! I stole a look at the hottie and the beauty standing next to me. Rose is indeed very beautiful and Wickedis also very handsome! The two of them really are eye candy C is it possible that theyre a couple? I secretly wondered. Still, even after many stops, neither of them seemed to have any intention of getting off the bus. My home was at thest stop. Crap,it cant be anything as coincidental as them being my next-door neighbors, right? No, thats impossible.Our next door neighbors aremy moms older sisters husbands uncle and his family, arent they? Besides, if there was a hottie such as Wicked among my distant rtives, my mom would have dragged me to a matchmaking session a long time ago. That way, my mom could get this piece of male eye candy married into our family I mean, get me married into his family,and then have me bring him home for her to feast her eyes upon. As I spected wildly, Rose alighted one stop before mine. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thats one less person for me to worry about now. Finally, the bus reached my house. I stole onest nce at Wickeds handsome features before tearing my gaze away and stepping down from the bus... Ehhh,someone seems to be following me! Cold sweat poured down my neck as I turned my head back to look, only to see Wicked smiling faintly at me. Huh? Just what exactly is going on here?! Although I was panicking inwardly, I forced myself to appear outwardly calm as I returned Wickeds smile. I then turned, ready to flee. Wait, Wicked suddenly called out to me. I briefly considered the situation at hand. With my current height, leg length, physical strength, and stamina, I couldnt possibly hope to outrun Wicked. Forget it then! I thought, resigning myself to my fate as I turned around to face him. Is something the matter? Xiao Lan you are Xiao Lan, right? Unexpectedly, there was a warm expression on Wickeds face. He knows me? He even knows my name? I was astounded. Youve forgotten then... Im Zhuo Ling Bin C Zhuo-gge. Remember me? Zhuo-gge? The one who used to live next door when I was a kid and eventually moved away CTHAT Zhuo-gge? I gaped at Wicked, trying to digest this mind-boggling revtion. Is this for real?Such a huge coincidence? Wicked is Zhuo-gge?! Are you really Zhuo-gge? Thats right! You finally remembered. I wasnt quite sure just now whether you were really Xiao Lan. Perfect timing, though I was just getting worried that Id forgotten how to get to your house. Wicked...no, Zhuo-gge smiled as he looked at me. After dinner, I carried a tray of freshly brewed tea to the living room where my bro and Zhuo-gge were merrily chatting away. ording to Zhuo-gges exnation, he had been at XXX University. Thats MY university too! I couldnt have guessed that he is actually conducting his graduate studies experiments at my universitysboratories! There, he had seen me by chance, so he had specially made the trip over to my house to see if it had really been me. Just as I sat down quietly, I heard their conversation turn to Second Life... Incredible, so Yang Ming is Feng Wu Qing C does that mean that we have been in the same team all along? Zhuo-gge had a bbergasted expression on his face. Hearing that, I suddenly remembered as well. Yeah, thats rightCmy brother and Zhuo-gge are both members of Dark Emperor, arent they? So Zhuo-dg is Wicked-dg, and I didnt even figure it out. Astonishment was written all over my brothers face. Whats there to be so astonished about? You couldnt even figure out the in-game identity of your own older twin sister, who was even born from the same womb as you were! Dont even mention Zhuo-gge, whom you havent seen in eight years, I thought scornfully. Then Ming Huang is Zhuo Ming Bin? my brother suddenly eximed. Hes quite different from how he used to be as a kid. He seems to have be much more bad-tempered. What? Ming Huang is Zhuo-ddi? It cant be true C Zhuo-ddi used to be so cute and affectionate, always following me around and calling me Jijie... How could he be that violent not-male, not-female, Ming Huang? Dont ruin my beautiful image of Zhuo-ddi! I cried. Zhuo Ling Bin smiled helplessly. That kid is in his rebellious stage! Zhuo-gge then suddenly turned to me and asked, Do you also y, Xiao Lan? I hesitated for a moment before answering. Uhhh, yeah. Shes even a tranny there! My brother C who simply couldnt resist dropping the bomb on others C had actually blurted out my secret! I red at him relentlessly, hatred and regret overflowing in my heart. GOD... Why did I tell my secret to the biggest loudmouth in the Feng family?! A tranny? That shouldnt be possible in Second Life, right? Zhuo-gge looked at me in disbelief. This prompted my brother C who had a mouth bigger than the Three Gorges C to immediately begin to recount the entire story to Zhuo-gge. I kept my head bowed low from the beginning to the end of his narrative, hoping that Zhuo-gge would forget what I looked like... Or forget what Prince looked like. So thats how it is? Zhuo-gge smiled at the jittery me and said, Dont worry, I wont tell anyone. But Im not afraid of you exposing my secret, Im afraid that youll recognize me... Zhuo Ling Bin nced at the clock and got to his feet, saying, Its gettingte, I should get going. Theres still a matchter tonight. Ill see youter in Second Life, Yang Ming. My brother gave Zhuo-gge an OK hand signal. Ill walk you to the door, Zhuo-gge. I walked him out conscientiously. Zhuo-gge halted as we reached the entrance. With a slight smile on his face, he said, Xiao Lan, I hope that I can meet you in Second Lifeone day! Yeah. Weve already met! Hearing that, Zhuo-gges smile broadened, and I suddenly felt that the smile was painful to look at. Zhuo-gge, please dont put any morepressure on me! Just then, he asked, I heard that your teacher is Gui from Odd Squad? Yeah. Why have you turned the conversation to Gui now? Do you know that it makes me nervous? Im really interested in Odd Squad. Another day, Ill go sit in on your ss. Your professor will definitely be very surprised to see me. Yeah, thats right! If hesees how close you are to my brother, he might think that youre his love rival!I thought wickedly to myself, trying to imagine the situation. It promises to be pretty interesting...? As soon as I thought of that entirely possible and very interesting scenario, I forgot all about the jeopardy my identity was in. I smiled cheerfully as I said, Sure, sure. Just give me a heads up beforeing and Ill tell my brother to save a seat for you. Oh? Id much rather sit beside you instead, said Wicked. Before I could react, he had already waved goodbye and left, leaving me frozen in ce behind him. Next to me, Yang Ming whistled loudly. Looks like Zhuo-gge is very interested in my big sis. Sis, you can take advantage of him in Second Life. Dark Emperors dark elf warrior, Wicked, is quite famous! Rely on Wicked in Second Life? I imagined the situation: Twolovey-dovey men walking hand in hand with one another. Then, to that, add another guy C Gui C watching jealously from the side... Could anyone look at such a picture with a straight face? I shook my head impatiently, clearing it of that somewhat disgusting image. Paying no more heed to the whole mess of events and identities, I was about to return to my room and log on to train in Second Life when... Xiao Lan, have you guys finished chatting? Come and meet your cousin who has juste back from America, said my mom with a broad smile as she beckoned me over to the living room. Cousin? I asked uprehendingly. Thats right! While you guys were chatting with Ling Bin, your cousin dropped by for a visit. Shes the third daughter of my sisters husbands uncle who lives next door. The smile on Moms face grew even more incandescent. With a face filled with questionable intentions, she pulled my brother to her and whispered, Son, even though your cousin is older than you by two, three years, she is very beautiful. Plus, shes a distant rtive who isnt rted to you by blood, so if you have the chance... That brother of mine C who loves to flirt with girls C actually crudely replied, I dont have any interest in big sisters. I only like girls around my age. In any case, my brother and I still obediently went to greet our cousin. Upon walking into the living room, my brother adopted an innocent expression, wearing a smile that was specially meant for dealing with older rtives. You fraud! I thought, even as I put on my mostdylike smile and looked at my cousin... My brother and Rose simultaneously eximed out loud: Rose? Wu Qing? What rose? This is your cousin Ou Yang Mei, my dad said, looking questioningly at the two of them. My fingers were trembling. How can this be? Didnt you clearly alight at an earlier bus stop just now? Rose... Cousin Ou Yang Mei looked at me. Bus? Oh, I got off a stop earlier because I wanted to buy some fruits as gift. Were you also on that bus, Cousin? Forget the bus, are you really my cousin? Yang Ming asked disbelievingly. Arent you younger than me? Im twenty-three years old this year. Im just baby-faced. Ou Yang Mei smiled helplessly. To think that youre actually my cousin, Wu Qing. Yeah... Hold up C is anyone going to exin to the two of us parents what in the world is happening? My dad and mom finally interjected, unable to watch silently anymore. Its nothing much, just that Cousin and I were previously in the same team in Second Life, Ou Yang Mei said with a weak smile. So thats how it is... My dad, mom, brother, and cousin immediately started chatting cheerfully amongst themselves. I, however, just sat stiffly beside them, asionally smiling. In my heart I was thinking, Not only have I killed my dad and mom and snatched my brothers women as Prince, butIve gone so far as to dump my cousin...and I even kissed her. Then...when Princes cover is blown C is that when Ill be disowned by my family? With those realizations, I wailed in my heart, Who is Prince? Im not Prince... [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 5 End]

Footnotes

Married into our family: Chinese society used to be (and in some ways, still is) patriarchal. Thus, when a woman gets married, she marries into her husbands family and moves in to live with them. Ddi: This suffix means younger brother in Chinese, but can also refer to younger boys whom the speaker is close to. Cousin: In this case, cousin actually means older female cousin on the paternal side of the family specifically. Cousin: In this case, cousin actually means younger female cousin on the paternal side of the family specifically. Volume 2 Chapter 6 Volume 2 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The Truth, Revealed? C tranted by Eilinel Online... Prince! Prince, are you online? Quick,e to our usual ce. Weve got a huge problem. The instant I got online, Lolidragon PMed me with such urgency in her voice that, before I even got a handle on the situation, I had already begun to run toward the meeting ce. What happened? I demanded, as I charged into the restaurant booth with an anxious expression. Right, now that everyone is here, I can start talking. The officials have announced that todays match will be cancelled, Lolidragon said calmly. Everyone in Odd Squad widened their eyes in surprise. Thepetition is dyed until next week, when all teams will participate in the melee to decide the champion team. What will the melee consist of? And why did they suddenly change thepetition method? Wolf inquired thoughtfully. The rumor is that they made the change because thispetition had too many participating teams, which caused thepetition to drag on for too long and has severely affected normal game y. So the officials decided to resolve everything in one go. A melee is where all teams are gathered on one arena at the same time to fight. The team thest person standing belongs to will be dered the winner. No pets will be allowed to help out in the fight. Lolidragon paused, then drew in a deep breath and said, In total, there will be one hundred teams, which means this will be a melee with six hundred participants. Everyone was left speechless for a while. Surviving amidst six hundred people? I muttered to myself. I think in all likelihood Ill be the first one to be hacked to death. It cant be helped, but...Is it my fate to be so handsome that every man who sees me will want to hack me to bits? Cant I go into thepetition wearing a mask? Thats right; seems like its impossible to hope for Princes survival, Wolf sighed. Since Im such a huge target, its likely that I wont be able to hold out for long. Our best hope will be Lolidragon, I guess. Her agility is so high and her build is quite slender and small. Lolidragonughed dryly. Dont pin your hopes on me. I heard that there are already five teams saying that they would be willing to give up the chance for victory just to watch me die a horrible death. Man... Lolidragon, what exactly did you do that was so serious that even your beauty couldnt prevent trouble? The rest of Odd Squad stared disbelievingly at Lolidragon, but the person in question merely shrugged casually. Im just too bored when you guys arent here, so I used the Steal ability... I only wanted to help earn some team money. I leveled a trembling finger at Lolidragon and asked, How much exactly did you steal? One million, six hundred and fifty-five thousand, seven hundred and twenty dors... Plus a Soul-Heaven Royal Sword and a Taoist robe that she hasnt sold yet, Yu Lian-ds?o meticulously reported. After a pause she added, Thats just the portion that Lolidragon gave us to be used on team expenses. Lolidragon, how much did you steal for yourself? Both my menacing gaze and the de of my menacing ck Dao were drifting between Lolidragons neck and heart. Not much... Lolidragons face was artless and innocent. Hearing her words, I rxed a bit. If it isnt much, maybe we can just return all the money to the people that she stole from... I only bought two suitcases from LV and three evening gowns from Chanel... Two suitcases and three evening gowns? Thats not too bad. We can just pool the money from all six of us to cover the cost, Wolf and Gui, neither of whom knew the difference between life and death,mented lightly. You guys dont understand! four terrifying women roared simultaneously... and then everyone gave me a weird look. (Except for Lolidragon, who seemed happy... Grrr!) I coughed fiercely in an attempt to cover my mistake. Ahem, Im somewhat familiar with popr brands... So just how much does all that cost then? Gui asked uprehendingly. Yu Lian-ds?os eyebrows furrowed as she calcted. Two suitcases...? One suitcase costs approximately two hundred thousand dors, so thats about four hundred thousand... and if the three gowns are thetest seasons... She rested her palm against her forehead and looked as if she was going to faint. Wolf quickly ced a hand on his wifes shoulder to support her. LOLIDRAGON... I growled, resting my ck Dao against her neck again. How much is it exactly? I guess its roughly one and a half million for the suitcases and thetest seasons gowns, Lolidragon said, blinking her eyes innocently. Everyones expressions turned nk. Lets give up on Lolidragon then. We should try to think of a way to ensure the survival of the rest of the team; theres a much better chance of that happening, I said in defeat after a moment. The others nodded weakly in agreement. That leaves only Yu Lian, Doll, and Gui? Wolf asked as he scratched the fur on his head. Yu Lian and Gui both belong to physically weak sses C mage and bard respectively C so it would be kind of hard for them to survive, too. Doll has the best chances; shell have a lot of skeletons to protect her. Therefore, our chances for victory rest on Doll? We looked as one at the innocently smiling Doll. Yes!Our chances do look pretty good after all. Doll is so adorable... Surely no one would have the heart to bully her, right? Its decided then. Everyone protect Doll! Wolf said decisively. There is still another way, you know, Lolidragon said, waving her forefinger. Wicked from Dark Emperor just PMed me and asked if we want to form an alliance with them. Alliance? I asked uncertainly. With a mysterious expression, Lolidragon exined, Actually, its an open secret that a lot of teams have formed variousrge and small alliances in order to win. Once thepetition starts, the alliances will fight each other first, after which the alliances will break up into their teams and face off. Finally, the surviving remnants of the team will fight to thest man in order to determine the winner. Hence, if we form an alliance with Dark Emperor, then we will start thepetition by fighting against other teams first. If both our teams can survive until the end, then the final confrontation will be between our teams. But the allied teams may end up being a hindrance to their allies, Wolf remarked in a worried voice. Thats why we all need to decide whether we can trust Dark Emperor Team or not, Lolidragon said as though that was the obvious answer. If my memory serves me correctly, our teams are sworn enemies, Gui replied coolly. 100% disapproval was written all over his face. One vote against, one vote in favor, so its a tie for now. What about other people? Lolidragon had begun to keep count of the votes with considerable enthusiasm. The furrow between Wolf-dgs brows grew deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until atst he said in a troubled voice, I also vote in favor. We dont know any other teams and surviving alone is too hard. Im with Wolf. Yu Lian-ds?o looked at Wolf lovingly. She always followed her husbands opinions. Wow, thats already half of us in favor of it. Prince, Doll, how about you two? Doll doesnt mind either way, said Doll, an especially pure and ethereal smile on her face. Prince. Everyone stared at me. But I... I really dont want to see Wicked now, and who knows if hell suddenly see the light and recognize me as Feng Lan? My stupid brother already told him Im a tranny... However, more than that, I dont want to be mashed into a meat paste during the melee. In favor. Then its decided! Lolidragon said happily. We will undergo special training with Dark Emperor every day this week. Lolidragon, what are you so happy about? I asked Lolidragon with suspicion in my eyes. Lolidragon winked at me, then PMed me her reply. Feng Wu Qing will be there. When Wolf-g and Gui see your brother, the misunderstanding will clear up. Havent you always wanted to resolve that misunderstanding? See how nice I am to you? The problem is, after solving the problem with my brother therell be a new problem, this time involving Zhuo-gge... God, why are you so unwilling to go easy on me? Sigh, I dont care anymore. After all, Wicked shouldnt be able to recognize me...right? I tried to console myself uneasily. Its been a while, Prince. Zhuo-gge... no, Wickeds distant smile appeared before my eyes once again. At his back was a clearly annoyed Ming Huang, whom I used to call Zhuo-xi?oddi, and at his side was the charming and suave Feng Wu Qing, who was fanning himself with a feather fan. My stupid brother... No wonder they are my sworn enemies! Feng Yang Ming? Gui looked at Feng Wu Qing, dumbfounded, before turning back to look at me. Hello, professor, Feng Wu Qing said, grinning. It didnt cross your mind that I might be a member of Dark Emperor, did it? Judging by Guis disbelieving expression, I think the thing that he didnt expect was you being a member of Dark Emperor instead of Prince in Odd Squad. You Are you really Feng Yang Ming? Gui still looked bbergasted, as though he could not bring himself to believe that he had actually gotten the wrong person. Yes? Feng Wu Qing queried, looking oddly at the professor who seemed to be a tad too shocked. As for me, I realized I had thwarted my own ns, since Id wanted to entertain myself with the scene of Gui and Wicked fighting over my brother and getting all jealous. What a pity! Still, looking at Guis astonished expression and my brothers apparent confusion, I found a different entertainment... With a considerable effort, I suppressed myughter and said seriously, We are very happy to be able to work with Dark Emperor. I hope that both teams can support each other till the end. Lets hope that is the case. Wicked smiled faintly. When the timees, dont me us for defeating you lot and winning thepetition, Ming Huang said with a face filled with malice. It was obvious that he hadnt desired an alliance with Odd Squad in the least. On the surface, I merely looked silently at Ming Huang, but in my heart I sighed, feeling infinitely regretful. Why has the cute Ming Bin from before be so bratty now? Should I help Zhuo-gge teach his wayward brother some manners? Wolf-dg suddenly pped his hands. Okay, thats it for everything that is unrted to thepetition! The thing that is most important for us now is the battle next week. Hearing that, Gui, Feng Wu Qing, Ming Huang, and I C who were all either staring or ring daggers at each other C reluctantly withdrew our gazes and paid attention to Wolf-dg as he spoke. It is my opinion that we should try to practice surviving in a situation where we are surrounded by enemies on all sides. Hence, I suggest that we find a training ce that is filled with mobs, Wolf-dg said. Dg, itll be very easy to be pirs of white light if we do that, I said apprehensively, breaking out into cold sweat. The others also swallowed nervously, looking somewhat petrified by the thought. To win, one must always make sacrifices, Wolf-dg said ruthlessly. Of course, its also best not to lower our teams level whenever possible. Sigh! Ever since I first met Wolf-dg, I hade to understand the phrase To resign oneself to ones fate. Since Wolf-dg had determined that I had the lowest chances of survival in the team, he ordered me (Yes, thats right! It was definitely an order!) to use my final moments to kill as many mobs as possible, so as to buy time for my other team mates to escape. This way, our teams level wouldnt be lowered by unnecessary deaths. And thats how Ive ended up running for my life with a huge bunch of mobs hot on my heels right now... Time really seemed to drag on forever, with every second feeling like a year... After a few thousand years, I finally aplished my impossible mission and pulled dozens of monsters away from my team without lighting any fireworks (that is to say, turning into a pir of white light). I was so tired that I crawled back to my team on all fours like a dog. But just when I was about to sit downfortably on the sidelines to watch Wickeds wless Frenzied Sword-Dance and Feng Wu Qings Flexible Sword Technique... Prince, there are too many monsters again. Hurry up and pull them away, Wolf-dg shouted at me from the other side of the Great Wall of Monsters. My eyes zed over like those of a dead fish and I was left speechless... Hurry up and pull them away! Ive already cast Wrath of the Nine Heavens twice and we still cant clear them! Ming Huang shouted, his face clearly showing his annoyance. I shot Ming Huang a savage re, but took out Meatbun resignedly. Meatbun, use Machine Gun Meat Attack. Are we roasting meat again Mama? But I dont see Fire Bird. Meatbun said, eagerly hopping here and there, looking for Fire Phoenix. HURRY UP AND FIRE! both teams twelve people in total roared together. I boarded the number 11 bus once again and started running, and running, and running... Bloody hell! A devastated expression crossed my face and I mentally wailed in a tragic voice: There. Is. A. Cliff. Ahead! For the first time in my life, I truly felt that my abysmal sense of direction was criminal. What am I supposed to do about the horde of mobs that were eyeing my back with a predatory gaze? I stared at the cliff it looks high enough that a fall would lead to certain death... then turned back and stared at the huge number of mobs behind me. They could probably just trample me dead... Plummet to my death? Or be trampled to death? This...seems like a difficult choice? Hanging onto my final shred of hope, I switched to the team channel and asked, Wolf-dg, how many monsters are there left at your side? Do you have the time toe and save me? The monsters numbers are just fine; I think we can clear them in half an hour. After Wolf finished replying to me, there was no further news from his end. Half an hour? There might not even be ashes left of me by then... I clutched my beloved ck Dao tightly and muttered under my breath, Come and get me! You stupid monsters, even if I die I will drag some of you to the grave with me. The first ones to rush at me were a Bosilimi, a spider monster with a human head, a huge slime monster, the very aggressive leader of a tribe of pygmies, and Theres just too many of them! I gulped and retreated a few steps, but I hadnt noticed that I was already next to the cliffs ledge, and in a moment of inattention... Done atst! Lolidragon groaned as she sprawled beside the road. She was panting heavily; the distance shed covered wasnt any less than Prince! Due to her higher agility but lower attack power whenpared to the idiotic yboy Lord, Lolidragon ended up having to be the bait that lured the mobs to run in circles. On the other side of the road, however, Wicked and Feng Wu Qing were even worse off. Not only had they had to chase the mobs, theyd had to fight mobs too until their arms had turned to jelly. Both of them were panting heavily and their faces were pale. Ok, is anyone dead or injured? Wolf asked as he stood up and looked over everyone. Report! 1, said Human warrior Feng Wu Qing. 2, said Dark elf warrior Wicked. 3, said Human mage Ming Huang. 4, said Human thief yboy Lord. 5, said Elf archer Ambusher. 6, said Angel priest ck Lily. Mm...all members of Dark Emperor Team are here. Wolf turned to look at his own teammates. Five people? Isnt Prince back yet? Prince, where are you? Were done fighting!! Stopzing around ande back quickly, Lolidragon shouted through the team channel, but there was no response even after a long time. What happened? Dont tell me Prince is dead? Guis face became anxious. Its possible, Lolidragon said, recalling the huge amount of mobs that Prince had pulled away thest time... He might really have died. Ill PM him to see whether he is online or not. Well? Wolf asked, concerned. Weird, he is online but he isnt replying. Lolidragon furrowed her brows. Perhaps hes angry? Wicked opined impassively. We did force him to lure a ton of mobs away... Perhaps that was a bit too mean? Everyone in Odd Squad gave Wicked an odd look and said in unison, That fellow has already resigned himself to fate! Plus he wont get angry at us; hell just vent all his anger on Gui, Lolidragon added. Then what had happened to Prince-gge? Doll worriedly asked. Who knows? But he probably isnt in any big trouble, Lolidragon replied. Its an online game, the worst thing that can happen is dying, right? Lolidragon tried to reassure herself, but at the same time she was slightly uneasy. Ouch...Did I faint? I tried to raise my right hand to touch my head, which was hurting from a splitting headache, only to find... Why cant I move my right arm? Of course I cant, I thought as I nced at my right hand. It was covered in so much blood that it could pass for a hot dog covered in ketchup. As for my left hand... I tried to move it, but the pain nearly drove the tears from my eyes. I nced at my left hand and thought, Oh, fantastic! My white bones are already outdoors, shopping. Next, I weakly opened my mouth to shout, but blood gushed out from my mouth like water from a tap. I no longer dared to verify whether my legs were capable of walking ... God! Lying here half-dead is more painful than simply dying... It hurts, it really hurts! I looked at the cliff that I had fallen off, trying hard to imprint on my memory the knowledge that a fall from this height isnt enough to kill, and that I should remember not to fall off random cliffs anymore... No! What am I thinking! I should be hurrying to PM other people toe and rescue me, before I faint again. Guys... save... save me... The blood in my mouth...how salty... Prince? Everyone in Odd Squad nched. Where are you?! Did you die? Urgh... It hurts... Come and save me soon, or you can juste to kill me off! The pain had made me delirious and I was starting to spout nonsense. Gui was so worried that he shouted, Prince, where are you?! Cliff... Dont jump off one for fun... It hurts...! My head spun and I saw stars. Hang in there, Prince! Dont go offline yet; welle find you right away. Is that Wolf-dgs voice? It sounds like its so far away. Pain... P... My consciousness no longer registered any word but pain. All the members of Odd Squad looked as white as a sheet. I think Prince has probably fallen off some cliff. Everyone split up to find him, quick! Inform me once youve found him so that I can heal him, Wolf-dg bellowed urgently. As soon as hed finished speaking, everyone dashed off in separate directions. Well help you with your search, Wicked offered, concerned. Prince, where are you? Gui was in such a state that he seemed almost like a man possessed. Yelling frantically, he ran helter-skelter as he searched. After instructing his team members to help with the search, Wicked surveyed his surroundings carefully. Given Princes speed and the direction in which he was headedst, where could he have fallen off? In the meantime, I was mentallymenting my situation. Why cant I just die? Could this be considered a miscalction by the game developers? I have to keep lying here, in such pain and agony, just so that everyone can find me? Im absolutely going toin to Lolidragon C the hidden GM C when I see herter... To divert my attention from the pain, I came up with all sorts of nonsensical thoughts and ideas, but... Why hasnt anyonee to save me yet? Wuuuh, it really hurts! Someone save me! Please! Gui, where are you? Let me punch you to vent my feelings, waaah! ... Wait, who? Who is that? As the sound of footsteps reached me, I felt so touched that I wanted to see for myself who was approaching... I finally found you, the person said as he kneeled down beside me. He took out a health potion and tried to feed it to me, but I barely managed to swallow two mouthfuls. Is it Gui? My vision was so blurry that I couldnt make out the person in front of me... Who is it? No, its Wicked. Ive run out of health potions, so Ill have to bring you back to the priests for healing, Wicked said as he scooped me up from the ground. Oh... So its... Its Zhuo-gge! I muttered to myself in relief. Zhuo. G. Ge?! Wicked thought, stunned. He lowered his head to look at me closely, but I didnt notice because Id been rendered delirious from the pain. After peering carefully at my features, he whispered, The exact same pair of eyes... andst time Yang Ming had told me that she was ying a male character in Second Life. Plus he called me Zhuo-gge... Dont tell me youre... Xiao Lan?! Wicked stared at my pain-riddled countenance with mounting rm. Xiao Lan, is that you? Wicked asked loudly, his voice filled with distress. Prince! Weve found Prince! Gui called as he sprinted towards us. Thanks, Wicked. Gui reached out, thinking to take me from Wickeds hold, but Wicked just gripped me closer to him. He ignored Gui and instead walked over to meet Ugly Wolf, who was running over. ... Gui could only stare in bewilderment as Wicked stoically strode past him, carefully cradling me in his arms. Once Wolf-dg had finished casting a number of powerful healing spells on me, I finally revived and returned to my usual self C and boy was I pissed! Why did it take you guys so long to find me? I was in a lot of pain! I snapped, remembering my earlier miserable situation with a shudder. Hey, you were the one who fell off the cliff on your own! We had to exert a ton of effort just to look all over the ce for you. How dare youin still! Lolidragon retorted, brutally pointing out the facts. I... I was feeling rather sorry for myself. Its not like I fell off the cliff deliberately, I thought, pouting crossly. Gui, Gui! Exin to me why you were slower than Wicked in finding me. I... Gui managed a weak, confused smile, but his eyes were filled with guilt. Not bothering to waste any more time on pointless conversation... Ill just start beating Gui up! Xiao Lan? Wicked suddenly PMed me, his tone indecipherable. I stopped dead in my tracks and then slowly turned my head back to look at Wicked. My identitys been revealed? So in the end... With no other choice, I dropped Gui and PMed Wicked in reply, You found out then? Mmhmm. Zhuo-gge had a strange look in his eyes, leaving me uncertain about what he was nning to do. Could you not reveal the truth to anyone else, Zhuo-gge? I pleaded, and then added, Especially that brother of mine, Feng Wu Qing. Hes got a mouth like a broadcasting station. Zhuo-gge stared at me, silently considering my request. Seeing the situation, I found myself forced to use my tried-and-tested, near-godly cajoling technique. Pleeease, Zhuo-gge! Dont tell anyone, okayyy? E... even I find it disgusting to hear myself sweet-talk someone else with Princes masculine voice. Mm. Zhuo Ling Bin helplessly nodded his head. Obviously he couldnt stand being cajoled by a guy either. Why are the two of them gazing ardently into one anothers eyes? Lolidragon remarked slyly. Not to mention that Prince has such a bizarre expression... Looks like your love rival has finally appeared, Gui! I gave Lolidragon the evil eye for the nonsense she was spouting and then turned to Gui. The bard was looking at Wicked and me expressionlessly. To be honest, his nk face actually rmed me far more than any other expression would have. The next day our teams decided to train separately. As usual, we waited for everyone to arrive before starting. I nced over at Gui C he had been in a state of depression ever since the day before, and was just stopping short of having two demon fires floating next to him. Unable to resist the urge, I smacked him on the head and eximed, What are you thinking about? You look terrible. Gui looked at me with a searching expression for a while, before replying in a heavy voice. Nothing much... I thought about it for a moment, and understanding dawned. Are you nervous about thepetition? Dont worry about it; as long as we give it all we have, the result is of no importance. All we can do now is work hard, anyway, I said as I patted Guis back cheerfully. Im actually nervous too, but winning or losing isnt really such a big deal to me. Of course, itd still be nice to win! Lolidragon rolled her eyes and shot me a look that clearly said that she thought I was a lost cause. Prince, your brain is really missing a tendon! Hearing herment, I replied seriously. Lolidragon, dont think that Impletely clueless! Oh? Then you do know? Curiosity was written all over her face. I may not be a medical student, but I still know that there arent any tendons in the human brain. Dont try to trick me! I said crossly. You thick-headed moron! A vein popped on Lolidragons forehead. Prince. Just as I was about to retort, Gui suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and looked at me apprehensively. Tell me, just who is more important to you: me, or Wicked? he asked. Youre more important to me, obviously, I replied firmly. Once I answered, Guis entire body seemed to glow brightly. Standing to one side, he blissfully reyed my answer over and over again in his head, even as I continued to mutter to myself. After all, you are my teammate! And while Wicked might be an ally, well still need to fight him in the end. As I finished speaking, I suddenly noticed something. Eh? Why has the atmosphere around Gui gone all dark and heavy again? I scratched my head, and asked uncertainly, Lolidragon, did I say something wrong? Lolidragon cast Gui a sympathetic look. No, but itll be better if you dont say anything else. Oh...lets not bother about Gui then. Wolf-dg, what should we do next for our training? I asked anxiously. Even Dark Emperor has gone for their secret training, so what about us? Heh heh... Wolf-dgs slyugh gave me goosebumps. Well also be conducting our own secret training! Everyone went ohhh apprehensively and began to listen attentively. If the opponent team only consists of six people, then we would just need to train for higher levels, better teamwork, et cetera. However, when were squaring off against six hundred people, the most important thing is... Wolf-dg drew a deep breath. Escaping. I copsed onto the floor... No, everyone copsed onto the floor. Escaping? We actually need secret training for ESCAPING? Dont look down on the art of escaping. Even the Thirty-six Stratagems states that escaping is the best strategy, so you can see that escaping can be a really profound area of study. Not only must you possess leg strength so that you can outrun your enemies, you also must have keen eyesight, in order to spot the best direction to escape. In addition, you need to have good judgment to efficiently use every possible trick in your book in the process of fleeing, and to decrease the numbers of enemies that are chasing you. Lastly, and most importantly, you need to be good at stealth and be capable of blending into a crowd, so that others wont think of killing you first. Wolf-dg paused for breath before pointing at Gui, Lolidragon, and me. However, he continued, Our team has the misfortune of having three individuals who stand out so much that nobody could forget them, even if they wanted to... and one of them even stirred up trouble right before thepetition and made herself stand out more. Then what should we do, Wolf-dg? I asked anxiously. At the same time, I thought to myself darkly, Actually, our team has FOUR individuals who stand out, including someone whos two meters tall. I have already thought of a solution, Wolf-dg replied. As he took out a sack filled with masks, I began to cheer mentally. Yaaaaay, I thought, I can go masked! I took out a mask and promptly put it on, feeling overjoyed that I wouldnt have to be hacked to death by those jealous, sword-swinging living creatures. Does it look good, Lolidragon? I turned and asked her. If you were nning to stage a robbery, then this ck cloth mask that covers your whole head with only three exposed holes would truly be suitable. I took out another mask and put it on. If you thought you could blend into the crowd during thepetition while wearing a safety helmet, then this one would be all right as well. Next! Right, the quality of this silk stocking is pretty good. And next! Even I had no idea that they sold Pikachu masks in Second Life... Wearing a Pikachu face, I watched speechlessly as Yu Lian-ds?o grabbed and twisted her husbands ear and warned him not to buy objects at random anymore. Wait a minute; I seem to remember that I have... I rooted around in my pouch, finally found my first mask in my life a masquerade mask. I took off the Pikachu mask and instead put on the old one that covered the upper half of my face. How about this? I turned to face everyone. Much better, Everyone said in unison except for Wolf-dg, who kept muttering insistently that the masks hed bought were better, since the people on TV always wore those kinds of masks. I have a question. Are we escaping separately or as a team? Gui asked. He began to analyze the situation with a severe expression. If we all escape together, it will probably have the reverse effect from what we want, right? However, the risks are higher if we escape separately... So how about we separate into three groups, with two people in each group? That way, we can keep a low profile and still have back-up. To think that Gui could actually say something that made sense, I thought, and had no choice but to give him a serious response. How should we split ourselves up then? Gui deliberated for a moment, then said, Prince with Yu Lian-ds?o, Doll with Lolidragon, and Wolf-g with me. I considered his words, but quickly realized that I couldnt think of any reason for this particr arrangement. The rationale being...? You and Yu Lian-ds?o can be considered a pretty strongbination, so you both shouldnt have any trouble if its just a matter of escaping. In contrast, for our two groups, Doll can sacrifice Lolidragon in order to escape if necessary, while Wolf can sacrifice me. Gui said impassively. A warriors strength, a mages powerful AoE spells, a necromancers horde of skeletons, and the must-have Priest will all be very useful for our team. A Thief and a Bard are more secondary in importance. I see... then between Yu Lian-ds?o and me, who should be sacrificed? I thought that I should ask first. Otherwise, what if the wrong person dies? Guis brow wrinkled for a moment, then he looked at me and said firmly, I believe that youll definitely protect Yu Lian-ds?o and at the same time protect yourself. Is that all right? I smiled. No problem. After that, Odd Squad began to practice the art of escaping the rmended strategy of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. To train our leg strength, everyone tried toe up with an ability simr to Qing Gong. Of course, Lolidragon and I didnt need to learn it, since our agility was already extremely high. Then, everyone took turns being chased by Lolidragon, who was holding a torch, trying to scorch us... Lolidragon, was it just me or were you rather fixated on singeing my ass? Basically, we were trying in every way possible to make ourselves swifter. Next, to train our eyesight, we went to a jam-packed street in the most crowded market in Sun City, thergest city in Second Life. There, we tried to seek out the best route that would allow us to worm our way through the street as quickly as possible. The final winner was the petite Doll. I came to the conclusion that having a big body wasnt always an advantage, because Wolf-dg never won. In fact, he never reached the end point, not even once. To train our judgment, we first considered robbing a bank; that way we could improve our judgment and also increase our teams funds, killing two birds with one stone. The infamy we would gain whenmitting the crime didnt matter to us C after all, even Yu Lian-ds?o didnt look at our teams fame level anymore. (We all knew that anyone who saw it would feel heartbroken...) Our n was to rob the bank, split into groups, and then C using various means and methods C we would hinder the guards in the course of escaping... However, after realizing that we might be jailed until long after thepetition was over if we failed, we gave up this portion of our training. Lastly, training the ability to conceal oneself was the easiest. Everyone just walked into the shop, paid one gold coin for a masquerade mask, and it was done. The rest of our training consisted of killing mobs to grind levels. After some discussion with Dark Emperor, they too decided to employ our strategy. Since thetest rumors said that all of the remaining ny-eight teams had formed alliances, with each alliance having five or so teams, it seemed like a smart idea... In such a situation, what else can we do except to escape? Fight them head-on? Wed get decimated! Although Ming Huang kept bellowing about how we should just ughter them all with Wrath of the Nine Heavens, Wicked, Feng Wu Qing, and I all agreed that we didnt have the ability to fend off tons of opponents at once while protecting our mages. Thus, Ming Huangs suggestion was rejected. Dark Emperor had split themselves up into three groups C Wicked with Ming Huang, Feng Wu Qing with ck Lily, and Ambusher with yboy Lord. If necessary, the teams would cover for each other. After finding out that Wicked was Zhuo-gge, I had more trust in Dark Emperor. If Zhuo-gge dared to go back on his promise, I would certainly give him hell. Theres only one more day until the melee battle... Real life... Xiao Lan... Zhuo-gge said hesitantly. I paused in the act of eating my noodles and looked questioningly up at him. Although I had known that Zhuo-gge woulde to find me to discuss my other identity, I never would have thought that he would ask me out for lunch the day before thepetition. Mmff? Thepetition will be very dangerous, so you should be careful, Zhuo Ling Bin said. There was indecision in his voice and his eyes were filled with worry. I will; dying doesnt feel good at all! I replied. What I didnt tell Zhuo-gge was that I had decided I would protect Yu Lian-ds?o with my very life if necessary, even though Id told Gui that staying alive would be no problem. While I didnt know whether it was the right decision, at least without me they would still have Dolls skeletons as a meat shield. Mm... I smiled at Zhuo-gge. Im going to use the restroom for a bit. As I stepped out of the washroom a few minutester, I smiled happily. The main reason for my joy was that this restaurants food was delicious and, for once, I wouldnt have to pay. However, as I turned the corner to walk to my seat, Professor Min Gui Wens face suddenly entered my view. rmed, I immediately hid behind the wall and then stealthily poked my head out from behind it. To my surprise, I found that Gui and Zhuo-gge were staring intensely at each other. They sustained this standoff for what felt like five minutes, until even the surrounding customers were starting to look curiously at them. Still, they stared, without uttering a word. I grew so tired just from watching that I had to massage my neck. Whats going on? Did they fall in love at first sight? I muttered to myself. Just you wait, I will defeat you, Gui finally said. Oh? And just how will you defeat me? By ying your guqin? Zhuo Ling Bin retorted disdainfully. Gui smiled faintly, not backing down an inch. Prince and I will defeat you together. I quickly poked my head out to eavesdrop after I heard their voices. At Guis words, Zhuo Ling Bins expression changed and he said scathingly, What do you know? You dont understand her at all. Although Ive only known him for a short time, I understand his personality, his likes, and his tendencies, Gui replied seriously. You understand her? Do you understand her as well as I do? I have loved her for eight years! Agitated, Zhuo Ling Bin stood up abruptly, looming over Gui. Eight years? A brief sh of white, hot pain stabbed through Guis chest, gone as quickly as it hade. He shoved the sensation aside and managed to retort, Eight years and you have yet to win his heart... and you still believe that you have hope? His words wedged themselves into a crack in Zhuo Ling Bins heart. Theyd found their mark, his weakness, with unerring uracy. The two men red fiercely at each other, neither willing to back down first. Meanwhile, I stood confusedly at one side, thinking, So they are love rivals? Who is that lucky girl? Wait a moment, Gui is gay! That must mean theyre fighting over a man! Eh? Zhuo-gge is gay too?! This is tooplicated; I dont understand it at all! Eventually, Gui heaved a deep sigh. Forget it, he said. We can continue this conversation after thepetition. At the very least, I dont want this to affect thepetition, since its so important to Prince. Zhuo Ling Bin nced at Gui briefly. Yeah. After getting Zhuo Ling Bins agreement, Gui swiftly left while Zhuo-gge sat down again. Looks like its time for me to go out? I hurried back to my seat, trying to act casual, but Zhuo-gge was just smiling as usual. Umm, Im going to bete for my ss, so Ill leave first. Bye, Zhuo-gge! After I got home, following the end of my sses for the day, I couldnt help but keep thinking about the contents of their conversation. It was on my mind even as I cooked dinner that night. Firstly, its someone Zhuo-gge has known for eight years. Secondly, it has to be a guy... right? Gui is gay, so its impossible that hed be fighting with Zhuo-gge over a girl. I must say, though, that finding out that Zhuo-gge is a gay gave me quite a shock; I hadnt thought that this world had so many gays before. Thirdly, its someone Gui hasnt known for a long time, but understands very well... Who could it possibly be? Im sooooo curious! Who could actually be so attractive that he charmed both Gui and Zhuo-gge? Thanks to him, whoever he is, Im feeling a tad sour and maybe even slightly pissed. Sis, Im going out to buy drinks; what drink do you want? Yang Ming asked as he suddenly poked his head out from behind the door. I stared at Yang Ming, and immediately thought of their conversation A guy Zhuo-gge has known for eight years, and whom Gui hasnt known for long but understands very well. All of that adds up to... my brother, Yang Ming? God, I should have thought of it earlier! Its no surprise, then, that Zhuo-gge suddenly came to our house. Maybe he knew from the start that Wu Qing was Yang Ming, and thats why he invited him to be a team member? And Gui... he must have fallen in love with Yang Ming during the period of time when he thought I was Yang Ming! Thats why he said he hasnt known him for long, but understands him... was that how it happened? Something felt out of ce, but at the same time it all seemed to fit. I tilted my head to one side, trying to get my thoughts straightened out and figure out whether my deduction was right or wrong. Sis, do you have to think so hard about your choice of drink? Yang Ming looked impatiently at me, even as my head felt like it would burst from all that thinking. Arghhh, I dont care anymore, it would be faster just to ask. Yang Ming, tell me, does Zhuo-gge like... I trailed off, finding it hard to actually say the words. After all, isnt this like asking about whats going on between Zhuo-gge and my brother in a roundabout way? I thought, hesitating. Yang Ming seemed overjoyed. You finally get it? Sis, I thought you were so slow that you would never realize it! At the same time, he thought, Poor Zhuo-gge has liked you for a long time. Now his unrequited love can finally have a happy ending. My head spun at the revtion his words brought. I guessed correctly? God! And my brother is so d about it... Dont tell me hes interested in Zhuo-gge too?! But wasnt he hitting on girls all the time? Was that a cover? Even my brother is gay? I stared at Yang Ming, torn. Bro...Let me ask you then, what do you think of Zhuo-gge? Zhuo-gge is a very nice guy, and hes very loyal and gentle. Hes definitely someone you can entrust your future to, Yang Ming answered, grinning. You like him? I asked, clinging onto myst shred of hope. Yep, I like him very much. With a sure expression, he added, Dont worry, Dad and Mom like Zhuo-gge very much too, they approve of him. God! My mouth fell open. To think that my brother really is gay, and that two guys I know are fighting over him? In addition, my parents have given their approval? What kind of world is this?! Be honest, sis, are you okay with this turn of events? my brother asked seriously. I... what if I cannot ept it? I replied timidly. But... can I choose not to ept the fact that my brother is a gay? Then someone will be heartbroken. He shook his head with a morose look. I looked at the sorrowful face of Yang Ming, and reluctantly thought, Sigh! My brother has grown up already. At any rate, the choice of the person he likes cannot be decided by his sister. Its better to give him my blessing rather than telling him no, and making him unhappy. And besides, Dad and Mum arent against it, anyway. Sigh. So long as youre truly happy with it... I decided at longst. I left my room sadly, mourning over the sister inw and cute nieces and nephews that I would never have. Yang Ming watched me depart with a bewildered expression. Scratching his head, he mused aloud, Odd, what did Ie into Siss room for again? [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 6 End]

Footnotes

1 Dors: Its not very clear just what currency were talking about here (that is, whether this is in-game currency or real-world currency). If this is in-game currency, then this would be 1,655 crystals, 7 g (gold) and 2 s (silver). If this is real-world currency, then the dors here would refer to the New Taiwan Dor (TWD), and the sum here would be approximately 50,112 USD. 2 To pull a mob: Gamer lingo for luring a mob (or multiple mobs). This is usually done by either the meat shield (a.k.a. the tank) or a ranged attacker. As most mobs in MMOs tend to attack the first fellow who provokes it C either by stepping into its aggro range or by attacking it C this will ensure that the mob does not attack the other members of the group. 3 Number 11 bus: This is a verymonce joke... Just think, what do your legs look like? 4 Bosilimi: Spider-bodied, human-headed monsters are in no short supply in most fantasy novels, although their names vary from book to book (alternative names include Spidrens and Dryders). An interesting side note: this is probably the very first hint in ? Prince that the author is a fan of R.A. Salvatore. (Yes, Yu Wo loves Drizzt. She loves him so much that she event created a drow character simr to Drizzt in ater novel.) 5 Demon fires: Youd definitely have seen these hanging next to Gui if youve read the manhua version of this scene, or if youve ever watched the anime Ghost Hunt. Theyre called (gu? hu?) in Chinese, onibi in Japanese, and theyre basically spirits. 6 Thirty-Six Stratagems: A famous set of Chinese writings rting to military strategy. The word stratagems actually means ruses, so you can see why escaping ys such a huge role in it. The writings were often attributed to Sun Tzu (of Art of War fame) or Zhuge Liang (of Three Kingdoms fame), but recent historians believe that the origins of the Thirty-Six Stratagems are not rooted in any particr era or writer. 7 AoE spells: AoE stand for Area of Effect, so AoE spells are basically spells that deal damage within a certain area or radius. Such spells tend to be more destructive, but also require more time to cast, hence are easily interrupted. An example of this is Ming Huangs favorite spell, Wrath of the Nine Heavens. 8 Qing Gong: The two characters in Ṧ (qng gng) literally means light (as opposed to heavy) and skill. This is a special type of ability that only the top martial arts practitioners in wuxia novels are able to execute. To learn it, characters often have to go through some fairly harsh and unusual training, during which they must learn to channel their qi, a form of energy, through the proper channels. One example is Little Dragon Girl from Return of the Condor Heroes, who is able to sleep by lying on a single length of rope, as though it is a hammock. Qing Gong also allows its user to fly by stepping on the air itself or move very rapidly. 9 Grind levels: Gamer lingo which basically means to keep killing mobs, doing quests, or doing any activity that yields experience points in order to level up. 10 Her/ Him: In Chinese, the character (t) is used when saying she or her, while the character (t) is used when saying he, him or his. The two characters have the same pronunciation. As such, Gui does not realize that Prince is actually a girl. Volume 2 Chapter 7 Volume 2 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: A Battle Without Regrets C tranted by K00st3r and Erialis Online Despite havingpleted our final training session the previous night, I continued to be gued by a feeling of guilt C a feeling that I still wasnt strong enough. Thus, I decided to apply for medical leave and stay home to train in secret. To be honest, although wed fought so many rounds in the tournament, Id never given a thought to the possibility of us losing a particr match. However, I hadnt expected that we woulde this far in the tournament, either. Am I really that strong? I couldnt help but feel a little worried. All I could think of was fighting more mobs and gaining more levels. Will I be able to survive in the midst of six hundred people with my current level of sixty-two? I have no idea! However, the thought I will lose still did not cross my mind. With a horizontal sh, I defeated thest monster and brushed my sweat-soaked hair back from my forehead. It was only then that I noticed that someone had approached. Gui? Yeah. Gui approached me, and there was a mncholic air about him. Youre able toe online this early today? I asked. In my head I wondered, did the professor skip sses too? Yeah. I usually have more time on Fridays. On the other hand, this seems to be the first time youre online on a Friday morning, said Gui, a faint smile on his lips. Huh... Well, thats because I have other sses to attend! I retorted acerbically in my head. Yeah, thats right, haha. Gui continued to smile, but he could not conceal the forlorn look in the depths of his eyes. That forlorn look shouldnt be appearing on Guis face. This isnt the Gui I know; I dont want to see him like this! I dont like to see you like this, Gui. I much prefer you the way you were before, always cheekily calling me Noble Lord Prince. As I finished speaking, I raised my dao and stalked towards a freshly-spawned batch of mobs. Really? But I... Guis eyebrows creased together as he eximed in a emotional voice, I need your answer. Only then can I carry on! Huh? Dont I always answer you by beating you up? I replied. I was immersed in the thrill of swinging my de to kill monsters C sprinting, leaping, and dodging. What sort of answer is that... Gui watched me intently, clearly mesmerized. His eyes followed my ceaselessly moving form, noting the light dancing off my de, and that exhrated and slightly bloodthirsty smile of mine. You really do like fighting very much, Prince, Gui observed. Iughed heartily as I continued to fight. Yep, I like it more than anything else. Swinging my dao, kicking, dodging... Dont you find it exhrating? I find it far more exhrating to see your smile, Gui murmured. Then he said, Do you really like me the way I was before? Yeah! I ducked to evade an attack, but just as I raised my head, a translucent arrow whizzed by my ear. Turning my head to look at the arrow, I saw it protruding from the forehead of a random mob that was about tond a sneak attack on me. I gave a low whistle and offered Gui a thumbs up. Gui brushed back his hair with one hand and deliberately struck a graceful pose. In order to rescue Noble Lord Prince, Gui is a one-hundred-percent-urate shot! As soon as he finished speaking, Gui was sent sprawling by the Meatbun that Id lobbed at him. With a smug smile, I retorted, I told you, dont call me Lord Prince! Also, in order to beat you up, I am also a one-hundred-percent-urate shot! Just then, Lolidragons voice came over the team channel. Wah! Whos online? Youre even earlier than me. Its me and Lord Prince, Gui replied. I, on the other hand, remarked doubtfully, Is anyone on this earth not more diligent than you? Whoa! Prince-gge is also online? Dolls startled voice came over the channel as well. Looks like everyones arrived, Yu Lian-ds?o added, sounding amused. Right now, Im breakfasting with a wolf that skipped work! Yu Lian... Wolf-dgs voice carried a hint of embarrassment as it came over the channel. A yful notion struck me, and I eximed, Quick, quick! Everyone assemble at the breakfast shop, so that we can be a five-hundred watt light bulb! With that, I set off at lightning speed for the city, dragging Gui along behind me. Prince, said Wolf-dg to me helplessly, I know youre here to be a light bulb, but do you have to stare so at me and Yu Lian? In a stern voice, I replied, Wolf-dg, Im afraid that I will fail to fulfill my duties as a light bulb if I dont. ... Prince, do you have the confidence that we will win? Yu Lian-ds?o asked in her gentle voice. None whatsoever, I replied honestly, but seeing how the members of Odd Squad immediately became a little nervous, I added, But I have no intention of losing, either. No confidence that we will win, but no intention of losing, either? As expected, thats something you would say, Lolidragon said, and then broke outughing. I stretched out my right hand and gave everyone a confident smile. They smiled back at me and then stacked their hands on top of mine. Odd Squad, win! I bellowed. Odd Squad, WIN! the members of Odd Squad roared in unison. Lets go, everybody! The final rounds about to start, I said. As always, I walked towards the tunnel leading to the arena. As always, I felt no fear. As always, I did not think about whether I would lose. As always, my beloved teammates followed silently behind me. In the instant I stepped into the arena, I hesitated, and then took off my mask and tossed it onto the floor. Turning around to look at my teammates, I saw that they were stunned for a moment. However, upon seeing the unshakeable resolve in my gaze, they smiled before also removing their masks and tossing them to one side. It doesnt matter what the results are, so long as our prowess in battle and our unyielding attitude are engraved into the minds of all those present, I said, my tone somber as one making a vow. The teams had gathered at the center of the colosseum-styled arena, standing in loose groups here and there. Everyone, a hundred of Second Lifes most outstanding teams will soon be participating in an intense battle for survival. Dont look away, or youll miss seeing this exciting scene. Dont close your mouths C cheer your hearts out for your favorite team! I am Xiao Li, thementator who will be reporting this entire life-and-death battle for you all today, Xiao Li roared, and he went so far as to hop around in a crazed manner as he clutched the microphone. The atmosphere in the stadium was wild. Banners with the names of various teams hung all around the audience, while the spectators themselves hollered the names of the teams they were supporting. I stared wide-eyed, noting that the sight of six hundred people was really something out of the ordinary. Worse still, these six hundred people very clearly formed threerge camps. Courageously, confidently, and proudly, I...snuck to a random corner to wait. Dont kid me! The strength of ones fighting spirit or the amount of ones courage doesnt matter; if you smash an egg against a rock, the result will never change! I looked at the frontlines of the three camps. There, at the forefront of the three camps, stood their leaders: a tigerman warrior, a human warrior, and a holyman warrior. Each one of them had the presence of a king. Hmph. Standing at such an obvious spot, the king should take care not to be the deceased. Who? Who was it who said that this is a case of sour grapes? At that moment, the members of Dark Emperor filed over to stand next to us. What do you think our chances of victory are? Wicked asked me calmly. Hmph, its as big as can be, about as big as my chest! (An A-cup...it hurts to admit!) I even wounded my own ego when making the analogy. Looks like that abusive streak in me is growing with each passing day, and Im not even sparing myself. Ming Huang looked at my chest with derision and said, Thats one lousy analogy. Youre so t that you dont even have any chest muscles to speak of. You damn kid; Im still an A-cup at the very least, okay? Be careful, this battle will be very dangerous, Wicked said. His brow was creased with worry as he looked at me. Dont worry about me; you should watch over Feng Wu Qing carefully instead! Sigh! Id originally intended not to think anymore about that heartrending issue, but now that Ive said it, I guess its all right. I hope that Wicked will take good care of my brother. I turned my head back and nced worriedly at Wu Qing, but he and Wicked both pretended to look at me uprehendingly. Perhaps they dont want to let others know? After all, this kind of thing isnt thatmon, and not everyone is as open-minded as I am and able to ept this kind of BL rtionship. Good luck, brother! Sister will always be supporting you silently, I thought as I looked at my little brother with tears in my eyes. I threw a sympathetic look Guis way as well. It cant be helped, who asked my brother to fall in love with Wicked! Poor Gui. Without waiting for the three of them to respond, I beckoned to Yu Lian-ds?o. Ds?o, you shoulde over here! It looks like the battles about to start. As soon as it begins, well have to pay attention to the situation and look for a new spot where we can avoid trouble ordingly. Yu Lian-ds?o nodded in acknowledgment. Prince, both you and Yu Lian must be careful. Remember, you are both very important, so both of you must survive to thest. Wolf-dg looked at me, and after I gave him the OK sign, he turned towards Lolidragon and Doll. Lolidragon, you must make sure that your enemies are not nearby. If possible, avoid having to sacrifice yourself. Also, Doll will be depending on you, although somehow it seems to me that youre the one depending on Doll... Lolidragon smiled, embarrassed. Wolf-dg, Gui will be in your care, said Gui. He looked at Wolf-dg, a fragile, gentle, and submissive expression on his face...before one of Yu Lian-ds?os shadow smiles scared him into a corner to repent his actions. Battle, begin. The referee once again shouted those familiar words. Although the battle had begun, everyone stood stock-still and remained quiet. The audience ceased their cheering as well. The atmosphere was such that no one dared to exhale, and a silence had fallen over the entire battleground C the type of silence that came before a storm. I, too, moved nothing except for my eyes. My gaze darted from the left where the mighty tigerman stood C not bad, his muscles are so oversized that they look kind of disgusting C to the right, where the super cool-looking human warrior was C very good, that cold expression really pisses me off C andstly to the holyman warrior in the middle. I admired the holymans girly beauty for a moment. This guy probably is a gay...right? I spected. In the end, it seemed like the beastman warrior couldnt stand the silence anymore. He stretched both his hands out and made a rude gesture at the human and holyman. The human warrior fixed him with a cold look in reply, while the holyman merely gave an unconcerned smile. The beastman warrior roared, pointing a finger at the human warrior. AT THEM! He roared, shattering the silence in the entire arena. The members of the tigermans alliance began to charge. In contrast, Kill! was all that the human warrior said before charging towards the oing enemies. The holyman warrior, however, maintained his rxed pose. He stretched out a hand to stop the members of his alliance behind him from moving forward to join in the fray. The m and the crane quarrel; the fisherman prevails, he said simply. Ive got to hand it to this guy; he really is a sneaky bastard. I made my mind up then. After pulling Yu Lian-ds?o to where I was, I took advantage of the chaos to stealthily slip through the battle zone from behind. While everyones attention was on the battle between the humans and beastmen, I snuck up and hid behind the holymens alliance. This ce should be a safe spot for the time being, I thought. There was a tap on my shoulder, and I turned my head to look. One, two, three... Ten people. Excellent, the members of Odd Squad and Dark Emperor have alle over to avoid the conflict. Once again, I looked forward at the scene of the grand melee. It really is a chaotic battle!The situation before us could only be described as onepletelycking in technique. Often, individuals couldnt tell who they were attacking, nor did they know who attacked them. Still, the yers couldnt be med for theck of technique in their fighting. After all, since they were being squeezed together like the meatballs I make, it was already a miracle that they could find the space to swing their weapons around. Technique? Forget it. Before long, there were already dozens of beams of white light shooting into the sky. Suddenly, the human warrior discovered that something was wrong. He began to bellow desperately, and it seemed that he was directing members of his alliance toe over and do battle with the members of the holymens alliance. I understood what he was shouting about when I saw the battle grew closer and closer to where the holymen were. At the same time, the human warrior led a group of particrly outstanding fighters to charge directly at the holyman warrior leading the alliance. They began to fight! Finally, now even this side of the arena is no longer safe. I looked over my shoulder at everyone, and said in a low voice, Each group, take care! Dont go head-to-head with them; no one is allowed to fly away, you understand me? Understood. All of them met my gaze steadily. Scatter, I thenmanded. Holding Yu Lian-ds?os hands tightly, I spotted an area behind the main fray which nobody paid much notice to, and we began to make our way over. Although we attracted unwanted attention a number of times along the way, I never retaliated. Instead, I relied on my agility to dodge like mad, or used my dao to block attacks before continuing to run for my life. Luckily for us, the situation on the battlefield was truly chaotic, and I only needed to flee. There wasnt really anyone who was free to pursue me and Yu Lian-ds?o, although asionally there would be someone shouting stuff like coward or ckey after us. Hmph! This is called preserve a green mountain and one will not have to fear forck of firewood to burn, understand? What I dont get is why all these people are eagerly rushing into the midst of the human meatball as though they are contented just to be able to hack at others a few times? Look, of the three alliance leaders, is any one of them in that crowd? Ah, cant talk now, there are des and swords every which way and fists and legs flying everywhere; Id best focus on dodging them. Members of the audience, look at this chaotic battlefield where all of the participants are busy fighting. ording to thetest data, already a hundred and thirty-one...a hundred thirty-five participants have been eliminated, and eleven teams have beenpletely wiped. Right now, the ones who are garnering the most attention are the three alliance leaders, not one of whom has been eliminated so far. Will one of the teams that they belong to emerge victorious? Or will it be a case of mutual destruction? Whoa, whoa, the beastmans giant axe has once again met with the cold steel of the human warriors sword. Which one of them will be defeated in this fight? Xiao Li was so agitated that he was practically showering saliva everywhere, but thanks to his report I was able to stay on top of the current situation. Over a hundred people have been eliminated already? No wonder it looks like the sky has been lit with fireworks. If we werent so busy fleeing for our lives, I would definitely stop to admire the view, I thought. Yu Lian-ds?o, can you still carry on? I asked worriedly, as she had been dragged along by me as we dashed frantically through the fighting the whole time. Im fine, and it seems like everyone else is fine as well, said Yu Lian-ds?o. However, she then added, What I meant was, all the members of Odd Squad are fine C but it seems like Wicked and Ming Huang are in trouble! What? My brows furrowed together. Where are they? To our left. It seems like it was because Ming Huang was unwilling to flee obediently. Damn it! I should have thought of it. With Ming Huangs personality, if someone called him a coward or other simr stuff, he would definitely not let the insult slide. Theres an eighty percent chance that he would drag Wicked along into a fight with the other party. To save or not to save? Isnt that obvious! I gave my own cheeks a hard pinch, thinking, if I dont save them, how could we be called allies?Even as I used my dao to deflect the des of nearby weapons, I asked, Ds?o, which group is the closest to us? Wolf and Gui are just behind us. Good. I abruptly changed directions and immediately spotted Wolf-dg and Gui standing not too far away from us. I rushed over to where they were. Wolf-dg, Gui, you guys protect Ds?o for a while. I have to go save people, I said. Looking in Ming Huang and Wickeds direction, I saw that they had been surrounded by four yers. Wicked was having difficulty defending against three of them by himself. First, I snuck up behind the enemy. Like a ghost appearing out of nowhere, I slit the throat of the nearest mage, who had been standing at their back. He did not even have the time to cry out before he flew away. Wicked saw me then, and I gave him a look warning him not to say anything. I then proceeded to single out the strongest of the three warriors, and brutally hacked off his arm. Shocked, he spun around to look at me, and with a single thrust I drove my de through his heart, making him my second kill for todays battle. Of the two remaining warriors, one had already turned around to face me. I turned about and retreated, leading him in the direction of Gui and the others. I made a gesture at my forehead to Gui, and Gui gestured back at me to say that it was no problem. I watched as Gui strummed his guqin, sending a single Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow in my direction, and then I ducked and rolled forward to avoid the arrow. When I looked back, I saw that Gui had upheld his im of being a hundred percent urate shot; the translucent arrow was nted solidly in the forehead of the warrior who had been chasing me. Wicked had also finished off the remaining warrior by then, and he was looking my way. I gave him a smile and he gave me thumbs up in appreciation. Returning to Gui and Wolf-dgs side, I grabbed Yu Lian-ds?os hand and, before pulling her away, said, Guys, continue to work hard and flee for your lives! Prince, you have to be careful of that holyman warrior. I have a feeling that he will be your opponent in the end, Yu Lian-ds?o cautioned me thoughtfully. Yu Lian-ds?o really isnt an ordinary person, I thought. Shes being dragged after me as we sprint, yet she can still speak in a stern voice. Im impressed! Right. Ill be careful, Ds?o. But first, we must survive in this remaining crowd. With only two hundred plus yers remaining (ording to Xiao Lis report), I was finding it harder and harder to make use of the chaos to run away. Moreover, many of the enemies we encountered would chase us for a long time before they were willing to give up. Prince, the beastman warrior has flown away. The alliances of the human and holyman warriors have now surrounded the remainders of the beastman warriors allies. It looks like the beastmens alliance is about to bepletely wiped out. I think the holyman warriors alliance will probably be thest one standing out of the three. If you have the chance, you should kill some of the members of the holymens alliance; otherwise, theyll have too many members left at the end. If that happens, itll be difficult for us to win even if webine forces with Dark Emperor, Yu Lian-ds?o said, her tone betraying her anxiety. Huh... But I have my hands full, with one hand holding Ds?os, and the other hand holding my sword, I replied helplessly. And my two legs are busy running, so theyre not free to kick anyone either. Prince, you can leave me with Lolidragon and Doll! Yu Lian-ds?o smiled gently at me. I think Lolidragons enemies probably dont have the time to hunt her down, plus most male yers usually arent too keen on attacking girls, so the two of them are pretty rxed. But our strategy... I looked at Yu Lian-ds?o in askance. This is a tactic to deceive our enemies. A broad smile lit up Yu Lian-ds?os face, but...how odd, why am I covered in goosebumps? Go and help the human warrior right away C and make sure you even the odds between his alliance and the holymans. Then, when both of them are heavily injured, it would be best if you could make use of the opportunity to stab them in the back...hehe. Yu Lian-ds?o, you really arent an ordinary character. Im starting to be curious about what Yu Lian-ds?os job in the real world is, I thought even as I dashed towards Lolidragon. Luckily for us, she and Doll werent too far away. So Ill be leaving you with Lolidragon? Be careful, you all, I said worriedly. Yu Lian-ds?o gave a light knock on my head with her fist. Youre the one who needs to be careful, she chided. I grinned as I jogged off, preparing to execute Yu Lian-ds?os terrifying strategy. y to your hearts content, Prince. If we made you hide like a turtle throughout the entire battle, then there would be no meaning in participating in this tournament, Yu Lian-ds?o murmured to herself. As I looked at furiously battling form of the human warrior and the rxed,id-back holyman warrior, I thought, Help the humans? This will be a bit challenging...but interesting! I smiled faintly, and in my chest there was a slight twinge of excitement. With the human warrior tightly surrounded by enemies, it was the perfect opportunity for me to pretend to be a member of his alliance. The moment I saw a gap in the human wall that surrounded him, I charged. In a single move, I lunged forward and rolled inside the bounds of the ring, and then began to stab savagely at the feet of those who had gathered around. In an instant, many of them fell to their knees and began to howl in pain. You are? The attacks on the human warrior had eased and he looked me in surprise. A friend! At least for the present moment, I thought, giving him a friendly pat on the back. Youre not from my alliance; I dont remember you, said the human warrior doubtfully as he tried to recall, but it was impossible for him to have overlooked such an outstanding person. Its true that your alliance doesnt include me, but I just want to help you. Cant I? As I spoke, I swung my sword up to fend off a yer who was about tond a sneak attack on him. I gave the little sneak a kick, causing him to lose his bnce, and then drew my de across his throat. Problem solved, I thought, and before I realized it, a bloodthirsty smile had once again surfaced on my lips. Nan Gong Zui. He offered me his name calmly, but his eyes couldnt conceal his wonder. Prince. My eyes continued to scan our surroundings alertly, and I kept my guard up against the enemies surrounding us even as I answered. The Blood Elf? Nan Gong Zui could not suppress a soft exmation. Huh! Its that nickname I hate the most again. Am I really that bloodthirsty and terrifying? Am I? I just C I jumped and, with a flying kick, separated the top half of a yers head from the rest of his skull. C tend to use methods that make people slightly mindful of horror movies. Plus, I always like to C I then split some random yer into two with a sideways sh at his waist. C get myself soaked in blood, and Im also very polite C Covered in blood, I smiled at those stunned-looking enemy yers standing in front of me. C and like to smile at people. Just like that, they gave me such a scary nickname. Blood Elf? Thats too unreasonable! No matter what, Im still just a lovely and delicate youngdy! Zui, quit zoning out, lets enjoy the exhration of battle together! I said,ughing heartily at the spaced out-looking Zui. Nan Gong Zui took a deep breath and said, The Blood Elfs reputation isnt an empty rumor... Disgruntled, I retorted, Call me Prince. A slight smile finally appeared on Nan Gong Zuis somber face. All right, Prince. Who is that person? Fan, who had originally been standing to one side in a fairly rxed manner, watched with dissatisfaction as the situation ahead slowly turned around. Who exactly is that elf with the evil aura? To actually be able to turn apletely unfavorable situation around, single-handedly... Hes a threat! An rm went off in Fans mind. His face, with its serene smile, suddenly grew harsh and murderous. To the members of his alliance standing next to him, hemanded, Kill that elf; kill him and Nan Gong Zui, and the battle will be as good as over. Damn it, why have the number of enemies suddenly increased? With this many enemies, I was busy enough just defending myself. It seems like most of the members of the holyman warriors alliance are specifically attacking me and Zui? I nced over my shoulder and saw Zui simrly engaged in parrying and blocking. Prince, retreat to the rear with me, Zui roared, before hauling me along to where his allies stood. Finally, we stopped in the middle of a crowd of Zuis allies, and Zui suddenly lifted his sword and leveled it directly at the holyman warrior. Fan, if you have the guts, then quit hiding and sulking around in the back. Come out and face me in a duel! I looked at Zui, who was livid with rage, and then at Fan, the holyman warrior across from us, but thetters expression was one of indifference... Dont tell me they know each other from before? Im afraid its not an ordinary grudge between them either, I spected. Nan Gong Zui, arent you too na?ve? Im really curious as to how a person like you, who doesnt care about the big picture, managed to find yourself so many allies. Fan gave him a seemingly peaceable and good-natured smile, but a shiver ran down my spine. I felt as though I had just witnessed Yu Lian-ds?os shadowy smile, or seen the innocent smile Lolidragon had on her face when she was actually sharpening her ws in secret. This Fan really isnt a regr character! Yu Lian-ds?os observation was right on the mark. You... Zuis expression had grown even more infuriated by now,pletely losing its earlier calm. Do you really not give a damn about Ice Phoenix? Ice Phoenix? Who? The smile on Fans face was irritatingly smug, and clearly revealed that he was feigning ignorance. You... Zui clenched his fist and it seemed that he was about to charge at Fan. Those allies of his standing nearby hurriedly grabbed him and refused to let go, but Zui howled maniacally, Let me go! Im going to kill that bastard! Fan, get your ass over here! It was apparent that the situation was on the verge of going out of control. If it continues like this, Nan Gong Zui will definitely be trashed to kingdome. I schooled my expression and, with a cold look on my face, reached out and grabbed Nan Gong Zui by the cor. In a cool and distant voice, I said, I misjudged you. I thought you were the type of person with a passionate heart but a cool head when ites to doing things. Fan was right; you really are the type of person who doesnt care about the big picture. No matter what sort of grudge there is between you and Fan, you are the leader of an alliance right now, with the hopes of so many people resting in your hands. And youre just going to charge out there and get yourself killed? Nan Gong Zui slowly rxed. He shook his head as if to clear his mind and calmed down atst. Youre right, Prince. After that, he hurriedly gathered his alliance together. After a while, they began to resemble an army being mobilized... Theyre really well trained; Im a bit taken aback. Have I gone and done something foolish now? If Zui manages to defeat Fan easily, how am I going to defeat Zui? Haha... Ill think about it when the timees!Although it seems like my teammates in Odd Squad and the members of Dark Emperor are ring at me from that corner over there... Thank you, Prince. Zui gave me an unaffected smile... Why do I suddenly feel so guilty? Damn it, knew that elf would mess things up, Fan said, ring at me with hate-filled eyes. Doesnt matter; I wont lose to him even if its just a matter of ability. Everyone, form up, this will end things once and for all. I was lost in thought, my head tilted to one side as I walked back to where the members of Odd Squad and Dark Emperor were. As I watched the showdown between the two alliances, I asked, Lolidragon, this entire business has nothing to do with me right? If this was a chemical reaction, then you are the biggest catalyst in it, replied Lolidragon helplessly. The two teams, a total of eleven people, had watched helplessly from the sidelines as I incited the entire situation to its climax. Under my breath I said, Lolidragon, Im a literature student, so I dont understand the chemistry stuff youre talking about. Do we know who will win? I asked. Watching the exchange between Zui and Fans forces, I thought, theyre probably utilizing some warfare tactics right? Unfortunately, just like the chemical reaction thing that Lolidragon was talking about, I had no knowledge about warfare tactics to speak of, so I had to ask that question. In terms of ability, both sides are at about the same level. I think Fan will win, however, Yu Lian-ds?o analyzed coolly. After all, Nan Gong Zui expended too much of his forces when he went up against the beastmen at the start. Really? But I like Nan Gong Zui better. I tilted my head to one side, feeling a little dissatisfied with the analysis that Zui will lose. Then all the more reason for you to pray that Nan Gong Zui will lose, otherwise if he wins, we will have to fight him. If that timees, will you be able to kill him? Wicked gave me a stern look. I dont know. Ill think about it if the timees, I replied breezily. Why worry? After all, Yu Lian-ds?o already said that the odds of Zui winning were smaller. Once again, Xiao Lis agitated voice rang out. Right now the situation is critical, very critical. ording to the data, there are finally less than a hundred people left. We can clearly see the showdown between the two alliances, and it as almost like two armies fighting on a battlefield. From the headcount we can see that the number of yers left under themand of Nan Gong Zui is less than that of the alliance led by Fan, the holyman warrior. The situation looks very unfavorable for Nan Gong Zui; has the conclusion already been determined? Or will there be a change? We can see the Blood Elf C who had ughtered so many yers earlier C and his teammates watching from one side. Will they just keep watching? Or will they join in the fray, changing the situation once more? That was the first time I really felt like beating up Xiao Li. Thanks to him, everyones attention focused on where we were standing, and even Nan Gong Zui and Fan couldnt help but look our way. After all, each of their alliances had less than fifty members left. Between our two teams we had twelve yers, and if we chose to join a particr faction, it was very likely that we would be able to help that side to attain victory. Prince, help me, Zui yelled at me across the empty expanse between us. My expression became troubled. I knew full well that this wasnt the time for us to intervene, and that we should wait until both of their factions were heavily injured and weakened from fighting one another. That would be the opportune moment for our two teams to get in there and clean up those who remained. Thus, I only looked helplessly at Zui, my new friend. Haha, you really are still na?ve, Nan Gong Zui. Did you think he really wanted to help you? Fan said with a malicious grin on his face. He was just worried that we might not be able to perish together in mutual destruction, so he came to intervene. You really thought he did it for the sake of your so-called friendship? I must say, though, I really have to hand it to them. Their grasp of the concept behind the saying the m and the crane quarrel, the fisherman prevails surpasses even my own, and theyre even sneakier bastards than I am, Fan said spitefully. Zui looked at me silently, his disappointment clear in his gaze. At longst, he turned away coldly and did not look at me again. I was filled with guilt and more importantly, the sorrow of losing a newfound friend. Which is more important, victory or friendship? Victory is for but a fleeting moment, while friendship is eternal. It was a difficult decision to make, but just as I was about to turn around and exin to everyone, I suddenly remembered: I was carrying the hopes of all the members of Odd Squad as well. Wed said that we would create a legend together and win together... What should I do? Prince... The members of Odd Squad looked at me, as I faced such a difficult decision, with a mix of uncertainty andpassion. Go, Prince. I will go with you, said Wicked as he stepped forward. We looked at Wicked with astonishment. In addition, I was furious. Even though Wicked is Zhuo-gge, this is apetition. He cannot help me like this, I thought. You saved me and Ming Huang earlier, Prince. Plus, if I go with you, then at least the final fight between Odd Squad and my team will be a fair one, with five against five. Wickeds tone was firm. What youre really saying is, the two of us will be dead for sure, I replied, scratching my head in uncertainty. ... Meteor Shower. All of a sudden, a thunderous roar sounded, and we looked up, startled, as shooting stars rained down from the sky one after another... Quick, make a wish! Oh, oops, sorry! I noticed that most of the meteors werending on the side of Fans forces. Of course, with such arge-scale spell, it was impossible for the spell to only hit Fans people, so a number of Nan Gong Zuis people also lost their lives beneath this beautiful spell. As for who cast it...the only fire-type mage who hasnt died yet, and who has lots of free time to chant the incantation for arge-scale spell whoes to mind is none other than our noble Yu Lian-ds?o. ... Wrath of the Nine Heavens! Even as the meteors continued to rain down, I heard a familiar and irritating voice. Even without using my brain and just using my tiara to think, it was certain that the spell had been cast by the other (lightning-type) mage with lots of time to kill: that pain in the ass kid, Ming Huang. It was very evident that that damn kids objective was very different from Yu Lian-ds?os, however, as he had cast his spell right over the center of the arena, having not spared a single a thought to the safety of my friend Nan Gong Zui. He just wants to be at the center of things, I thought. Will we be theirmon enemy? I asked. I felt a little worried at the sight of yers on both sides scurrying away from the scene of destruction and beams of white light shooting into the skies. Hmm, thats possible, but after being caught in two suchrge-scale spells, I think there probably isnt anyone left with more than a third of their health out there to fight us. Yu Lian-ds?o watched as fiery rocks and lightning continued to rain down with a smile on her face. At that moment, I thought, Who gives a damn about Fan? Hes not even half as terrifying as our Yu Lian-ds?o. Nan Gong Zui! I watched helplessly as Zui was struck by a bolt of lightning and copsed to the ground, where hey motionless... He hasnt flown away, so hes probably not dead yet! Seeing as the spells were almost over, I immediately sprinted forward, dodging left and right in order to evade bolts of lightning. asionally I even had to cut down those who dared to block my way, or those people who grabbed my leg and begged for help. Finally I reached Nan Gong Zuis side. In a single move, I swept him up into my arms and began sprinting back. The instant I moved away, ast meteornded on the spot where Nan Gong Zui had been lying a moment before... I really dont know if I should describe Prince as evil or kind. He goes to such lengths to save Nan Gong Zui, and yet along the way hacked a whole bunch of people to death... Yu Lian-ds?o murmured. Hes not kind and hes not evil either. He just really cherishes his friends, said Ugly Wolf, grinning broadly as he watched me carry Nan Gong Zui in my arms and sprint back like mad. Huff...huff. Back atst, I ced Nan Gong Zui on the ground, panting furiously. Why save me? Nan Gong Zuis expression was cold, but also tinged with stubbornness as he looked at me. Because I dont wish to see a friend die without understanding the situation, I replied coolly. I turned to Wolf-dg and asked, Wolf-dg, could you please heal him? Wolf-dg gave me a nod. I charged onto the battlefield for a second time. This time, I walked up to Fan, who also looked like he was on the verge of copse. He red at me non-stop, as though he wanted to skin me alive. I gave him a single punch to the stomach, and then picked him up and carried him back to where Odd Squad stood. Wolf-dg, please heal him as well. I think theres some grudge between him and Zui that needs to be settled. I watched with a sense of satisfaction as Zui and Fan were healed by Wolf-dg, and the two men appeared to be preparing for a duel to the death. Then I turned to look at the members of Odd Squad and Dark Emperor, and simply said, Lets go. Its time for us to clean up the field. There were still twenty-odd yers left on the field. However, there was a confident smile on my face that revealed that I did not even think of these twenty-odd yers as opponents for two teams. I gave an experimental swing of my ck Dao and said, Game, start! Once again, Xiao Li was wild with excitement as he said, Look, everyone! The situation is now truly astonishing as the two teams that have been standing quietly to one side suddenly unleashed two superrge-scale spells, Meteor Shower and Wrath of the Nine Heavens. The two groups that had been trying to kill each other are now either dead or dying. The Blood Elf saved Nan Gong Zui in the nick of time, and then hauled Fan away as well. However, now the two have once again gotten to their feet in order to fight one another to the death! Just what exactly is going on? Next, lets see...whoa, whoa, whoa, Odd Squad and Dark Emperor have begun to move! They have only twelve people as opposed to the twenty-odd survivors on the field, but the situations totally going their way. Its a massacre! Its simply a one-sided massacre; these two teams have three uninjured warriors, two extremely stealthy thieves skilled in assassination, two long distance attackers C an archer and a bard, numerous skeletons, and finally, extremely powerful and deadly mages! This oue of this tournament is almost determined. What were all dying to know is, which of these two teams will manage to clinch victory? Even as I dealt with the wounded survivors on the battlefield, I watched the showdown between Zui and Fan. In my heart I thought excitedly, finally I can fight Wicked and see which of us is stronger. Our fightst time was inconclusive, but this time we can settle it for good. Fighting really is an interesting thing. Wicked finished off thest remaining enemy, and then said, Prince, will you really battle me and Zui? Wont you find it difficult to fight us because were your friends? I turned my head to look at Wicked, leveling the ck Dao I held in hand at him as I said, Because we are friends, I will fight you fair and square to decide who wins and who loses. I wont hesitate or hold back, and I hope you wont hold back either, Wicked. This is a battle, and I enjoy battles. I am standing on the field of the arena right now, in front of so many people. This is my battle, my legend, and no matter how things turn out, I will have no regrets! With that, I lifted my dao... [? Prince Volume 2 Chapter 7 End]

Footnotes

1 A five-hundred watt light bulb: In Chinese, to be a light bulb means to be a fifth wheel or a gooseberry. Here Prince is basically saying that they need to be a SUPER big light bulb. 2 The king...the deceased: This is a pun. In Chinese, the words for the king and the deceased are both pronounced as wng z. 3 The m and the crane quarrel; the fisherman prevails: Some Chinese sayings actually originate from stories. This one goes like this: a m was sunning itself when a crane came by and tried to eat it. The m snapped its shell shut, and the crane refused to let go of the tender m meat inside. As a result of the weight, the crane could not fly, and the m could not move. Neither refused to back down; as a result, both were caught by the fisherman. The saying basically means that if neither will give way, then only others will profit. 4 Grand melee/ chaotic battle: In Chinese, a grand melee is called a ս (hn zhn). The meaning of the first character is chaotic and the second character means battle. 5 Preserve a green mountain and one will not have to fear forck of firewood to burn: This saying means that if you cut down all the trees on a mountain at one go, then you will run out of firewood ultimately. On the other hand, if you only take what you need, then you will never run out. As such, it is prudent to not overdo things and one should always n ahead. This saying is actually not very appropriate to Princes situation, but what hes trying to say is that he is preserving his life so that he can live to fight another time C i.e. this is strategy! 6 Fan: The pronunciation for this is closer to fun, but fan is how it is written in pinyin. 7 Wrath of the Nine Heavens: This was originally tranted as Heavens Nine Wrath, but after a bit of thought I realized that Wrath of the Nine Heavens is actually more urate (and in my opinion it sounds a bit better). Volume 2 Chapter 7.5 Volume 2 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: Diary C tranted by Eilinel Guiliastes: A genius with an IQ of 200, he entered university at the age of fifteen. He graduated at eighteen, received a doctorate at twenty-two. Then, furthering his studies overseas, he returned with another doctorate at twenty-five. At twenty-six, top universities in the country were vying to employ him as a professor. I looked at the pile of recruitment letters on the table. Which university should I go to? I thought, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of the situation. I dont even need ten minutes to calcte which university would be the most advantageous for me, so what is there to feel troubled about? Right C theres nothing to worry about! Still, in a fit of irritation, I gathered up all of the recruitment letters and savagely thrust them at the ceiling. The sheaves of paper fell, scattering all over the floor, except for one letter thatnded on the table. Its you then! I picked up the recruitment letter, and barely nced at the universitys name before putting my signature on the paper. Grabbing my helmet, I headed out to mail the document. I dealt with the post-office clerks smitten gaze by faking a warm smile. After that, I went to a street filled with vendors selling electronics, with the thought of getting upgrades for myputer. The shop owner, who had just made a fortune off me, grinned and asked, With such good upgrades for yourputer, are you nning to get started on ying Second Life and beating everyone else? Second Life? My eyebrows furrowed. Whats that? You dont know about Second Life? Its a virtual reality game that was just released two days ago! The games realism level is 99%, the highest ever attained! I red at the game helmet that the shop owner had insisted on giving me, thinking, whats so funabout virtual reality games? Isnt it just wielding a sword to hack, and hack, and hack? Still, I had already finished reading the instruction manual... I really hate my tendency to read anything with words on it out of habit. Now my brain is full of information on how to y the game...Oh, forget it CI might as well try it out! I have nothing better to do anyway. First, I need to decide on a race and ss...wheres that die I usedst time? Once online, I was at somewhat of a loss for what to do. I stood at the birth point, wondering, I decided on being a demon bard based on the roll of a die, but how exactly do bards train?Theresonly a shirt, pants and a wooden flute in the supply pouch C dont tell me Im supposed to beat up mobs with a flute?Are all games these days so weird? After nearly a month of training, I found myself liking the carefree lifestyle of a bard more and more. I wandered everywhere with my beloved guqinin hand, mostly training, and asionally entering the town and singing on the streets. I ran my fingers through my hair. Why do I keep feeling like somethings iplete? What is it that Im missing?Oh, forget it C Ill just keep singing my songs. As I was singing, there seemed to be a slight disturbance in the crowd in front of me. My strumming ceased as I raised my head to find the source of themotion. An incredibly handsome young man C stunning enough to elicit breathy sighs C entered my view. He was...gazing at me with a smitten expression? Is he a homosexual? Interesting! For some mysterious reason, I had an inexplicable urge to tease that beautiful youth. For a moment, the two of us stared at one another. Then, I walked over to him...and C behaving as if he were a princess C asked for permission to kiss his hand. Unexpectedly, the young man actually epted my kiss, blushing fiercely. What am I supposed to do next?Shit, I didnt actually have a follow-up n. How do I get out of this embarrassing situation? Why didnt I think things through before getting myself into such a situation? The youth and I looked at each other awkwardly... Umm, you do know that Im a guy, right? The youth asked me suddenly, anxiety in his voice. Another chance to toy with him! I smiled and ced a finger beneath his chin, lifting up the young mans face. Striving to maintain a mesmerized expression as I looked at him, I said, Of course I know. You exude such a spirited aura, how could I mistake you for a feeble little girl? Upon hearing my answer, the young mans face seemed to tense. How odd... Why is the boy reacting this way?Still, his frozen expression certainly is entertaining, I thought,ughing mentally as an evil n formed in my heart. I enfolded the youth in my arms, and with a deliberate sigh, I added, Men are the best. With muscles as firm as these...it feels soooo much better than hugging those soft, squishy girls. The young man smiled atst. As expected, he really is a homosexual, I thought. Its such a waste of that face of his, which can mesmerizeany female between the ages of five and fifty. Within a second, however, I realized I had been wrong... Unexpectedly, the youth was incredibly strong. With a Nine-headed Dragon Strike! he gave me my first taste of death in this game. As I emerged from the rebirth point, I thought, I dont get it. What was going on in that youths head? His actions didnt have the least bit of logic behind them! With questions swirling in my mind, I attempted toe up with a satisfactory exnation for his actions. However, no matter how I thought about it, they just didnt make sense... Oh, forget it. Ill just get back to training! After all, I doubt Ill ever see him again. But why does that thought leave me feeling somewhat...crestfallen? Because they moved slowly, zombies were my favorite mobs for training. This allowed me to leisurely stroll out of their range while casting my Supersonic Soul-Chasing Arrow and to slowly whittle away their HP. Hang in there, Lolidragon! A shout broke my train of thought and I looked up... Its that youth again! I watched as he shouted to a thief, who was running further and further away. I understood the situation instantly, and decided to help them out. Supersonic Soul-Chasing Arrow! I looked at the youth, a feeling of insatiable curiosity in my heart. I would very much like to join your team. For someone who had always been a loner, I marveled at the words that I had never thought I would say. As it turned out, the youths name was Prince C a name that suited him very well. To make matters still more interesting, Prince seemed to be under the impression that I had designs on his virtue. Hehe, mistaking me for a homosexual? Now thats a first! Interesting... then I shall act as one, just for you! From then on, my behavior towards Prince was such that even I found it disgusting. I even cooked dragon XX soup for him C which, unfortunately for me, also wound up being the first time I got beaten up and even stomped on... Oddly enough, for some reason all I could remember was the livid expression on Princes face. The first time I saw Princes tears was when he was kicked below by some damnable girl. I was enraged. Nobody should ever be allowed to do such a thing to him, much less make him cry! Princes face was suited forughing, for acting brutally cool, for being furious, but definitely not for crying... That was the first time I pped a woman, although it was proventer that he wasnt a woman after all. Today, Lolidragon asked me a question: she wanted to know exactly how I felt towards Prince, as shed realized that I was only pretending to be gay. I replied that I only thought that it was rather entertaining to watch his reactions... but damn it, the instant the words left my mouth, I began to doubt myself. Is it really only because I find it fun that I let Prince beat me, punch me? I couldnt figure it out. Today, I met someone in school who greatly resembles Prince... Is it him? I was very uncertain, since he was simr to Prince in some ways, but I couldnt help but feel slightly disappointed. Could he reallybe Prince? In the end, I decided not to give a damn about Princes real identity. After all, the Prince I know in the game is the one whom I like, anyway. I like...? Damn it, what sort of thought is that? Lolidragon came to me with the same question again. Instead of answering her, I retorted C somewhat jealously C with a question on my own: just what was her rtionship with Prince anyway? Why was she so concerned about Prince? Plus, Prince seemed to be pretty close to her, too. Lolidragon didnt answer me; she just looked at me with a smile. That smile...it seemedto say that she knew me better than I did myself, damn it! Many things happened today. The first thing was that I discovered that I had gotten Wu Qing and Prince mixed up C so Feng Yang Ming wasnt Prince after all. The second thing was that Prince got into trouble. As his painced voice came over the team channel, I could feel my insides twisting as well. I hate hearing his anguished voice, I thought, as I ran all over the ce like a madman. However, I still failed to find any trace of him... That was, until I saw him cradled in Wickeds arms. I reached out my arms to carry him, but Wicked just stalked past me, fury shing in his eyes. It made me uneasy... Why? Why must Prince wear that kind of expression as he and Wicked look at one another? I dont like this feeling, I really, really dont! Lolidragon, does Prince like Wicked? I asked her frantically, as though Id gone mad. Eh? I dont know, but I do know that Wicked likes Prince... Lolidragon looked at me. But I like him too! I roared, no longer giving a damn about the consequences. Lolidragon replied, Youre at a disadvantage. Disadvantage? Why? Ive known Prince longer. Wicked... Wicked has only met him a few times. So why am I the one at a disadvantage? Does Princereally like Wicked more? Then do you really love Prince? Have you ever thought about his gender? A painful, forlorn smile crossed my face. I did, but...pared to his smile, his gender is totally unimportant. I only want to protect his smile. I dont care about his gender. Your feelings for Prince really are deep. Yes. I will always watch over him, support him in all his endeavors, ept all his ws, and share all his pain. This I swear. I vow, with all my heart, to protect that smile, forever and ever. Prince, you are my one true love. Wicked: The first time I saw her, she was wearing a pink frock and her hair was tied up with a little bow. She hadrge, eloquent eyes, and it felt as though you could understand everything about her, just by looking into those eyes. Are you going to be our neighbour? she asked, wide-eyed. Yep, thats right. Whats your name? I asked her curiously. Feng Lan, but Daddy and Mommy call me Xiao Lan. I smiled. What an adorable name. It suits her very well. Im Zhuo Ling Bin, but you can just call me Zhuo-gge. Xiao Lan, do you want toe in and have a ss of juice? Yes! Xiao Lan replied happily. Zhuo-gge, will you marry me when I grow up? Xiao Lan asked me expectantly. I heaved a sigh. Are all the twelve-year-old girls these days this mature? Yes, of course I will. How can I say no to you, when youre looking at me with such an expectant expression? I have watched over Xiao Lan since she was young, and now she is already twelve years old and at the age where she will ask people to marry her! I patted Xiao Lan on the head affectionately. Marry Xiao Lan? It sounds like a pretty good idea. Zhuo-gge, youre moving away? Why? Xiao Lan asked me, crying. Dont cry, crying doesnt suit you. I... its because of my fathers work. Dont worry, I wille back and find you for sure. I will, definitely. With an aching heart, I wiped Xiao Lans tears away. I silently vowed in my heart that I would definitely return, and that I would never ever make Xiao Lan cry again. In The World ONLINE... Xiao Lan? I stared dazedly at the person in front of me, at those eyes that Id seen countless times in my dreams C eyes that I could never forget. Its her, isnt it? That silly girl who naively asked me to marry her... Could Xiao Lan have forgotten about her Zhuo-gge? A Zhuo-ggewho had promised to marry her? My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I walked up to her and asked, Would you like to be my in-game wife? She looked at me with some surprise, and then asked me a silly question. Will you take care of me? This silly girl, doesnt she remember that she has a Zhuo-gge? I was slightly worried that she had really forgotten about me, although I had never forgotten about her. Yep! Okay then. She gave a merryugh, and then asked, But why do you choose to y as a beastman? Because beastmen are strong. Ohhh. But theyre so ugly! She really is a silly girl...no wonder she didnt stop to think before agreeingto be my inCgame wife.Id wager that shes been too direct and scared off all the guys, so she couldnt find a husband. Although those were my thoughts, I was still secretly delighted. I read the letter clutched in my hand, feeling helpless. Xiao Lan, youre leaving to y Second Life? Then what choice do I have? Thus, I switched to ying Second Life as well...but where are you, Xiao Lan? Relentlessly, I kept PM-ing Feng Xiao Xiao, Feng Xiao Xiao, but the system indicated that there was no such yer. Xiao Lan, where on earth are you? Dont you remember me at all? Dont you care about me at all? The bitterness that I felt... I could almost taste it in my mouth. I could hardly believe my eyes. Isnt the girl who just walked byXiao Lan?All this time, Xiao Lan has been studying in the same university as me? I schemed to ce myself in her path, hoping she would recognize me, but... She doesnt remember me at all, I realized. The pain in my heart was overwhelming. That night, I logged onto Second Life, my mood a wreck. Ming Bin was throwing a tantrum again. I was hardly in the mood to pay him any heed, but it seemed that he had pissed off this team in front of us. Odd Squad? Weird name. Hmph! If you want a fight, then I will give you one. Im in a lousy mood anyway. Damn it, I cant take it anymore, I thought, deciding to go to Xiao Lans ce in person. By some coincidence, I encountered Xiao Lan at the bus stop. This time, her expression changed as soon as she saw me, and she kept staring at me... Has she finally recognized me?Is that it? I fought very hard to control my smile. By the time we got off the bus, she still hadnt said anything to me, so I decided to talk to her myself. Xiao Lan... you are Xiao Lan, right? I pretended to be surprised to see her. Unexpectedly, she just stared at me, gaping. So she really didnt recognize me. My aching heart twisted painfully at the thought. Have you forgotten me? Im Zhuo Ling Bin. Zhuo-gge, remember? I forced myself to smile. At least she still remembers me... I can still take some small constion in that fact, I thought, mentally mocking myself. I followed Xiao Lan back to her ce. To my astonishment, I found out that Feng Wu Qing was actually Feng Yang Ming. So its not just Xiao Lan who has trouble recognizing people, I thought with a wry smile. Tranny? I could hardly believe my ears. Xiao Lan actually went and became a tranny in-game? So thats why she didnt use the nickname Feng Xiao Xiao... However, she refused to tell me her characters name in Second Life, and even Yang Ming had no idea who she was. I was slightly disappointed, but it wasnt important. After all, I could finally talk to her openly on campus, and even attend sses with her when I had spare time. Cheerfully, I envisioned attending sses with Xiao Lan. To increase our chances of survival in thepetition, I decided on behalf of the team to form an alliance with Odd Squad, despite Ming Bins non-stop griping... Odd Squad really is odd. Theyre actually sending their only warrior Prince as bait to lure away the mobs? Arent they concerned that Princemight die? Prince wasnt dead. However, from what I heard, he had fallen off a cliff C which really was a fate far worse than death. As a matter of principle, we C Dark Emperor Team C should help them out. I tried to deduce which direction Prince would have gone in... and promptly found him lying half-dead in a pool of blood. I walked over to him and fed him a bottle of health potion. He even asked me if I was Gui. So Ming Bin wasnt just mouthing off when he said that Gui and Prince had a weird rtionship, I thought, amused. Oh, so its Zhuo-gge! Prince muttered to himself. Zhuo-gge? I froze. Only Xiao Lan ever calls me that... and if I add to that the fact that Xiao Lan is ying a male character... I peered carefully at Princes face. That pair of eyes...Xiao Lan!Damn it, how could I have been so stupid?Prince is Xiao Lan, and more importantly, shes lying in a pool of blood and in pain! Just then, Gui appeared at the scene, and I was filled with ire. How could they let Xiao Lan experience such excruciating torment? She should be carefully watched over and protected. Furthermore, Guiactually dares to reach out his hands to take my Xiao Lan from me? And Ming Bin even said that they have some kind of weird rtionship? I red at Gui and strode past him. In the end, Xiao Lan asked me not to tell anyone else the truth about her. I wont, especially not that Professor Min! He doesnt deserve to be with Xiao Lan, not when hespletely incapable of protecting her. I will protect you with all my power. I will always stand before you, shielding you from harm. I will never let you experience any pain or sorrow, my Xiao Lan. I swear never to let sorrow fill those eyes again... Xiao Lan, my dearest and most beloved girl. [? Prince Volume 2 Extra Chapter End] Volume 3 Chapter 1 Volume 3 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: The Final Victor C tranted by Samuki Lets get started, Wicked. Dont make me repeat myself, my voice,ced with anger, rang out. Wicked gazed at me solemnly, a trace of mncholy in his eyes. At longst he drew his sword and said, Then, before that C I want to duel Zui. I cant let you keep hogging the limelight. I scratched my cheek, wondering, Had I really been hogging the limelight? Okay...maybe just a little. As you wish. I nced over at Zui and Fan, just in time to see Fan being forced into a corner before being cut in half by Zui. Seems like Fan isnt Zuis match in one-to-onebat, despite being his superior when ites to strategy and tactics... (Or should I say Fans a sneakier bastard?) Could it be that it was very cruel of me to have forcibly hauled Fan back from the brink of death, only to let Zui beat him to death? ...Never mind! At the very least, its better for him this way than being beaten to death by me instead. After finishing Fan off, Nan Gong Zui walked slowly toward me. It cant be that he wants to challenge me to a duel, can it? Interesting! I thought. With a faint smile I raised ck Dao, readying myself. I watched as Nan Gong Zui drew closer to me with each step. Hes about to attack! I tensed up... Thank you, Prince, Zui said suddenly. ...Huh? I froze. Thank me? I massacred all his allies and still the man wants to thank me? You gave Fan and I the chance for a fair duel to the death, Nan Gong Zui hastened to rify as he eyed my unconvinced expression. Besides, that was the main reason why I entered the tournament in the first ce. Oh... Ah, right, Wicked said that he wants to fight you first. I pointed over at Wicked. Nan Gong Zui simply smiled upon hearing that. Theres no need; Im the only one left in my alliance, so theres no point in fighting on. Besides, I have more important matters to settle, so you might as well kill me now, Prince, he said, a deep mncholy in his eyes. His gloomy mood rubbed off on me, and I said softly, All right then... Before I had even finished what I was saying, a swords de suddenly pierced through Zuis chest Cand the owner of the sword was none other than Wicked. Wicked wore an irate expression as he looked at Zui. I can overlook the fact that this fellow became friends with Xiao Lan, he thought, and its no big deal if he had the opportunity to be carried by Xiao Lan in her arms. But now he actually dares to ask Xiao Lan to kill him? Why cant he just go and find some ce to die quietly by himself? Wicked, what are you doing? I eximed, deeply displeased. Zui already said he wanted me to kill him! A flicker of realization darted across Nan Gong Zuis face as he looked at Wickeds resentful gaze. Never mind, it doesnt matter, Prince, Zui said. After Ive settled my business, Ill look you up for a drink... The conversation was once again interrupted as a translucent arrow was fired from behind me, on my right,nding squarely in the middle of Nan Gong Zuis forehead. The culprit, Gui, threw a cold nce at Nan Gong Zui. I thought, I guess you could say that Gui was more chivalrous than Wicked; at least he waited for Nan Gong Zui to say that he woulde back to look for me before he finished him off! Watching as Nan Gong Zuis pir of white light shot off into the sky, Gui and Wicked both revealed sinister, satisfied smiles as they thought,Who asked that slightly handsome bastard to get close to Prince!? Since when were the two of you on such good terms? Even their smiles are identical, I thought as I looked suspiciously at those two butchers. However, as soon as I said that they immediately stopped smiling, and even red hatefully at each other. Two weirdoes... I muttered to myself. I hefted my ck Dao and leveled it at Wicked. Whatever the case, its now time for us to fight to the death once again, Wicked. I really missed your longsword C and your moves that seem toe out of nowhere! Prince... Xiao Lan...thought Wicked, pained. How could he possibly turn his de on his beloved Xiao Lan?Originally, Wicked had nned to perish together with Nan Gong Zui, so that Xiao Lan would be spared from having to kill her friend, and also so that he wouldnt have to swing his sword at his own beloved girl eventhough it would mean letting down his friends in Dark Emperor! Wicked looked towards his teammates and they returned his gaze expectantly, waiting for him to draw his sword. As for Feng Wu Qing, he had long since drawn his own rapier... Feng Wu Qing, if you knew that this was your own sister, would you still be able to attack her? (Feng Lan: You dont have to worry about that, hell be more than happy to thrash his sister C who stole his women from him C till kingdome...) I waited for Wicked to draw his sword, but for a long time he didnt move an inch... Could it be that Zhuo-gge wants to let me attack first? I frowned, feeling extremely ticked off. I want to win, but not this way! I roared, Draw your sword! My fury only zed more fiercely still as Wicked continued to look at me hesitantly. Whats this supposed to mean? That I can only win if people go easy on me? I Suddenly, Gui rested a hand on my shoulder and the look in his eyes seemed to be telling me to calm down. He walked up next to Wicked and murmured by thetters ear, If you dont want to lose Prince forever, then youd better draw your sword. Any kind of concession on your part will only further agitate him. Do you still not understand what hes like, even though youve known him for eight years? The problem is, Wicked thought, Xiao Lan didnt use to be like this. In the game The World, she had always hidden behind him, and was always cajoling him to buy things for her.Wicked felt nostalgic as he recollected Xiao Lans impish antics, but... Now shes really grown up. Now shes always at the front of her team, alwaysughing delightedly even as she fights, weapon in hand; now she knows how to work hard for what she wants. Prince isnt the old Xiao Lan anymore. I admire the current Prince... But I miss the Xiao Lan from before, Wicked added silently in his heart. Wicked looked steadily at Gui. Watch your own back; even if youve just helped me, were still love rivals. Just you wait; Ill still gut you like an animalter. Guis lips curled upwards slightly. My words exactly. Wicked finally drew his sword, and I gave a satisfied swing of my ck Dao. Both teams began to prepare for the battle ahead. Wolf-dg hurriedly told Doll to summon her skeletal minions and then directed us to take up our positions. When the members of both teams had taken up their positions, the skeletons and I stood in a fan-shaped formation in front to protect the rest of the team, while Dark Emperor had Wicked and Feng Wu Qing at the fore. Wolf-dg reminded us, Everyone, the oue of the battle will be determined the moment the mages cast theirrge-scale spells. As such, we have to either cast our spell first, or take down Ming Huang. Lolidragon, youll go and distract yboy Lord, and no matter what you must not let them kill Yu Lian. If you can, finish Ming Huang off. Gui, youll have to pay attention to the enemy archer. Doll, you hide at the back as much as you can and keep the number of skeletons up. Your job is to stay alive. Last of all, Prince, your duty is to protect all the team members. All of us gave Wolf-dg an OK sign. Wolf-dg observed Dark Emperor for a moment, and after making sure that their preparations were ready, he tore a corner off the hem of his shirt and threw it into the air. Everyone watched as it slowly drifted to the ground C andnded! Both sides went into action simultaneously. After releasing his breath explosively, thementator Xiao Li eximed, The final battle has begun atst! Its a showdown between Odd Squad and Dark Emperor which team will be the victors of the Adventurers Tournament? Presently, we can see the Blood Elf Prince engaged in battle with the dark elf Wicked, as well as the human swordsman Feng Wu Qing. The movement of their weapons is so rapid that I, Xiao Li, cant even begin describing their moves. Prince is now executing a series of attacks, following it up with a flying kick, then a low kick... Wicked isnt backing down either, crouching and whirling around quickly to evade Princes attack. Now its Wickeds turn on the offensive with a Z-shaped attack, almost hitting Prince... Has it appeared; is that Princes ultimate attack? Heavens, a series of blows, allced with mes, what an amazing move! But did it hit Wicked at all? Pity... Only one attacknded and once again there is a sh of des. How will this contest between longsword and dao end? Next, lets take a look at how Feng Wu Qing is decimating the ranks of skeletons with his rapier he seems to be holding his own against eight skeletons! The way he handles his rapier is simply incredible; all of his attacks are deadly. The speed with which the skeletons HP is going down has left the necromancer in a fluster... Wait a minute! Everyone quick, look at the battle between the thieves; its like a fight between wind and wind. Did you see that? The two shadows are darting about the stadium relentlessly, drawing close to Odd Squad at times, forced back toward Dark Emperor at others, so quickly that I, Xiao Li, cannot differentiate one from the other! As for the mages on both sides... Are they preparing to castrge-scale magic? No, theyre both now maintaining shielding spells over their teams. It looks like neither mage is able to execute such attacks for fear of the long-range attackers on the opposing team. The mages and long-range attackers havee to a stalemate; it looks like they can only sit tight and hope that their warriors at the frontline will triumph, or that their thieves will be able to sessfully assassinate members of the other team. I see, so it all depends on the warriors and thieves huh? I smiled. I definitely cannot lose to Lolidragon; otherwise shell use her piercingly shrillughter to make jabs at me. I decided to step up the pace, increasing the speed of my attacks. I wonder if you can still manage to keep up so effortlessly, Wicked? I smiled slightly. Ugh...! A sudden re of pain in my knee C Impossible!Id clearly dodged all of Wickeds blows! I looked down and saw that it was actually an arrow, its head buried in my knee. I raised my head to look at Ambusher and sure enough, he was smirking at me. Worse still, a whole volley of arrows was flying toward me. With an effort, I managed to roll away, but an arrow still found its mark in my left shoulder. Cold sweat poured down my back even as pain washed over me. Luckily, Wolf-dg immediately restored arge amount of the HP that Id lost, so I was able to get back to my feet, but only with considerable effort on my part. I turned around hurriedly to face Wicked in case he was going to make use of the opportunity to attack me...but he was just standing there with a look of reluctance on his face. I red furiously at him and even swung my ck Dao in front of his face a couple of times. I think I must be the first person on Earth whos ever had to remind the enemy in the middle of a fight to not hesitate to attack, and even to take advantage of the opportunity tond a sneak attack! Wicked seemed to have finally decided to quit dawdling. wless Circle of Profundity C True de of the Solitary Man. What a bizarre-sounding move... Of course, Im not going to lose to you. Watch me! Ringing de, Frenzied Strike! My ck Dao seemed to morph into a thousand copies, each de striking Wicked from a different direction. Blood spurted as wounds appeared all over Wickeds body, but... True de of the Solitary Man indeed, I thought. I see. Itspletely different from my Ringing de, Frenzied Strike. That move of Wickeds was designed to pierce just one time, but to hit a vital point in the process. Unfortunately, due my wounded knee, I was only just barely able to prevent the attack from piercing my heart by shifting slightly. My daowas around twenty centimeters away from Wickeds neck, whereas his longsword was buried deeply in the right side of my chest. Moreover, the point of the de was angled towards the left side of my chest, at my heart. No matter how you look at it, it seems that Ill be dead before him... Back to main fight, neither Yu Lian, who was maintaining the protective shield, nor Gui, who was waiting for the opportunity to strike, had expected the enemy archer to leave the safety of his teams shield to spring an attack on Prince. It was clearly a kamikaze strategy...but what was still more frustrating for them was that even though Yu Lian immediately dropped the protective shield, letting Gui rain a barrage of arrows on Ambusher, the archer continued to fire a number of shots at Prince before he died. Gui quickly turned to check on Princes condition. Upon seeing the situation, his heart almost stopped, but lucky his hand continued to reflexively fire arrows. Wicked, who had not noticed Gui, was hit squarely in the middle of his forehead by an arrow. He looked at Gui with astonishment in his eyes before turning into a pir of white light and shooting away into the sky. I breathed a sigh of relief, but instantly the pain in the right side of my chest nearly overwhelmed me. Gripping my chest tightly, I forced myself to endure the agony as I waited for Wolf-dg to finish the incantation for the healing spell. I have to get rid of Ming Huang while hes still casting the spell for therge-scale magic... Urgh! I looked down disbelievingly at the de that had just emerged from between my ribs, and then turned my head to look at the owner of the rapier... Its a reallyplicated feeling, dying at the hands of your own brother! I thought. Feng Wu Qing, you bastard, you sure chose a good time to kill your sister! Prince...! Gui gave an ear-shattering roar, but could only watch on helplessly as I followed in Wickeds footsteps and turned into a pir of light. Ugly Wolf, who wasnt able to cast the healing spell in time, could only direct the team to change tactics. Doll, block Feng Wu Qing. Gui, get rid of the mage. Yu Lian... Ugly Wolf turned toward Yu Lian, about to ask her to begin the incantation for herrge-scale magic, but Yu Lian had already seen Ming Huang chanting the incantation and begun chanting her own. Feng Wu Qing could see that the situation had turned against Dark Emperor. Should he hurry back and protect Ming Huang, or should he go up to Odd Squad and kill off their mage? yboy, quit fooling around over there ande over here to help! he roared, even as he backed up to Ming Huang, using his body to shield thetter and frantically deflecting Guis Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrows with his rapier. yboy Lord only smiled bitterly as he thought, Does Wu Qing think that I actually want to fool around? If he hadnt been following that elf thief C who was fast as the wind and could burrow into the ground C closely, she would have assassinated heaven only knows how many members of Dark Emperor already. Still, as the situation seemed to call for a different strategy, yboy Lord gave up on pursuing Lolidragon and turned his attention to the other members of Odd Squad. Lolidragon and yboy Lord were locked in a stalemate as they circled Yu Lian continuously. yboy Lord knew that he would be unable to attack Yu Lian right in front of Lolidragons eyes. He smiled coldly, and with a light step, retreated several meters. He turned around at the same time and the dagger in his hand scored a line across Dolls throat. Thus, adorable Doll was killed and the skeletons that had been about to pursue and attack Feng Wu Qing also crumbled into dust. Damn it! With a single leap, Lolidragon jumped andnded right in front of yboy Lord. Not caring that she was weaker than yboy Lord in terms of physical strength, she attacked him in a flurry of dagger blows. Light danced and glinted off their daggers, and there was the sound of metal on metal as their des met over and over again unrelentingly. ... Wrath of the Nine Heavens! Ming Huang spat out the final line of the incantation viciously. ...Meteor Shower! Yu Lian-ds?o was only slower by a heartbeat. Instantly, the earth and the skies began to heave violently... Shit, both teams thought at the same time. As an aftereffect of death, I was a little fuzzy-headed when I stepped back into the stadium and stood next to Ambusher, who had arrived a long while ago. Id returned just in time to witness an amazing sight C Ming Huangs lightning had consolidated into pirs of electricity, and there were so many meteors descending in Yu Lian-ds?os meteor shower that you could lose track of the number of wishes youd made on them. I searched the arena for signs of survivors...but unfortunately, I couldnt see anyone. Dont tell me its a draw again! Wicked and I survived thest time, but everyone perished this time around? I remarked. I waited silently for the spells to dissipate and for the oue to be decided. Just then, Wicked too came to stand beside me quietly...and then came Doll, with two streaks of tears on her cheeks, and was whining about the pain as she came up to me. The seconds seemed to tick by slowly, and we grew tenser with each passing moment. Thementator Xiao Li seemed to be just as eager as the audience to know the oue. Members of the audience, this is the moment of the tournament that weve been anticipating most. Which team will be the ultimate champions of the Adventurers Tournament, Dark Emperor or Odd Squad? Or were both teams annihted? Ah... The spells have faded away. There seems to be figure in the midst of all that smoke; lets see which side he or she belongs to. Thats, thats... The person lying on the floor is Feng Wu Qing, the human swordsman from Dark Emperor! Although hes close to death, he is still alive. The winning team has emerged! Ah! Its Wu Qing! I couldnt help feeling a little crestfallen, but it made sense that the sole survivor of the deadly storm of magic would be the warrior, with the highest HP and strongest defense. I turned to Wicked. Congrattions on winning. The audience went into a frenzy of roars and cheers. Xiao Lis voice was like the sound of pigs being butchered as he shrieked, Dark Emperor! Dark Emperor has emerged victorious! A hand appeared! From the arenas dirt floor, a hand abruptly shot out. At first only a few spectators stared at it in silence with mouths gaping wide open, but like a contagious disease, that silence soon spread across the rest of the audience as everyone stared at the hand sticking out of the ground... The entire stadium was engulfed in silence! What is that thing? I went numb all over, thinking, Dont tell me its the fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month... Could it be a haunting? No way! Do those things also y online games? Following that, another hand shot up through the ground. More than a few members of the audience couldnt take the terror and were already screaming... Whew... Its a good thing Id taken the pains to learn Burrowing, Lolidragon muttered to herself as she mbered up from the ground and began dusting off the dirt from her clothes. I paid no mind to my image as I gaped at the sight. However, my mouth wasnt gaping that widelypared to the members of Dark Emperor, the audience, and Xiao Li. When Lolidragon had finally finished patting off the dirt, she sauntered over to Feng Wu Qing with an intolerably smug smirk on her face. Yooou look like youre about to die! The evil smile on her face was definitely Satans own; it was a bewitchingly charming smile, but one which you would definitely not want to see twice! Lolidragon raised her dagger, but lowered it after a moment as the smile on her face grew even smugger. She lifted her foot lightly and then stomped forcefully on Feng Wu Qings sr plexus. As she grinded her foot into his chest, she remarked coyly, As the saying goes, dying under the peony, a gant hero even as a ghost. Isnt that right, great hero Chu Liu Xiang? Finally, Feng Wu Qing vomited a huge mouthful of blood and then turned into a pir of white light which shot into the sky... I really cant tell, was he stomped to death, or infuriated to death? Odd Squad, victory! yelled the referee. [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 1 End]

Footnotes

Fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month: This is moremonly known as the Ghost Festival, a traditional Chinese festival that takes ce on the fourteenth day of the seventh lunar month every year and is usually celebrated by Taoists and Buddhists. The seventh lunar month in general is known as the Ghost Month, during which the gates between the realm of the living and the realms of the dead are believed to be opened such that the dead may freely walk the earth. The fourteenth day is known as the Ghost Day and it is on that day in particr that deceased ancestors would visit their living rtives. Dying under the peony, a gant hero even as a ghost: This is actually a line from a poem, which has also be a well-known saying. What dying under the peony actually means is to be killed by a beautiful woman. Thus, the sayings meaning is actually along the lines of a gant hero should act like a man and not mind dying at the hands of a beautiful woman. (In case anyones forgotten, Chu Liu Xiang is the fictional character that Wu Qing loves to emte. Hes supposedly a gant hero but also a huge flirt as well.) Volume 3 Chapter 2 Volume 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Infinite City C tranted by Samuki Why must I be the liege lord? I grumbled, malcontented. I dont even have the foggiest notion of what to do as a liege lord; wouldnt it be better if the position was given to Wolf-dg? Making me the liege lord! Im not even sure what to do with our new territory. What are we going to do with it, farm? Let me ask you, Prince, said Lolidragon in an interrogative manner as she jabbed a finger at my nose, Do you know how to devise strategies ormand troops like Wolf-dg, and so be put in charge of the military department? I cocked my head to one side, thinking, Me, handle military matters? I dont even know what the difference between strategies and tactics is... I dont know how to. Or are you by some chance like Yulian-ds?o, with the talent to manage finances and ounts with iparable skill, able to use money to generate more money, and so manage the finance department? Are you, in addition, a mage, and so able to take charge of the mages department as well? No, I cant. Its already an achievement in itself if I dont spend all of my money, and besides, Im not a mage, I thought, feeling sorry for myself. Then do you have a brain as good as Guis? Are you able toe up with the blueprints for the entire territory and even supervise the entire construction process? I went to a corner to be gloomy. About drawing... People have always said that the dogs I draw looked more like cats. Then do you have my technical knowledge, to be able toy traps around the territory to prevent monsters or other yers from attacking? Not stepping on one of those traps myself, that can already be considered a blessing... There were now two ghost fires floating next to me. Then are you by any chance able to summon skeletons like Doll, to help with the construction? Lolidragon questioned, dealing me a final blow. I didnt expect...that even Dolls more useful than I am! I want to weep... If Im so useless, why do you still want me to be the liege lord? I pouted, sulking. Lolidragon gave me a pat on my shoulder, her face the picture of kindness C or was it faux kindness? C as she looked at me. Thats precisely why we want you to be the liege lord! After all, the only thing you can be is the liege lord, who doesnt need to do anything except be good-looking, be presentable, and not do anything to damage our territorys reputation! So thats how it is! So its because I dont know how to do anything that I can only be the liege lord... My eyes filled with tworge, glistening tears and I whimpered. I must apply myself to learning some skills from now on, otherwise Ill never amount to anything more than a liege lord. ...Is being the liege lord really such a sad thing? wondered the remaining members of Odd Squad. Backtracking a little, back on that day when Lolidragon used Burrowing to safely sit out the havoc wrought by the tworge-scale AOE spells, stomped Feng Wu Qing to death, and then snatched victory back for Odd Squad in the Adventurers Tournament, we went onstage happily to im our prize as a team. We drank in the deafening cheers of the crowd and admired the remarkable sight of the members of Dark Emperor standing stock-still, mouths gaping in shock for an entire hour...until the headaches began. Of all the prizes, the most significant one was a piece ofnd, which we were suddenly saddled with for no reason. ording to hearsay, it couldpare with Sun, Moon, and Star cities in terms of size, and so we had no choice but to start discussing how to manage this piece of trouble... Thisnd of ours is really no small burden. Sun, Moon and Star cities are spread out along the fringes of this continent in a triangr formation; as the cities are quite far from one another, and as teleportation fees are expensive, most yers will usually opt to make one of the three cities their base camp and then train in its vicinity. Our territory lies right smack in the middle of the entire continent, however, and the amount of time needed to travel from ournd to any of the key areas on this continent is pretty much the same. As such, if we y our cards right, well definitely be able to lure most of the yers away from Sun, Moon, and Star cities and get them to settle down here. However, for the same reason there will be many people eyeing this piece ofnd...and that will probably be much scarier than an attack by mobs, Lolidragon mused, frowning. Although the developers have provided us with NPC guards for the moment, once the times up, they will be removed, after which we will have to defend the city on our own. While we can hire NPC guards, theyre overly expensive and, after all, theyre not human yers. Theyck adaptability and thus cannot be the main pir of our defense. We must organize our own defense force, create a vibrant economy, and design our city well... That was how we began to divide the work among us... And, as you can see, because theres nothing special about me except my good looks, I ended up as an ornament C the liege lord! Although the liege lord is supposedly nothing more than an ornament, Prince, I have an assignment for you, to keep you from dying of boredom. Wolf-dg cleared his throat. We have a serious shortage of manpower, so you have to recruit some help. Who am I going to recruit...? My fan club? Youve got to be kidding me! Rose Team. Lolidragon said as she tapped her chin with a finger thoughtfully. Upon seeing me flinch, she hurried to add, Even though there was some unhappiness thest time we met, theyre good people. I dont think they really felt that what happened was your fault. Besides, there are quite a few talented individuals in Rose Team. The big brothers and sisters from Dark Emperor too! Doll eximed delighted. Theyre all good people! Nan Gong Zui! Yulian-ds?o added, even as Guis face hardened upon hearing that name. (His objections were overruled, however.) To have been one of the head honchos of the three major alliances in the tournament, he must have considerable influence. If you can get him to join us, Prince, our forces numbers will be greatly bolstered. Thats right, its basically these people for now, Wolf-dg said with a nod. While were pouring our sweat and blood into constructing the city, Prince you should make use of the time to chat with them and do someworking, and then get them to join us while youre at it. Oh, by the way, itll be great if you can find other talented individuals as well. What do you think? Isnt your assignment quite simple? Biting my index finger, with my head tilted to one side, I thought, It seems to be...quite easy?! Okay, then Ill get going. Itll be tough on you guys! I felt a little guilty. Everyone else will be working hard on construction, whereas Im running off to chit-chat... Sigh! Its all because I dont know how to do anything, thats why Im so useless. Everyone waved cheerfully at me as I left. I too waved back at them enthusiastically, and then embarked on my chatting journey... It was not until they could no longer see Prince that the smiles, which had been stered on the faces of the remaining Odd Squad members, finally came off. Hmm... I feel a little guilty. Weve tricked Prince into carrying the toughest job; I wonder if hell be okay? Wolf-dg remarked, looking slightly worried. Dont worry about it; that fellow has extremely good luck with people in general. Besides, I dont have a conscience to speak of, so I dont feel the least bit guilty, Lolidragon said with an evil smile. Prince is the liege lord after all, so one way or another he has to have a little responsibility! Yu Lian-ds?o smiled, stretching her index finger and thumb as far apart as possible as she said a little. In a troubled tone, Gui asked, But will Prince lose his way? ...That is the most worrying question indeed! Who should I look for first? I agonized. Oh well, I guess Ill look for Dark Emperor first; since Zhuo-gge is there, it shouldnt be that difficult to recruit them, right?! I made up my mind and immediately PMed Wicked, saying, Wicked, where are you guys? Theres something Id like to talk over with you all! ...Were in Star City, but its better if you donte over now. Upon receiving her message, Wicked was initially delighted at the prospect of being able to see Xiao Lan. However, after he took one long look at his drunken teammates sprawled about in the restaurant booth and thought of how they had been talking about hacking the members of Odd Squad into a million pieces just a moment ago while drinking, Wicked thought the better of letting Xiao Lane over. Whats up? I want to rope you guys into managing the territory! I went straight to the point. Hmm... Ill talk things over with my teammates, but theyre too angry to think straight right now, so itll be better if you donte over first. Oh, then I guess Ill look for Nan Gong Zui first, I replied, even as I thought, Rose Team... I guess Ill look for themst. I still felt a little guilty about what happened, so I wasnt ready to meet them yet. Unbeknownst to Prince, Wickeds eyes narrowed dangerously. Youre going to look for Nan Gong Zui?! That fellow Gui actually didnt try to stop you? Yeah, he did. I have no idea why he was objecting, but after Lolidragon got him in a chokehold, he didnt object anymore. (Or perhaps it was because he had no way to voice his objections?) Seriously, Gui gets jealous over just about anything. Are all gays this troublesome? He gets agitated if anyone approaches me, never mind whether theyre male or female... Hes such a poor thing! Dont look for Nan Gong Zui! I guarantee you that Dark Emperor will join you guys! Wicked looked menacingly at his teammates on the floor; woe betide any naysayers! I knew youre the best, Zhuo-gge! Its a done deal then; you have to join us! I said happily, thinking, One team down already, looks like Ill be back with my Odd Squad teammates in no time! Ill go look for Nan Gong Zui now then. Hey! I closed my private channel with Wicked and PMed Nan Gong Zui for the first time ever. Nan Gong Zui, paging for Nan Gong Zui! Who is it? Prince, I reported my name cheerfully. ...The Blood Elf? Nan Gong Zui sounded somewhat startled. Just call me Prince. Why does Nan Gong Zui like calling me the Blood Elf so much? Oh, Prince. Is something the matter? Nan Gong Zui asked enthusiastically. Looking for me to go drinking together? Erm...something like that, and theres some other stuff I want to discuss with you. No problem;e over first! Im in Moon City, just let me know before you arrive, Nan Gong Zui replied, and his voice became tinged with frustration. I still have to settle that problem with my godsister Ice Phoenix first. Sure. It might take me a few days to reach, as Im still pretty far from Moon City, so take your time to settle things, I replied. So, my destination is Moon City? I unfolded the map and saw that Moon City was on the west side of the continent. Which way is west? I looked nkly at the huge moon and the sky full of stars, thinking, Gui told me before that if I can find the North Star, Ill be able to tell which ways north...but what did he say about finding the North Star again? First I have to locate the Big Dipper...but what is the Big Dipper?My head slumped to one side, uprehending. (Gui: I couldnt get you to understand in the end, but didnt I give you apass?) Phoenix, do you mean to infuriate me to death? Nan Gong Zui was on the verge of exploding with anger as he looked at his godsister. Fan is clearly deceiving you; can you still not see that? Why did you foolishly send him yet another present? Ice Phoenix smiled sorrowfully. Dg, is it really so wrong to love a person, to want to make sacrifices for his sake, to want to dedicate yourself to him? I believe that his heart will be truly moved by me one day. You, you...! Nan Gong Zui gave an exasperated sigh as he wondered, How is it that women can be this foolish? I have loved Fan deeply since the moment I firstid eyes on him, Phoenix said. There was an intoxicated expression on her face as she recollected, He is just like a perfect god. Back then, when he walked towards me, I even thought that I was looking at the most handsome Sun God, Apollo! I believe that there is no other person in the world who can rival his perfection. Goose pimples broke out all over Nan Gong Zuis body. Fan certainly is quite good-looking... I wonder, between him and Prince, which one of them would Phoenix prefer? Ah... Fans PMing me, Ive got to hurry over, Phoenix said, almost beside herself with joy upon receiving Fans message. I forbid you to go Before he could finish speaking, his godsister was already gone, and so Nan gong Zui had no choice but to hurriedly chase after his godsisters disappearing figure. In the end, I still took the wrong path. I inadvertently walked to the East instead, and thus wound up in Star City...after which I chose to simply travel to Moon City via the teleportation station. As it turns out, Moon City was actually a Chinese-styled city. As I wandered through the city, I happily admired the bamboo buildings, rednterns, and the streets full of fan-waving swordsmen. Talk about how the culture of a city influences the character of the people living in it... Thats odd, why did my brother, that Chu Liu Xiang-wannabe, end up in Star City instead? I mused as I gnawed on a stick of candied haws that I had just bought. Stop right there, Phoenix! Nan Gong Zui grabbed Phoenixs hand angrily. Let go of me, Dg; let me look for Fan! Phoenix wailed. I chewed another candied haw as I watched the scene unfold before my eyes, thinking, Looks like my lucks pretty good; I found Nan Gong Zui without even having to PM him! Fan sauntered over slowly towards the duo from the other end of the street with a smile on his face. Nan Gong Zui, dont you think that your behaviors rather unsightly? You couldnt win your godsisters heart, so youre resorting to brute force now? What did you say? Dont spout nonsense, I just dont want her to be deceived by a bastard like you, Nan Gong Zui roared, enraged. Nan Gong Zui, you should be more careful about what youre saying. Whos deceiving her? Phoenix, have I ever tried to deceive you? Fan asked, and his expression was one of confidence. I made everything clear to you, including the fact that youre only one of the women Im seeing. I know. Its okay, I dont mind at all, Phoenix replied, mesmerized by Fans handsome side profile. Fan shrugged and gave Nan Gong Zui a helpless look. You... Nan Gong Zui was so furious that he had drawn his sword and was about to charge forward and duel Fan. Terrified for her beloved, Phoenix hurried forward to bar Nan Gong Zuis path. Stop it, Gge! I wont allow you to harm Fan! Nan Gong Zuis expression revealed how wounded he was by her action. Phoenix, you... Dg, I... Phoenix was wracked with guilt, but also unwilling to budge. The atmosphere grew heavy as the situation stalemated. I swallowed thest candied haw, licked my lips, and tossed the remaining bamboo skewer into the trash bin. ...An infatuated woman, a worried brother, and a heartless and dissolute yboy; this is quite the detestable soap opera. Allow me to break up this meaningless drama! I thought with a devilish smirk. I straightened my posture, affixed a slight smile to my face, elegance oozing from every pore. Right now I am...the most perfect Lord Prince!In a low and warm voice, I said, Nan Gong Zui, is that you? All those present turned to gaze at me C or more urately, stared at me, blushing fiercely, their hearts thumping furiously C and I saw with satisfaction that even Ice Phoenix was looking at me infatuatedly. With elegant steps, I walked up to Nan Gong Zui, remarking, My apologies, I arrived early. Id meant to take a look around first and then pay you a visit. I hope its not too much trouble? Its not... Nan Gong Zui looked at me with uncertainty. In his head, Nan Gong Zui was thinking, The Prince here today seems...quite different from before? Hmm, thisdy here... She must be your godsister, Ice Phoenix, correct? I turned towards the stunned-looking Phoenix and shed my most brilliant and peerless smile C one which could mesmerize both women and men C at her. Nan Gong Zui often mentions you! Re- really? Phoenix stammered as she stared fixedly at my face, enraptured. Youre just as adorable as he described! Inching my face closer and closer towards her as I spoke, I could almost hear her heart as it thumped wildly in her chest. Finally I took her hand lightly in mine, raised it to my lips, and brushed the back of her hand with a kiss. Phoenix breathed in sharply, and then actually fainted... Now I know that Im hot enough to make people faint, I thought, as I carried the unconscious girl in my arms, mildly exasperated. Nan Gong Zui,e and im your sister! ... Nan Gong Zui came over and took Ice Phoenix from me wordlessly. Its you again, Prince! Fan snarled. The mask of serenity that he had been wearing was starting to crumble away. I grinned maliciously at him. What? You wanted to see me that badly? Who would want to see you? Fans face had be twisted with hatred. Aiyah! Still trying to act tough? I walked up to Fan with slow, deliberate steps, not forgetting to give him an ambiguous smile. If you wanted to see me you just have to say so. I guarantee you that Ill look you up whenever Im free. Get away from me, Fan said, backing up three paces, and he even remembered to draw his sword and point it at me. Iughed coldly. cing my hands on my hip in a show of magnificent unconcern, I said, You sure you want to fight me? Hearing that, Fan hesitated. He hadnt forgotten the Blood Elfs prowess on the battlefield, but there was no way for him to back out when his own reputation was at stake, and so his sword remained leveled at me unwaveringly. My expression changed, growing severe within an instant. Dont evere near Ice Phoenix again. You should know that from this day on, her heart no longer belongs to you. Fans face became almost mottled with rage, and heughed mockingly before saying, Blood Elf, arent you a little too nosy? What happens between Phoenix and I is really none of your business. Hmph, Nan Gong Zui is my friend, his sister is my sister, so how can I stand by idly and watch as Phoenix gets yed by a beast like you? I drew my ck Dao and watched with considerable satisfaction as Fan paled, which made me decide to challenge him further. If you want to fight, cut the crap ande at me! Fan looked at me with a sick expression, and then deliberately nced at Nan Gong Zui, who was standing nearby. nning to fight me two on one, is it? I replied coldly, Quit looking for excuses, you know very well that Nan Gong Zui wont interfere. Thats hard to say! Fan retorted nastily, sheathing his sword. Ive no interest in being ganged up on by two people! I said no more and only looked coldly at Fan. After all, I didnt really intend to fight him here on the streets, especially not for a reason likepeting for a womans heart... Fan shot me an icy look before he turned to leave. One day, I will exact from you everything you owe me, Blood Elf. I lifted an eyebrow. Ill be waiting. Sigh, this visit to Nan Gong Zui has left me with yet another beauty for a suitor and earned me the enmity of a formidable rival... If he still refuses to join us, even if hes a friend, I will definitely turn him into mincemeat. With that thought, I turned to look at Nan Gong Zui menacingly, but he continued to look at me with innocent confusion. Nan Gong Zui, are you going to join me or not? I demanded, grabbing his cor. Huh? In Nan Gong Zuis house... I see, so its about the territory you won! Nan Gong Zui smiled. Have you decided on the name for your city yet? I was taking a long sip of my bubble tea, but I immediately froze upon hearing Zuis question. My citys...name? What? You guys havent decided on it yet? Nan Gong Zuis astonishment was evident. I cocked my head to one side, thinking, Maybe they have already decided on it but forgot to tell me? Wait a minute, let me ask them. Wolf-dg, does our city have a name yet? ...Oh no, we clean forgot about that. Prince, since youre the liege lord, you think of one! was Wolf-dgs irresponsible reply. After youvee up with a name, you might as well go and register it with the Office of Land Development in the city. Thats all. Why is it like this... I frowned. They asked me to think of name myself! Nan Gong Zui, help mee up with a name. ...This kind of heavy responsibility is best left to you, the liege lord! I thought and thought, turning my head inside out and back again as I racked my brain for an idea, any idea...but I copsed on the floor in tears in the end. Uwaaah, I just cant think of anything! I turned my tearful gaze to Nan Gong Zui in a silent plea... ...Why not call it Infinite City, to represent the limitless potential of the future? Nan Gong Zui pronounced after mulling over it briefly. Excellent name! I dashed up to Nan Gong Zui and sped his hands. Looking at him with gratitude-filled eyes, I said cajolingly, Since youve already helped with the founding of Infinite City, you cant run away now! You have to join us, okay? Please, Zuiiiiii... ...I think we should be able to join you guys. Ive no problem with it, and our teams Phoenix is definitely going to follow you, which means that her older sister will too. Her sisters husband is our teams priest, and his younger brother is our teams thief, and the remaining person in the team will probablye along as well. ...Its agreed then, I- I have other people to look for still, so Ill leave it to you to meet up with my teammates in Infinite City. The smile on my face had stiffened. What Zui just said...did he mean that if I dont take responsibility for Phoenix, her sister and two brothers-inw will definitely hunt me down? Sigh, how am I going to survive in the future? I considered getting Gui to design a secret room for me to hide in. Sure! No problem at all. Thanks, Zui, I smiled cheerfully, thinking, Thats another assignmentpleted! Nan Gong Zui gave me a friendly knock on my chest and said, Dont sweat it, what are friends for! Come on, lets go register your citys name and then go for a drink. I smiled foolishly... Will I actually be able hold my liquor? This is the only thief in my group, Kong Kong, Nan Gong Zui introduced the drinkingpanion that hed invited along, the petite thief Kong Kong. Hello, Im Prince, I introduced myself politely. Dont be fooled by how thin and small Kong Kong is; he can handle even a thousand drinks. You should watch out, Prince, Nan Gong Zui said with a heartyugh. I joined in andughed heartily as well...but inwardly I felt really helpless! Ive never gone drinking before andIll be in a drinkingpetition with two men the first time I go drinking? Dear heavens! Isnt that asking a little too much from me? Waaah... I dont care anymore! Its not my problem no matter how things pan out! Let us first toast to Prince for sessfully clinching victory! Cheers! Nan Gong Zui yelled. Cheers! Kong Kong too, lifted his cup and yelled. Cheers! I could only follow their lead. I stared at the liquid in my cup for three seconds, gritted my teeth, and then gulped down the contents of my cup... It burns! I fought to hold back the tears. Dont tell me Im going to have to guzzle down a whole lot more of this in a moment? It cant be, right? I want to cry... After three hours... Another round! I bellowed, swaying unsteadily as I held up my cup. Urgh... I cant, Prince. Youre just too strong, lets stop drinking... Kong Kong groaned from where he sat, half-sprawled out on the table. If we keep drinking, Ill really die... Hahahahaha, you cant out-drink me! Iughed wildly, but my body was swaying uncontrobly. And you still say you can handle a thousand, a thousand drinks?! Thats because you, you wont copse even after ten thousand drinks, Prince. Zui, who had passed out earlier, suddenly woke up and said. He massaged his temples. Lets stop drinking and go back! Okay... I replied, feeling a little sullen. The three of us staggered along the moonlight-flooded street. A faint feeling of mncholy wrapped about my heart and I suddenly felt the urge to draw my weapon and vent my feelings. Without sparing another thought, I drew my ck Dao and, like a person possessed, I swung and hacked and shed, leaping and dodging furiously, roaring...until I was too exhausted to continue my rampage. I stood still, panting, all the moves that Id executed up until now in the game shing through my mind. Eventually, I began to dance, the techniques melding together into a seamless flow, a dance. Bathed in the clear, icy moonlight, hearing only the delightful sound of my ck Dao whistling through the air, I felt euphoric and a smile crept onto my face, growing wider and wider. The moonlight, the de, the slender, flitting figure, and the arrogant yet refinedugh C which only an elf could be capable of C wove together into an achingly beautiful melody which echoed throughout the rustic Moon City. Hahahaha...haha! Iughed wildly. Excellent! An excellently proud swordsman, Nan Gong Zui roared approvingly. Lets test how good you are, Prince! With that, he drew his sword and leapt in front of me. Our des met with a resounding ng, like a song of steel crashing down on the silence of the night. Here Ie as well! Kong Kong couldnt resist drawing his dagger and joining the fray, swift as a wind. I aimed a kick at Kong Kong even as my dao continued to fend off Nan Gong Zuis sword, and then followed up with a twist in mid-air, evading theirbined attack. The three of us were like children fooling about on the street, dodging here and darting there, striking out at one another with our weapons from time to time. We fooled about in this fashion and had a whale of a time...until we reached Nan Gong Zuis ce. After waving goodbye to Zui, I looked up at the star-studded sky, suddenly filled with the desire to explore the ends of the earth! And so my legs carried me toward an unknown street... [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 2 End] Volume 3 Chapter 3 Volume 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Everyone has Assembled C tranted by Eilinel Sheesh, Prince hasnt been replying to my PMs for a few days now, Lolidragonined. Well, you know that hes a really careless person. He probably just didnt notice the messages, Ugly Wolf replied absently. Hows the trap-settinging along? Weve only covered one-quarter of the perimeter. Honestly, this city is toorge, Lolidragon answered, her brow furrowing. Ugly Wolf turned toward his wife. Yu Lian, do we still have sufficient funds? Yu Lians brow was also deeply furrowed. She replied, If we build ording to Guis blueprint, we wont be able toplete the construction of the city just by depending on the tournaments prize money. I n to build half the city first and open that part of the city to the public, and then continue to build the rest of the city with the tax ie. Cant we just ask Gui to amend the blueprint? Ugly Wolf asked with some anxiety. We can do that, but in my opinion, if we want to operate this city for a long period of time, or even make this city thergest city on the Central Continent, then Guis blueprint is perfect. Yu Lian eyes shone as she spoke. She added, Im certain that we will not regret it in the future, even if we have to work harder now. Youre probably right. As expected, you are more farsighted than I am, Ugly Wolf said with an affectionate look at his beloved wife. Wolf... said Yu Lian bashfully, and the two of them gazed at each other with eyes full of love... Ill go and check up on Doll and Gui! Lolidragon said quickly and walked away, looking rather embarrassed. Lolidragon left the building, which was still under construction, and strode towards Doll, who was working hard to direct her skeletal minions to build a wall, and Gui, who was supervising the remaining NPCs and yer workers. Hows the situation? Is everythinging along alright? Lolidragon asked. Were slightly behind schedule, Gui replied, not looking altogether pleased. Sigh... It cant be helped since we simply dont have enough funds, so we cant hire more workers. If not for Dolls skeletons, the construction would probably go on for months. Sigh... It would be nice if Prince could quickly find us some recruits and hurry back. Every little bit of help counts, Lolidragon said as she sat down, propping her chin on her hands in worry. Doll suddenly came dashing over with a delighted expression on her face. Wicked-gge is here and all the big brothers and sisters from Dark Emperor have arrived as well. As usual, Wicked was at the fore of his team. They walked up to Gui and Lolidragon and stopped. Youre finally here, Gui said, raising his eyebrows and looking as though he wasnt in the least bit surprised to see Wicked. Wheres Prince? Wicked asked, frowning. Not back yet... Gui replied, troubled. Hes still at Nan Gong Zuis? Wicked demanded as a vein popped on his temple. And you didnt do anything to stop him? Prince isnt my prisoner; on what grounds am I supposed to stop him? Gui retorted acidly, and then added, Besides, we really do need Nan Gong Zuis help. Although what Gui had said was the truth, Wicked still continued to re fiercely at Gui. As for Doll, she was happily holding both Ming Huangs C whose face was ck as a thundercloud C and Wu Qings hands. Yay! Doll missed all of you big brothers and sisters very much! Did Ming Huang-gge and Wu Qing-gge miss me too? Feng Wu Qings face softened, his disgruntled expression slowly reced by a smile as he patted Dolls head and said, Yes, I missed you very much! Its just that there was a certain someone whom I really didnt want to see. When he mentioned a certain someone, Wu Qing fixed a re at the female thief who was busy feigning innocence. Ming Huangs expression of annoyance had started to slip as well, and when Doll turned to peer at him with herrge, guileless eyes, he instantly surrendered. Yes, yes, I did miss you, he said reluctantly. yboy-gge, ck Lily-jijie, Doll greeted the two smiling individuals and gave them each a peck on the cheek. Just then, Ugly Wolf and Yu Lian emerged from the temporary headquarters and approached Dark Emperor with evident delight. You guys are here, thats great! I was really worried at first that Dark Emperor might not be willing to help us. Ugly Wolf shook hands with Wicked. We would not be so churlish. So long as we lost the showdown in a fair and square way, why should there be any resentment from us? Feng Wu Qing said as he gently fanned himself, sounding for all the world like a perfect gentleman... Then who was that person who got drunk and said that he wanted to kill everyone from Odd Squad, especially Lolidragon? The remaining members of Dark Emperor looked at Feng Wu Qing helplessly. Nevertheless, thank you all very much for your willingness toe and help out. Itll really help to lighten our workload, Ugly Wolf said with a broad smile. Yu Lian mumbled to herself, frowning, Its still not enough people. I wonder if Prince will be able to convince Rose Team and Nan Gong Zui to help out. Of course he can! A voice roared from the city gate, which was still under construction, causing the members of Odd Squad and Dark Emperor to look sharply in that direction. A cloud of dust, apanied by hoof beats, approached them swiftly and the person in the lead was none other than Nan Gong Zui himself. He rode up to Odd Squad, then abruptly stopped and dismounted. The one hundred and fifty riders at his back dismounted as well. Prince isnt back yet? Not yet... The two teams answered in unison and stared dazedly at the ranks of a hundred and fifty riders and a hundred and fifty horses. I see. Then Ill have to wait until he returns to introduce our liege lord to my fellows. Here, let me introduce you all. This is my adventurers group C The Righteous des. It consists almost entirely of warriors, plus a handful of priests and mages. As you can see, its an adventurers group with very high offensive power. Nan Gong Zui could not conceal a look of pride as he regarded the group which he had founded. An adventurers group! Lolidragon eximed, moved by the impressive sight of The Righteous des. She added, I knew that the strength of Princes dumb luck and poprity is nothingmon. To think that he even managed to recruit an entire adventurers group! The members of Odd Squad and Dark Emperor nodded in agreement unconsciously... Prince is definitely unusually popr. Nan Gong Zui only gave a small smile when he heard what Lolidragon said. He said, The sole reason that I came here is because Prince is truly a person worthy of respect. My adventurers group and I deeply admire the way he treats his friends and his martial prowess. All of us are very pleased to be a part of Infinite City. Infinite City? Ugly Wolf asked, feeling slightly bewildered. Huh? Hasnt Prince told you guys yet? I helped him to decide on Infinite City as the name for the city. Weve already registered it, Nan Gong Zui asked, puzzled. Infinite City! I cant believe that thest people to know the name of the city are us, the ones who own it! Where on earth did Prince run off to? Lolidragon eximed totally losing her cool. Yu Lian rubbed her temple and said, Could it be that he didnt dare to look for Rose Team and was afraid of getting scolded by us, and so he decided to simply go missing instead? I dont think he would go that far; shouldnt he already be ustomed to getting scolded by us? Ugly Wolf said, sounding a tad worried. Maybe he was rejected by Rose Team and felt so hurt that he decided to hide somewhere? Dont tell me he lost his way and fell from some cliff again! Gui said, his face white as a sheet, and even Wicked looked worried upon hearing that. What? Did he really fall from a cliff? Ice Phoenix C who was standing next to Nan Gong Zui C demanded anxiously upon hearing Guis words. Who are you? Gui and Wicked turned their heads in unison to look at Phoenix, their eyes narrowing dangerously. Before Phoenix could answer, a person who looked like a thief suddenly interjected, Its not possible for Prince to do something as silly as falling off a cliff. And who might you be? Gui and Wicked once again turned to shoot a re each at the speaker. Nan Gong Zui immediately introduced them, This is a mage in my adventurers group, Ice Phoenix, and the other is a thief, Kong Kong. Kong Kong has gone drinking together with Prince and I before. Additionally, this is Phoenixs older sister, Madame White Bird. She is the strongest female warrior in my group and my second-inmand. Her husband, Chuang Wai, is one of the priests in the group. From what Ive just heard, why does it seem like Prince is a muddle-headed sort of person? Madame White Bird remarked, not wholly pleased. She did not wish to see her sister, Phoenix, fall in love with yet another weird person. Turning to Kong Kong, she demanded, Kong Kong, it was you who said that Prince is strong, proud, and possesses extraordinary martial skill. You said that he is gentlemanly in his attitude toward women and is both frank and loyal towards his friends, a veritable man amongst men, which was why I did not object to the decision to be part of Infinite City. So why does Princes character seem very different ording to what theyve just said? Kong Kong instantly retorted, I dont know why they spoke of Prince in such a way, but Ive seen with my own eyes that Prince is exactly like how Ive described him to be. After all, Ive gone drinking with him and exchanged blows with him before. He is prideful and his martial prowess is at such a high level that even Captain Nan Gong and I couldnt win against him together. He always treats girls with a tender smile on his face; you can ask Phoenix about this. As for friends, you have all seen it for yourselves that day on the battlefield. Did he not go to Captains rescue, even though they were opponents at the time? Is that really the case? Madame White Bird asked doubtfully as she looked at the members of Odd Squad. Thats right. Prince is indeed as all of you have described. We were just joking around to lighten the atmosphere, please dont take it seriously, Ugly Wolf answered with a serious face... Overall, it wasnt a lie. Their description did fit Prince, and as for the other aspects of him, since they didnt ask...then there was no reason to mention them! Nan Gong, is that really the case? Madame White Bird looked at Nan Gong Zui sternly. Nan Gong Zui nodded. Yeah. Moreover, although he may appear proud, he is actually quite easy-going and is easy to get along with. He hesitated for a moment and thought, Thats how it is, right? Although Prince does do some pretty weird things at times! Still, that probably doesnt need to be mentioned... Madame White Birds expression softened and she looked at Odd Squad apologetically, saying, My apologies for having doubted your liege lord, but I had to be certain about this since the matter concerns the whole of The Righteous des. Besides, the happiness of my worrisome little sister is also at stake here. Phoenix always falls in love with some unsuitable person or another, making me worry. Still, this time it seems like shes finally fallen in love with the right person, White Bird thought, and felt a knot of worry undo in her chest. No problem at all, you should be vignt indeed, Ugly Wolf said even as he ignored the voice of his conscience. When will we be able to meet the liege lord? Madame White Bird asked. With regard to that, our liege lord is currently travelling around in the hopes of recruiting more people to help us construct and manage the city. Im afraid all of you will have to wait for a while before we can introduce him to everyone. On the surface, Yu Lian answered Madame White Birds question calmly and unhesitatingly. Privately, however, Yu Lian said through clenched teeth over team channel, PM Prince straight away and dont stop PMing him until he replies. If they catch sight of Prince in his muddle-headed state, Im afraid well lose this hard-toe-by adventurers group. Shes right, thought the rest of Odd Squad. Their thoughts went to the sight of Prince biting his index finger and looking muddle-headed. If the members of The Righteous des see that sight, things will definitely get real messy. With that thought, everyone began to spam Prince with PMs. I see. It must be hard for our liege lord, Madame White Bird said, nodding her head understandingly. Then let us discuss about the cement of everyone first, and about the personnel who will take up the key officers job. Ugly Wolf voiced his opinion. Sure, no problem, Madame White Bird replied unhesitatingly. Just as they were all about to enter the temporary headquarters, Doll suddenly caught sight of some very familiar-looking people at the city gates. Eh! Its Rose-jijie and the others, she cried out. The members of Odd Squad turned to look. Sure enough, loitering by the city gates was none other than Rose Team. All of them looked slightly embarrassed as soon as they realized that Odd Squad had spotted them. Ugly Wolf promptly walked toward Rose Team, saying, So Prince found you guys; thats great! Prince? Broken Sword asked, looking a bit taken aback by Ugly Wolfs words. Wasnt it Prince who recruited you guys to help with the construction of Infinite City? Ugly Wolf asked with uncertainty in his voice. His expression had also changed visibly. Everyone from Rose Team looked at each other in bewilderment. Finally, Rose said apprehensively, We didnt encounter Prince... We heard that you guys had won the tournament, so we wanted toe and apologize for the incident that happenedst time, and also to see if you needed any help. So thats how it is. Then where on earth has Prince run off to...? Ugly Wolf said, feeling a headachee up. However, as soon as he remembered that at his back stood the members of The Righteous des, he immediately said loudly, It looks like you came here before Prince could even find you guys! Thats great; we really need Rose Teams help. But, thest time, I vented my anger out on Prince. Im really sorry about that, Broken Sword said, remorse clear on his face. It really wasnt his fault at all. And I shouldnt have forced my feelings on Prince like that, and even...kissed him, Rose said, lowering her head. Her cheeks were flushed. Fairsky poked her head out from behind Lil Strongs broad body, teary-eyed. Its entirely my fault; I shouldnt have used those wrong ways to court Prince. I really know that Ive behaved wrongly. I wont do it again. Yu Lian patted Fairskys head gently and enfolded the younger woman in her arms. Fairsky immediately began to sob softly. Dont worry; Prince has never med you guys. He always wanted to reconcile with everyone from Rose Team. When he returns, Im sure hell be delighted to see all of you. Upon hearing Yu Lians gentle exnation, everyone from Rose Team heaved a sigh of relief, and smiles finally appeared on their face. Rose, Fairsky... Are the two of you still in love with Prince? Lolidragon asked worriedly. These two girls had already suffered too much anguish over Prince, so much so that even Lolidragon felt sorry for them. The members of Rose Team suddenly looked at Rose with uncertainty, while Rose merely lowered her head bashfully. Next to her, Broken Sword ced an arm around her shoulder and said with a smile, Rose is my wife now, so of course she doesnt like Prince anymore. Thats debatable, actually, For Healing Only jibed yfully, causing Broken Sword to give him the evil eye. I wont give up on Prince, Fairsky suddenly shouted loudly as she pulled away from Yu Lians arms, two streaks of tears coursing down her face. Her loud announcement surprised everyone. I know that my past methods were wrong, but Ive improved since then. Ill definitely move Princes heart with my patience and deep love. Hearing her words, Ice Phoenix came forward and demanded, You like Prince too? Fairsky looked at Phoenix doubtfully. You said too? Dont tell me that you are also in love with Prince? Thats right, and I will never give up either. Phoenix said firmly, pronouncing each word clearly. There was the crackle of electricity as lightning bolts appeared between Fairsky and Phoenix. In an iparably icy voice, Gui said, Prince is mine! While everyone else was trying to wrap their shocked minds about Guis sentence, Wicked had begun to re at Gui fiercely. Nonsense, Prince is mine! There was another crackle of lightning... All the people present gaped as they watched two men fight over another man, with the exception of Odd Squad and Dark Emperors members. Most of them had knowing expressions on their face; in particr, Ming Huang had pursed his lips and was ring at his brother, Wicked, with an indignant expression. Seeing that her sisters face was turning pale, Madame White Bird turned to Odd Squad, and demanded fiercely, Prince, hes...hes a... Prince is definitely not a homo! Lolidragon guaranteed with a stern look on her face. Its the truth too! Its just that Prince is simply too handsome, so even guys want him for themselves, she exined. This is simply too much fun! Lolidragon thought, copsing withughter inwardly. She couldnt wait for Prince toe back and see this messy situation... Hehehe! Both Phoenix and Fairsky heaved a sigh of relief, and then they red at the two gays and said in unison, I warn you, dont you dare lead Prince astray! Hes mine! Then the two girls turned to re at one another again. No, hes mine! Both men roared, and then they joined ranks of those ring at one another. Not baaad at all; they have enough people for a game of mah-jong, and they even have amon topic to chat over, Lolidragon said nonchntly. ... [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 3 End] Volume 3 Chapter 4 Volume 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Jing and Yun C tranted by Eilinel As soon as I opened my eyes, I couldnt help but exim admiringly, Such a blue sky! Iy therezily for a while, marveling at the sky blue expanse before my eyes. When I stood up reluctantly at longst, I peered around at my surroundings and bit my index finger, puzzled. Where on earth is this ce? Wow, there are seagulls here! Pleasantly surprised, I watched as an entire flock of seagulls flew by... Eh? Is that a sail? Ive never seen such arge sail before... This thing underneath my feet, I think its called a deck? I walked up dazedly to the ships railing and gazed into the distance. What a blue sea, and theres a salty-tasting sea wind blowing this way. Hoho, its sofortable, I thought, grinning foolishly for a full ten seconds, and then realization hit me... Wait a moment! I looked left and then right. My god! Its a blue ocean as far as the eye can see. Where has my belovednd disappeared to?Why am I on a ship? Where am I heading to? Dont panic, dont panic! I tried to calm down. There must be some reason as to why I am here. I attempted to recall what had happened. I remember that I was drinking with Nan Gong Zui and Kong Kong; the liquor burned as it went down my throat and was very hard to drink...and then? I held my head in my hands and thought as hard as I could, but simply couldnt remember a thing. Just what exactly happened after that? Suddenly, I spied someone from the corner of my eye. I rushed over and seized him by the arm. Excuse me, big brother, but could you tell me where this ship is heading to, please? I asked worriedly. This ship is the Star of the Ocean, which sails from the Central Continent to the Eastern Continent. Didnt you know that? The man, who resembled a sailor, wore a questioning expression on his face as he answered me. The Eastern Continent? I stared at him nkly. The Eastern Continent? Since when did Second Life have so many continents? ...This world has a total of five continents: the Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern, and Central Continents. This should bemon knowledge! The sailor stared at me as though as I was a freak. So thats how it is? Then where am I from? Judging from the ships course, youre probably from the Central Continent, right? I rubbed the back of my head, grinning foolishly. Youre probably right! I eximed. So how can I get back to the Central Continent? Although sailing on a ship is quite an interesting experience, Ill definitely get a dressing down from my teammates in Odd Squad if I dont hurry and look for Rose Team. You can take another ship back when you reach the Eastern Continent. How much longer will it be until we reach the Eastern Continent then? Probably another five more days or so! Cant chat with you anymore; Ive got work to do. The sailor walked away, muttering to himself, What a weirdo; the ship fare is this expensive and yet he wants to return even before hes reached the Eastern Continent... Wait a second! Five days, then including the return trip, itll be ten days altogether? I want to cry, itll be a miracle if I dont get scolded to death this time. I sighed. I guess I might as well tell my teammates first. Guys, I have something to tell everyone... Why arent they responding? Paging Odd Squad, paging Odd Squad... Still no response from them? Thats impossible!Shouldnt there be at least someone online at this time? I grew panicked and hastily grabbed the Sailor-dg again. Dg, why am I unable to reach my teammates via the messaging system? Having been forcibly stopped by me, the sailor asked me exasperatedly, Where are your teammates? On the Central Continent, I answered obediently. yers on different continents cannot use the PM channel tomunicate with one another; this includes the team channel as well. While youre at sea, you can only PM yers who are also on the ship. My jaw hung ck with shock. Im in deep shit this time. There was nothing else that I could do, however, so I simply sat woodenly on board the ship. At first, I could still look at the blue sky and the ocean, but I nearly went mad with boredom eventually. The sailor-dg told me that its the off season right now, with very few yers taking ships, not to mention ships that leave in the small hours before dawn, so Im the only yer on board this ship, waaaaah! I rolled forward, backward, to the side... Im so booooored! God! What on earth am I going to do? Even the NPC sailor-dg has gone into hiding after being pestered so much by me, so theres no one around for me to talk to. I buried my head between my knees intively, my eyes red with incipient tears. Waaah, Lolidragon, Wolf-dg, Gui, Doll, and Yu Lian-ds?o, I miss you all so much, waaah! Id realized only now how lonely I was without the rest of Odd Squad around. Mama, why cry-cry? A child-like voice came from my pouch. I froze for a moment, and then quickly opened my pouch. MEATBUUUUUN! I took Meatbun out and hugged it tightly, showering it with kisses, pinches, and cuddles. I forgot that I still have you. Mama, Meatbun-bun feels pain-pain! My hand had gone on a rampage, pinching Meatbun all over and causing thetters bun skin to turn red. Just like before, Meatbun C which was afraid of pain C began to cry, with mega-huge teardrops falling from its eyes. Erk! Shit. I hastened to console Meatbun in a kindly manner. It wasnt very effective, however, and Meatbun still ended up crying like two faucet taps turned on at full st... Erk! This is really bad, Im afraid Im about to be the first yer to find out whether NPC ships can sink or not. With Meatbun cupped in my hands, I tilted my head to one side and thought, Hmm, the situation probably wont be as bad as I thought. At least I know how to swim doggy-style. Although our liege lord is away on business, this city still requires managing, so well just assign each person their position first. If Prince is dissatisfied with the arrangement when he returns, we can reshuffle the positions. Ugly Wolf looked at all the people below him. Although we dont know where Prince has run off to, we still have to get everyone settled in first! I only hope that nobody will resent the arrangements. He heaved a sigh at that thought. Really, where on earth has Prince vanished to? Lets do that then, Nan Gong Zui said calmly. As I am unfamiliar with where all of your expertise lies, I will first assign positions to those whose abilities I am familiar with. Team leaders, please inform me if I miss anyone out. Ugly Wolf began to list out names seriously. Nan Gong Zui, Broken Sword, Wicked, and I will be in the military department, Yu Lian in the finance department. Gui and Lolidragon will be in the construction department for city nning and military infrastructure C such asying traps around the city C respectively. Lolidragon will also serve in the foreign affairs department, together with Doll. Nan Gong Zui smiled slightly. I think I can only take charge of training the troops. I usually leave the task ofing up with military policies and battle strategies to White Bird; she is an expert at that. Madame White Bird raised her eyebrows and remarked, A person who can lead troops into battle and a person with the talent to map out strategies andmand battles from afar are often not one and the same. I suggest that the military department be further divided into two sections, one foring up with strategies and another formanding troops C that is to say, having two different types of positions: generals and military advisors. This will make things clearer for everyone. Ugly Wolf considered it for a moment, and then replied, What you say makes sense; well do it that way then. Nan Gong Zui, Broken Sword, and Wicked shall each be one of the three Generals, while Madame White Bird and I will act as the Left and Right Advisor respectively. Is there any other question regarding the military department? Seeing that no one else had any opinions on the matter, Ugly Wolf went on to the next issue. As for the finance department, I really have no idea who else has expertise in this area aside from Yu Lian from my team, so may I ask if the other teams have experts in this field? My team rmends Rose, said Broken Sword, and everyone in Rose Team grinned at Rose as he added, Rose isnt any ordinary expert in this field; shes practically the goddess of financial management! I wish to join the finance department. Im not an ordinary expert at minding money either, Ice Phoenix said with a confident smile while the members of The Righteous des nodded their heads wildly in agreement. Ugly Wolf nodded his head happily. Thats great, Yu Lian wont have to run finance department all by herself then. Next, apart from Gui and Lolidragon who have been assigned to the construction department, I hope that all the thieves can aid Lolidragon in setting up traps. After all, this city is simply too big, and itll be impossible to rely on Lolidragon alone for this. Ugly Wolf looked at the thieves who were present, and both yboy Lord and Kong Kong nodded. Is there anyone here who is familiar with city nning or overseeing the construction process? Ugly Wolf asked, frowning. Fairsky pouted for a moment and then answered reluctantly, I am, but I dont want to work with him. She red at Gui fiercely. You should not mix your private affairs with work, Fairsky, said Broken Sword sternly. Im sorry, said Fairsky with a stricken look. Then I shall join the city nning section and do my best to help Gui out. All thats left is the foreign affairs department then. Is there anyone who wants to help Doll and Lolidragon? Ugly Wolf asked. Lolidragon said with a smile, I rmend Feng Wu Qing. Feng Wu Qing retorted, Hmph. Why should I join the foreign affairs department? Especially if youre in it. Aiyah, is it possible that the great hero Feng Wu Qing is unable to distinguish his private affairs from work? Does he intend to waste his skill withnguage and let mold grow on it instead? Lolidragon asked caustically. Or is he afraid that his achievements will lose to mine, and so decided that he might as well not join? Feng Wu Qing gnashed his teeth with hatred. Me? Lose to you? I will most certainly join the foreign affairs department, and then you can see for yourself who is the true expert at diplomacy. This round, victory goes to Lolidragon! thought all the people present. Then we shall follow this arrangement for now! Ugly Wolf finished up the personnel chart with satisfaction. Next, we need to discuss the matter of The Righteous des. Although the city is currently being protected by the game admin, we will need to shoulder that responsibility on our own soon. As everyone knows, there are countless yers eyeing our city for their own, so we must swiftly increase the number of yers in our forces and decide on the method to manage them. Ugly Wolf looked directly at Nan Gong Zui, meeting his gaze squarely. I will say it straight. A city cannot have two lieges, and it seems that the entirety of our military defense depends on The Righteous des. Nan Gong, are you certain that you are willing to let your own group serve Prince, that you are willing to be Princes subordinate? Nan Gong Zui looked at Ugly Wolf, resolution clear in his eyes, and he said clearly, If Prince were here, I could kneel down and swear my fealty to him in front of everyone from The Righteous des. I am not truly a good leader. I have known from the very beginning that I do not possess the aura of true ruler, Nan Gong Zui exined slowly. Instead of letting The Righteous des remain an ordinary group beneath my leadership, I would much rather find a better leader than me to lead them. And now, Ive found one. That fellow, Prince... I dont know why, but I always think that the sight of him smiling gives people a veryfortable sort of feeling, Broken Sword said with a grin. I really want to see him standing on the city walls,ughing with that wild, arrogantugh of his. Legs replied coolly, Really? I always felt that that fellow, Prince, is something of an idiot...so long as youre a friend, he will trust you unhesitatingly, and will even be willing to throw his life away for you. As Legs finished speaking, however, there was a slight smile on his face. His de dance is a true feast for both the heart and the eyes, Kong Kong said, shaking his head with an admiring sigh. Feng Wu Qing said awkwardly, Although there was some unpleasantness between us earlier, his fighting prowess is really pretty impressive. All right, all right, everyone, please dont continue singing Princes praises anymore. Otherwise, even if he isnt here, I think his backside will still stick up with conceit, Lolidragon hurriedly interrupted their praising. Sigh! Her head ached as she thought, If Prince doesnt show up with an image that lives up to their expectations when he returns, there will be big trouble. Ugly Wolf too didnt know whether tough or cry. Anyway, lets get the development of Infinite City well under way before Princees back. No problem! They were all filled with confidence, ready to prove themselves in front of their proud, mighty, and steadfast liege lord... I knelt on all fours on the floor, scrubbing, scrubbing, and scrubbing the floor. Uwaaaaaaah.... How was I supposed to know that the ticket for the ship would be so expensive, actually costing five thousand crystal and three gold coins? I only had five thousand crystal, three gold, and ten copper coins, how was I to know that I wouldnt have enough for dinner? Actually making me, the only yer on this ship, scrub the floor as payment, theyre simply too heartless, I muttered to myself as I scrubbed the floor. Sigh, Meatbun, why is it that you dont have arms? Otherwise you could be helping me with scrubbing the floor. Meatbun, which had been sitting obediently on top of my head from since the beginning, could not understand what I was muttering about at all, and so could only keep making the same reply, saying, Yes, Mama. I scrubbed, I scrubbed... Wait a second. No money? The return ticket has to be purchased right? This. Is. BAD! My body turned weak as jelly. Five thousand crystal coins! Thats the amount that Ive saved up from the time I started ying the game until now. I did give some of my money to the team, but itll still take a lot of time to earn five thousand crystal coins... What am I to do? Then that basically means that I wont be able to go back for a very long time. Plus, I cant message my friends; theyll probably be worried about me. Hey, weve arrived at the Eastern Continent, Sailor-dg shouted. I looked at Sailor-dg dazedly. Dg, is there any other way to obtain a ship ticket other than by buying it? No! Dazedly, I was shooed off the ship. Dazedly, I stood in the unfamiliar port. Only the smitten gazes directed my way were familiar. Looks like this face of mine is also pretty popr here on the Eastern Continent; dont tell me I should sell my body to earn money? Gururu... growled my stomach. Im so hungry. I want to eat, I thought. Hugging my stomach, I remembered that I didnt have a single copper coin on me and immediately my entire body went weak as jelly again... Looks like Ill starve to death before even getting around to selling my body for money! Unable to endure the insistent grumbling of my stomach any longer, I made up my mind. Time to go hunting! I eximed, but...which way is it to the forest...? After a moments thought, I figured that any ce that has trees should be a forest. By then I was so hungry that I had almost be a corpse, so it was with impatience that I rushed towards the forest. As expected, there I found my adorable little wolves... Meatbun, I dont have meat buns for you to eat right now, so just try and eat some wolf meat! I stuffed wolf meat down Meatbuns tiny mouth even as I greedily devoured some myself. Tears welled up in Meatbuns eyes as it reluctantly chewed the wolf meat. Tastes bad, Mama. Really? I think its delicious! Anything will taste good when you on the verge of starving to death, I thought. I swallowed thest piece of the tough wolf meat contentedly and theny down on the grass on theke bank, rubbing my stomachfortably. How on earth am I going to contact my teammates? I felt troubled. Its a pity that Lolidragon isnt here to answer my questions; only now do I realize that shes actually very useful... So I finally have to rely on myself? I remarked to the air sadly. I watched the clouds in the skies as they scudded by, feeling somewhat stoned, somewhat lonely, somewhat lost. Closing my eyes, I muttered, I dont like the feeling of being separated from everyone else. My eyes flew open. I jumped to my feet and roared at the sky, I WANT TO GO BACK! Are we taking the ship now, Mama? Meatbun asked happily. ...Yep, well be able to take the ship once Ive earned thest of that five thousand crystal coins, I replied. First, I should go and kill mobs for cash. As for selling my body...well talk about that again when I really have no other choice! Ill fight stronger mobs, I thought. That way Ill earn money faster. I checked the contents of my pouch. Seeing that there were still a few health potions inside, my mind was set at ease and I began to make my way deeper into the forest. As my surroundings grew darker and darker, I cautiously rested my left hand on the hilt of my dao so that I could draw it at a moments notice. Theres movement in the trees! I slowed my footsteps to a halt. Looking at the clearing in front of me, I could see that the silhouettes of a number of monsters. A smile crept onto my face and I drew my ck Dao. Looks like Ill be able to return to my team soon. Day Two... I sundered two mobs with one swipe of my de and then sheathed my dao. This is monster number...? This is the five hundred and fifth one, Meatbun answered dutifully. I exhaled. How many gold coins do we have? Meatbun turned its white and chubby body around and, with some effort, burrowed into the pouch. After a while, that white and chubby body wriggled out. One hundred and thirty five gold coin-coin, Mama. Hmm, Ive gotten used to the types of mobs they have here on the Eastern Continent, plus I also have enough money to buy health potions and mana potions, so I should be able to venture further in. I looked at the precipitous valley in the distance and wondered, Should I go there to look for higher level mobs? Higher level mobs have a higher chance of dropping rare items. If I can get several rare items, I might even be able to head back immediately. Right! Get ready, Meatbun. After you use Aroma Release, we might encounter a boss! I was in high spirits. Meatbun-bun is ready! Meatbuns tiny face was filled with childlike determination. Its so adorable! After I ced Meatbun on top of my head, I began to make my way towards the unknown valley. As I walked, my surroundings grew darker, and there would be gusts of chilly, sinister wind from time to time... So cold, I thought. My teeth were chattering and I had no choice but to dig out a long-disused cloak from my pouch and put it on. When I felt warmer, I resumed walking toward my destination. Heeelp... There suddenly came a cry for help. I froze for a moment and then began sprinting over to rescue that person. When I arrived on the scene, I saw a girl being chased by around five or six ming Skeletons.... Odd, why does this scene look kind of familiar? I stopped to think. Dont tell me this is yet another necromancer whos been frightened by her own skeletal minions? Hang in there, Jing! Ill save you once I drink some potions. The male voice came from behind the girl. The girl wailed, Hurry up, Yun, Im going to die! Jing? Yun? Why do these two names sound kind of familiar? I sank back into my thoughts once again... Just then, the girl seemed to have caught sight of me. Help, please help us kill these skeletons! she cried. That face belongs to L Jing...my best friend in real life My god, Yun? Dont tell me its Gu Yun Fei? I lifted my head to look at the guy behind her. No mistake about it! It really is Yun, I thought, rooted to the spot with astonishment. So Jing and Yun were on the Eastern Continent, and we met here by sheer coincidence; looks like my good fortune is not the run-of-the-mill sort. I beg you, could you save me, please? Jings eyes were glistening with unshed tears as she rushed towards me like a damsel in distress. Oh... I replied somewhat dazedly. I grabbed Jing and pulled her behind me. Drawing ck Dao, I ducked and with a low sh, hacked both feet off a skeleton. Against the next one, I simply sundered it into two, and then separated the first skeletons skull from its body with a reverse sh... Against mobs like ming Skeletons, Ive long since been drilled by Doll to the point where Im practically fighting out of reflex, and can make short work of a single skeleton. Before Yun even arrived at a run to help out, I had already dispatched the five ming Skeletons with great ease. Holy...youre really strong, Yun said, gaping at me. Should I say something in reply? Will they figure out that Im Feng Lan? I felt a little hesitant. You really are extremely strong, unlike the two of us, who are really weak... There was a sorrowful look on Jings face, and she even heaved a sigh. You can save that act of fragility C which you use to lead people to their deaths with no intention of paying with your own life C for someone else, Jing! Against me, your best friend Feng Lan, that move ispletely ineffective! I chuckled to myself inwardly. About my best friend, Jing, I know her too well. Jing may look like a delicate, pitiful Lin Dai Yu on the surface, but...in reality, shes actually a peerless Taekwondo expert. Yun too, sighed softly. Its entirely my fault. I cant even protect you as a friend because my levels too low. Dont say that, Yun. Im already very grateful that youre willing to help me level, Jing said, looking at Yun with gratitude. Sigh, I really wish that an expert yer would be willing to help us with our training. It is unfortunate, but how could it be possible that an expert yer would be willing to help total strangers like us? Yun said with a downcast expression. Once again Jing looked at me bashfully. We are most grateful to you for saving our lives, Expert-dg. I am called L Jing, and this is myfriend Yun Fei. May we ask Dg for his name? I could feel a tingling sensation in my scalp as I was being cajoled by Jing. Whenever Jing cajoles somebody, that person will inevitably suffer an unspeakably horrible fate. After I failed to reply for a while, Jings eyes misted with tears. Could it be that Dg is unwilling to tell even his name to Jing? What should I do? I thought, panicked. Should I tell them that Im Prince? But Yun seems to know a lot about Prince; he probably found out that Prince is on the Central Continent before I did. How will I exin to them the reason for my appearance on the Eastern Continent, especially when I dont even know the reason myself?! Jing, since Dg is unwilling to tell us his name, its clear that he has no interest in small fries like us, so lets not make things difficult for Dg anymore, said Yun indignantly. Then quit calling me Dg... I thought, exasperated. But... Sigh! I thought weve finally found a Dg who is a powerful fighter, a man of his words, and a righteous person, and then Dg and I will... The blush which had mantled Jings cheeks and the worshipful expression on her face suddenly gave way to iparable disappointment, and her voice sounded choked. Since... Since Dg looks down on Jing so, then...then... Dont be disappointed, Jing. Im sure that Dg didnt mean ill. It must be that he has something pressing to attend to, otherwise how could he possibly bear to leave us behind...especially such an adorable beauty like you! consoled Yun. Next to him, Jing continued to maintain her pose as a delicate and weak young woman. *Sweat* I finally understand what theyre trying to achieve, I thought. So theyre trying to use Jings beauty to lure this Expert-dg into training the two of them! As we are best friends, in principle, I should help them in their training. However, Im in a rather unusual situation right now. Not only am I worried that theyll find out that Im Feng Lan, Im also worried that theyll figure out that Im Prince. How am I supposed to help them in such a situation? I heaved a helpless sigh. Why do you sigh, Dg? Jing asked, concern in her voice. I looked into Jings eyes, which were filled with concern, and thought, Although I really cant tell if shes truly concerned about me or just faking it, I still feel a little moved... Oh forget it; Ill just help them out! After all, Ive not shown them any concern ever since we started ying Second Life, and theyve neverined either. If I continue to refuse to help them, Im afraid Ill really have a guilty conscience. Having made up my mind, I coughed a couple of times. Feigning the attitude of an Expert-dg, I said, Ask not my name, meddle not in my business; follow me as you will! Listening intently, I could hear Yun muttering to himself, saying, Wah... He really is a pro! As I walked, I suddenly remembered, How am I supposed to lead them when I still dont know their sses and levels? Your levels? sses? I threw the two questions at the two people who were following me closely. Yun introduced himself enthusiastically, Dg, I am called Yun Fei. Im level forty-five, and Im a human Barrier Master. Xi?omis name is L Jing. Im level thirty, and Im a human Exorcist, Jing replied shyly. Exorcist? Barrier Master? What sort of sses are those? Why have I never heard of them before? My footsteps slowed to a halt, and scratching my face, I had no choice but to admit my ignorance and ask, Please exin your sses to me. Yun grinned at me as he replied, Barrier Masters are pretty rare, so Dg probably wont be familiar with the ss! As the name suggests, a Barrier Masters main job is to create barriers. The barriers have a multitude of uses; for instance, the most basic barrier is the t Barrier, which can block an attack from beyond. Some barriers can even reflect attacks, such as the Mirror Shot ability. Alternatively, I can create a three-dimensional barrier, inflicting all kinds of status conditions on yers or mobs inside the barrier. For instance, I can cast Weakness Barrier, which will cause their attacks to deal less damage, or I can use Slow Barrier to cause mobs to move slower. I nodded; his ss is kind of like Guis in the sense that theyre both support sses. Offensive abilities? Barrier Masters dont have any offensive abilities, said Yun, still grinning at me. No offensive abilities? I felt stunned for a long while. No wonder Yun leveled up so slowly; you cant train alone if you dont have offensive abilities! Thats odd, he cant train by himself? Then Yun must have a team! But Ive never heard him mention it before... I frowned. Dont you need to return to your team? I dont have a team. Yunughed, embarrassed, and exined, Most yers dont really understand the Barrier Master ss. And since they hear that my ability revolves around creating protective barriers, they would rather find themselves a mage. In addition, my level isnt high, so there are limits to the effectiveness of my barriers, which is why I still havent found a team till now. No wonder Yun, who is such a training freak, is still only at level forty-five, I realized. I really cant begin to guess how much time it took him to train all the way to level forty-five. A heavy feeling grew in my chest as soon as I thought of how I, his best friend, never even thought of helping him. Its time that I do my best to help Yun out, I thought. Dg should be more familiar with the Exorcist ss, Jing said with a smile. Exorcists mainly use Fu to cast different kinds of spells. Exorcist? I thought an exorcist would be using a bell tomand zombies... From Jings exnation, it doesnt seem too different from a mage... I continued walking with my head full of questions. However, I knew enough now that I understood that Jing could cast spells and that Yuns was a support-type ss, so I stopped asking them questions, and began to think hard instead. What would be the best type of mob for us to train on? This is bad, Im not that familiar with the mobs here on the Eastern Continent. Which type of mob exactly should we fight? All of sudden, Yuns smile became particrly fawning. Dg, might Xi?od be so bold as to suggest a good ce to train? I stopped in my tracks. Yuns suggestion had just solved my dilemma. Say it. We can train on Lesser Demons. They yield high experience and have high drop rates for treasures. Plus, there are a number of quests involving them. Theyre great for leveling, getting gear, and earning money! Yun said excitedly, and then embarrassment crept across his face. But a pro yer like Dg probably has no need for money. It might be true that Im notcking money, but Imcking a ship ticket that costs five thousand crystal coins. I really wonder when we will finally have enough money. Why is the ship ticket to the Central Continent so expensive?! Jing said with a weary sigh. I was astonished. How does Jing know that I need money for the ship ticket? Yun and Jing both looked embarrassed. Dg, actually were trying to save up enough money to take the ship to the Central Continent. We intend to look for our friends there, exined Yun. Ah, so I misunderstood them. Looks like Yun and Jing really n on going to visit Professor Min Gui Wen and Prince...to visit me? Theres no need to go; Im already here for both of you to see, I couldnt resist muttering to myself. What? Jing, who had sharp hearing, asked, puzzled. I hurriedly cleared my throat. Nothing. Oh? Jing shot me a dubious look. Lets go and kill some Lesser Demons then! I said, hastily changing the topic. Lets get the quests first. Okay, Dg, Yun replied me cheerfully, but...as Yuns best friend, even with the hood of my cloak obstructing my gaze, I can still tell that theres something wrong with that overly-brilliant smile on his face. I have a bad feeling about this... Im not going to die by my best friends hands, am I? I stood quietly outside the White Tiger Citys Adventurers Guild, waiting for the two people who had brought me to this city to be done with obtaining their quests. Fortunately, there was a huge map of the Eastern Continent hanging outside the Adventurers Guild, so I could finally see for myself the geography of the continent currently under my feet. I think it makes no difference if I see the map or not, though,I thought. After all, I can lose my way all the way to Star City when Im really trying to go to Moon City, so how can I possibly hope that a map alone would allow me to go sightseeing on the Eastern Continent freely? I raised my head and took a casual look at the map. The Eastern Continent, as the name implies, is a continent to the east of the Central Continent. There are four admin-controlled cities here, and they are located in the four cardinal directions: to the east, Green Dragon; west, White Tiger; south, Red Phoenix; north, ck Tortoise. The continent really has an Eastern feel to it. Its no wonder even the sses are extremely Eastern as well; even the food is Chinese! Beneath the hood of my cloak, I was busily munching the xiaolongtangbaothat Id just bought. Ill buy some wontons in chili oilter, I decided. Dg , weve obtained the quests, Yuns bright voice rang out. Ehhh! I wont be able to buy my wontons in chili oil, damn it! To thank Dg for helping us, will Dg allow Yun Fei and L Jing to treat him to a meal? Yun asked, his face shining with sincerity. As for me, of course I would be happy to be treated... Ah, my wontons in chili oil, Iming! Along the way... Dg, is it alright with you if we dine at Oriental House? Dg, is it really impossible for you to tell us your name? What if we get separated along the way? Dg, your cloak is really stylish. Im guessing that you must have a really fit body as well? Cant you let Xi?od have just one glimpse? Dg, may Xi?od be so bold as to ask you what your race is? Since you are such a strong warrior, I think you must be from the human race, right? Or are you a beastman? But youre not that powerfully-built, so I dont think you are one. Weve almost reached Oriental House; has Dg eaten at Oriental House before? If you havent, then I guess Dgs base camp probably isnt White Tiger City huh? From the beginning till the end of our walk, I hadnt so much as uttered a word. Weve reached Oriental House, Dg, said Jing, smiling happily as she pointed to a red, traditional building. The food and wine at this restaurant are all pretty good, especially the wine. Their Clear Tranquility wine in particr is famous in White Tiger City! Dg, why dont you order a few main courses to fill up your stomach first, and then order some light dishes to go with the Clear Tranquility. Right, thats right, one seldomes across such a good Dg, Xi?od must have a good drink with Dg today, said Yun,ughing heartily. Drink? What should I do if I wake up and find myself on the Western Continent the next time? As soon as I received the menu, I hastily ordered my wontons in chili oil, in addition to a lot of other delicious-sounding food. Finally, I put down the menu reluctantly and waited for my mouthwatering dishes to be served. Thats all, and bring us two bottles of Clear Tranquility, Yun told the waiter. I watched, with eyes full of anticipation, as the dishes were served one by one. Although I still havent seen my adorable wontons in chili oil yet, its not a bad idea to tuck into the other dishes first, I thought. My hand rose, the chopsticks plunged, and a fragrant bite of food was delivered into my salivating mouth. Its a good thing Im shielded by my cloak, otherwise my Expert-Dg image would bepletely ruined. Yun picked up my wine cup and began to pour just about the entire huge bottle of Clear Tranquility into my cup. Dg, shall we have a drink first? I couldnt be bothered to answer him. With such delicious food before me, who cares about best friends? I stretched my ws towards the dish of silver thread rollsonce more... From the top of my head came the sound of Meatbuns child-like voice. Mama, Meatbun-bun wants to eat-eat too. Baffled, Jing and Yun peered left and right, searching for the source of the voice. I froze; Id nearly forgotten about Meatbuns existence entirely. Looks like Meatbun fell asleep on top of my head, thats why it was so quiet all this while! I snatched a silver thread roll, snatched Meatbun from my head and ced it on myp, and then stuffed the entire roll C which wasrger than Meatbun C into Meatbuns mouth. Finally, I stuffed Meatbun back into the pouch. Its finally quiet, I thought, and heaved a relieved sigh. Of course, the entire operation was carried out beneath the cover of my cloak. Cloak, oh cloak, you really are an indispensable tool for secretly feeding pets and maintaining ones image! Thats odd, I thought I heard a childs voice just now? Jing remarked, frowning. I lowered my head and engrossed myself with eating upon hearing that. Seeing me tuck in, Jing and Yun stopped bothering me and picked up their chopsticks to begin eating as well. Isnt this Xiao Jing? A somewhat irritating voice came floating to my ear. Which person is it who has no eyes to see that hes bothering me in the middle of my meal? I narrowed my eyes and raised my head to look... My god, this is such a ssic, such a ssic fop! He was a little simr to Fan, with all that shining, shy golden armor, but he had none of Fans elegance or divine harshness. What made his appearance still more ridiculous was that jewel-encrusted helmet on his head and that red cloak embroidered with dragons he was wearing. There was only one word to describe him, and that was...vulgar! Its my first time seeing someone so vulgar that heaven and earth would be shocked and the demons themselves would weep. I doubt that Id have such aical effect even if I were to wear gold bars for clothes! Its a pity because this persons looks can still be considered quite handsome, but thanks to that outfit, he just feels intolerably vulgar, sigh! I lowered my head and continued to dig in. If I keep looking at him, Im afraid my eyesight and taste will both be damaged beyond repair. There was a sour expression on Jings face as she looked at the vulgar dandy. Yun too, was not like his usual self as he continued to eat silently with a frosty look on his face. Xiao Jing, why didnt you say a word if you were eating here at Oriental House? I trust those bastard waiters didnt ask you, thedy boss, to pay right? If they did, Ill have to reprimand them, said the fop, and the crowd behind himughed half-heartedly. Lady boss? Since when did Jing open this restaurant? Why havent I heard her mention this? I wondered as I munched on a chickens foot. Huang Wei, dont you dare go too far with your words! Who do you think youre calling dy boss? Jing mmed the table and stood up sharply, enraged. Huang Wei? Not a bad name, but on this person, it sounds... I continued munching on my Taro Pie. Of course its you, Xiao Jing. This Oriental House is mine, and you are my beloved wife, so of course youre thedy boss! Huang Wei leered at Jings beautiful face. Yun finally had enough. Jing isnt your wife, so quit spouting your nonsense. Its obvious that youre just a huge pervert who keeps pestering Jing. His voice clearly showed that he was trying to control his rage as he spoke. Huang Weis cheeky smile was gone in a sh, reced by a look of contempt, although to me, it looked more like the expression of a person who had just stepped in dog poo. So, a piece of garbage like you still dares to stick to Jing? I told you before that Ill kill you every time I see you. Did you not understand or do you enjoy being killed? Eh? The dish that the waiter is carrying to us now, isnt that my favorite wontons in chili oil? I swallowed my saliva and stared fiercely at that delicious-smelling, enchantingly red dish of wontons in chili oil, my heart aching. As for whatevers going on nearby? I have no idea, my stomachs doing the thinking now. So what? Even if you n to kill me, Jing will still stay by my side, and not yours! Yun smiled at him fearlessly. The look on Huang Weis face suddenly changed, and he roared, enraged, Damn you, dont get too ahead of yourself! Just you wait; I will thrash you just like this dish. With his right hand, Huang Wei snatched the dish from the waiter, smashing it on the ground and then stomping on the dish and its contents with his foot. I watched as the wontons in chili oil, which had almost been delivered to me, was suddenly snatched by a hand from the waiter before my very eyes, after which the vividly crimson wontons slid from mid air andnded onto the ground amid the shards of the broken te. On top of that, a damnable foot stepped onto it and even grinded itself into the mess; and so my wontons My wontons in chili oil...are gone? Hmph, dont think that Im easy to bully, I have a Dg, said Yun, looking at me confidently. A Dg? Hahaha, so what? Huang Wei looked scornfully at me. He beckoned with his hand and immediately the five or six Xi?ods at his back rubbed their palms and clenched their fists, clearly itching for a fight. I do have a lot of Xi?ods, though. Why dont we see how many blows can your Dg take from my Xi?ods? Jing and Yun were both extremely pale, and Jing said coldly, I forbid you to harm the two of them, Huang Wei. Fine, then be my wife obediently, and then, hehe... Huang Wei began tough brazenly. Suddenly, I jumped,nding on the table lightly on both feet, and then leaped toward Huang Wei, drawing my ck Dao in midair. Light danced off my de, and Inded behind Huang Wei. Shameless! I said coldly. As you must know, every grain on a dish is the result of hardbor. It isnt a simple thing to make a dish of wontons in chili oil, so how can he waste food like this? Especially when that food is mine! Even if the heavens do not punish a person like him, I will! All the people present were taken aback, wondering, What on earth just happened? Just then, Huang Weis neck suddenly slid to the side. First, a trickle of blood began to seep down his neck, then C as the crowd watched, wide-eyed C an entire fountain of blood began to spurt into to air, and Huang Weis entire head was propelled by the flow of blood away from his body. It rolled a few times on the floor, and then he turned into a pir of white light and left, leaving behind only a puddle of fresh blood on the floor. How is it possible? Yun murmured. Huang Wei was wearing a helmet and full body armor, how can it be so easy to separate his head from his body? I looked with a heavy heart at the corpses of the wontons on the floor, feeling extremely pissed off. After so much anticipation, only for my hopes to be dashed in the end, it really MAKES. ME. PISSED. OFF! I leveled my ck Dao at the Huang Weis five Xi?ods and, in an extremely cold and harsh tone that I rarely use, I said, Ten seconds. Be gone, or die! The Xi?ods froze. They looked at me, clearly reluctant to leave but also afraid toe forward. None of them dared to move. Hmph! I snorted coldly. Lightly pushing off against the ground with both feet, I skimmed across the floor swiftly until I stood in front of the nearest Xi?od, and then executed my famous technique: Nine-headed Dragon sh! Laced with mes, the ten consecutive shes scored beautiful lines of crimson in the air at lightning speed. As the final blow, I brought my weapon down heavily onto the enemy, cleaving him in two. Then I slowly rose to my feet and sheathed my de before turning back to my seat. As I turned, that unlucky Xi?od turned into a pir of white light and left. From the beginning until the end of that disy, no one had moved. It was only after I returned to my seat that the rest of the Xi?ods finally began to flee for their lives. I picked up my chopsticks with satisfaction and went back to attacking my food. After a long while, Jing and Yun finally recovered their senses. They returned to their seats nervously, but did not continue with their meal and only stared at me, wide-eyed. After another long while, I put down my chopsticks and said sternly, Yun, Jing, Dg has something to ask of the two of you. Yun gulped, while Jings expression was one of rm. What is it, Dg? they said in unison. Can I order another serving of wontons in chili oil? ... [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 4 End]

Footnotes

1 Nan Gong: This is not a typo. Nan Gong is Zuisst name. 2 Lin Dai Yu: A famous female character in Chinese literature, Lin Dai Yu ( prn. ln di y) is one of the main characters in the novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hong Lou Meng). She is the epitome of the damsel in distress C beautiful, fragile, easily heartbroken, and ultimately, dead. In the story, Dai Yu and her older cousin, Jia Bao Yu, the young master of the Jia house, fall in love. However, Dai Yu was not well-liked by members of the house as she came from a rtively impoverished branch of the family. She was also easily depressed, or sorrowful C for instance, she collected fallen flower petals and buried them, then asked, Today, I buried these flowers. When I die, who will bury me? Jia Bao Yu and Lin Dai Yus rtionship wasplicated by the fact that Bao Yu was being match-made to another cousin, Xue Bao Chai, who wasparatively more lively and sensible than Dai Yu. Bao Chais family was also wealthy, thus Bao Yus family favoured his match with her. At the end of the story, Jia Bao Yu married Xue Bao Chai, but this was not by choice C he was deceived into believing that he was marrying Lin Dai Yu (since the brides face is covered by a red veil till the night of the marriage). In the end, it is revealed that Lin Dai Yu had passed away from illness. Upon learning the truth, Jia Bao Yu decided to be a monk. For more information, refer to Wikipedia: . 3 Barrier Master: Possibly a reference to the manga Kekkaishi. Note that kekkaishi means barrier master. 4 Xi?omi: This means little sister. Though this is usually used to refer to females younger than oneself, it can be used to refer to oneself in a cutesy or humble sort of way. 5 An exorcist: Technically, the word should be tranted as a Taoist, but only because exorcisms of this sort are usually carried out by Taoists in fiction. Modern Taoists are not always exorcists, however, so in this case the specific (exorcist) is more urate. 6 Fu: As Prince notes in the next line, exorcists use bells to exorcise in most Chinese dramas. However, fus, which are usually special paper with characters written on them with an ink brush, are used usually to render a zombie immobile. This is how is the scene in Chinese period drama horror movies usually unfolds... Zombie hops (in Chinese movies, they dont shamble, they hop) into the scene.Exorcist chants or makes some weird motion and the fu paper flies from his hand and sticks itself to the zombies forehead.Zombie stops moving (and sometimesbusts).Exorcist rings the bell. The spirit leaves. If the person possessed is still alive, he/she will wake up. 7 Xi?od: This means little brother. Though this is usually used to refer to males younger than oneself, it can be used to refer to oneself in a cutesy or humble sort of way. 8Xiaolongtangbao:Xiaolongbaos are sometimes known also as soup dumplings. They have translucent flour skins as opposed to fluffy skins like meat buns or mantous, and they are usually small enough to fit into a Chinese soup spoon. The filling is usually a mix of minced pork, chopped spring onions, garlic, seasoned with various condiments, and then mixed with soup stock, after which it is frozen and takes on a gtinous form. When steamed, the fillings melts and the xiaolongbao will be filled with soup. Fancier variants may even include crab meat and roe. For more information on the normal xiaolongbao, please refer to this Wikipedia article:. What Prince is eating here is a variant of the soup dumpling, called the Xiaolongtangbao. It is a bit different from the usualxiaolongbao in that there is greater emphasis on the quality of the soup. (Thats why the name has an extra tang C tng is soup in Chinese!) Weve dug around the inte looking for a couple of fairly simple recipes for the foodies out there and found two decent ones. This one has an English trantion next to the Chinese recipe on the site. Ray has also kindly tranted into English for the foodies (with much agony, it seems). The tranted recipe is here below, but you should still take a look at the site if youre interested in pictures of the xiaolongtangbao. The recipe is as follows: When making the Xiao Long Tang Bao, there are four important steps. One of the Xiao Long Tang Baos biggest specialties is that it is delicious with lots of soup, and the method of the making the pork skin is the key to having fillings with plenty of soup. For those of you need a measurement converter, . Ingredients: 500g of raw pigs skin, 500g of pork, 20g (or arge bunch) of spring onions/scallions (10g used for pigs skin, 10g for onion and ginger juice), 35g of ginger (15g for pigs skin, 20g for juice), 15ml of rice wine, 250g of flour, salt, MSG, pepper, sugar, soy sauce,rd, sesame oil The first step: Making the frozen pork skin Add cold water to the pigs skin in a pot and put over a high heat for 2 minutes.Remove the fatty meat on the skin and pluck away the fur.Put 1500ml of water in a sufficiently deep pot, and put 500g of raw pigs skin, 10g of spring onion/scallions, 15g of ginger, 15ml of rice wine, and add salt, MSG and pepper in suitable amounts. Cook over low heat for 90 minutes, until the meat is very, very soft and easily pulled off the skin.Remove and chop the pigs skin.Put it back into the pot to cook for a short while.Leave the porks skin in arge, broad bowl to cool off and solidify. You may put it into the fridge (but not the freezer) after it has cooled off sufficiently. (Eri: To those who dont know their way around the kitchen, refrain from putting a hot or even rather warm object in you fridge until its cooled to about room temperature.)Remove the pork skin from the bowl once it has cooled off and solidified. (Eri: You should be able to remove it by upending the bowl.) The second step: Making the fillings. Shred the frozen meat using a shredder. (See this picture.)Put into arge bowl.Add 500g of pork, 7g of salt, 5g of MSG, 15g of sugar, 15ml of soy sauce and mix.Add in 200ml of onion and ginger juice (see third step) and mix again. Mix it in the same direction forcefully, and finally add in the sesame oil.Add in the frozen pigs skin. Note that the volume of the fillings made in this step and the volume of the frozen pigs skin should be about the same. (Eri: Hence, if youve reduced the amount of pigs skin or filling, then you must reduce the amount for the other as well.) Finally, addrd and mix everything. The third step: Making the onion and ginger juice Cut 10g of spring onions, and 20g of ginger into pieces.Add 200ml of water and put everything into the blender, or use your hands to squeeze. (Eri: A mortar and pestle works too, but only if you have the patience to work in batches. Using your hands to squeeze ginger is even harder.)Filter off the pulp and you will be left with the onion and ginger juice. For the outer skin that is thin, and does not burst when full of fillings, it is made by adding cold water to all-purpose flour and kneading it. Thest step: Making the dough Add 250g of flour to 120ml of cold water to form a lump. Leave it for 10 minutes.Knead it continually for a while, and then cut it into small portions each weighing about 10g.Roll it into a round disc such that its thick in the centre and thin at the sides. Put fillings inside and wrap it.Fold it into shape. (Usually, 14 folds is the minimum. 20 folds is ideal.) Leave it for 10 minutes. (See picture for how to fold the flour skin.)Put cold water in the steamer and steam them for 5-6 minutes. (Eri: The author of this recipe used 9 minutes.)Take it out and serve. Reminder: The xialongtangbao tastes best with ginger strips and dark vinegar. 9 Wontons in chili oil: As the name suggests, this is basically wontons in chilli oil (NOT Tabasco). Because this dish is very easy to make, we shall provide you with a trantion of the recipe. Here is a demonstrating how to prepare the dish to boot. Ingredients: Wontons, oyster sauce, soy sauce, refined white sugar, white or dark vinegar, white pepper, garlic, spring onions/chives, chili oil Set water to boil in a pan. Once it boils, add your wontons (premade or whatever) into the water. It should be ready in about 1-1.5 minutes. (Eri: To those who have never dealt with wontons, do not overcook them. If you see that there are air pockets bubbling up beneath the dough wrap near where the fillings are, its time to rescue your wonton from the hot water. Failure to save them will result in soggy wontons that will fall apart easily.)Mix 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of refined white sugar (less if you dont like it sweet) and 1 teaspoon of white/dark vinegar. Add a little white pepper.Mix the wonton with the sauce, sprinkle finely chopped garlic and spring onions/chives on it, and then pour the desired amount of chili oil over it. The crux of the dish is the chilli oil. You can get this in most Asian supermarkets. The dish originated from the Sichuan province of China, which is not surprising because the chili oil is a staple of Sichuan dishes. Warning: To those who have never tried this kind of chili oil before, its way hotter than Tabasco or normal chili. 10 Oriental House: This is written as Zhong Hua Lou (л¥ prn. zhng hu lu) in Chinese. Many restaurants and inns in China in the past (and even now) have the ¥ character in them, which basically means a building with more than one storey. 11 Silver thread rolls: Its like a bun, but what you do is cut the dough into long strips, kind of like noodles, and then wrap them into a bun shape before baking. Go to see what it looks like. 12 Lady boss: Usually the word here means dy boss, but an alternative way to interpret it is bosss wife. 13 Chickens foot: Most of you have never eaten chickens feet, so we need yet another culinary exnation here. Chickens feet are used in Chinese cooking quite frequently. They make really good soup stock, for one (extraordinary as it may seem to some of you), and they can also be used to make light dishes, such as dimsum. an example of a dimsum recipe involving chickens feet, while is a picture of apleted dish (not of the recipe, though). 14 Huang Wei: Huang Weis name is written as (prn. hung wi). Huang means royal, or an emperor, while Wei means Volume 3 Chapter 5 Volume 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Demon King Kenshin C tranted by Erihppas Real life... I took off the game helmet, feeling kind of drained. To think that I actually became Jing and Yuns Dg... If they ever find out the truth, I will die a horrible death. I got up and began to prepare breakfast, feeling deeply troubled. It had been six, nearly seven days and I still had no way of contacting any of my Odd Squad teammates. Sigh! Truth be told, theres actually many ways to solve the problem.Telling my brother would be the easiest way and yet, ironically enough, I just cant tell him... Briiing... Briiing... Who could be calling at such an early hour? I answered the phone, puzzled. Hello? Xiao Lan? Are you alright?! Zhuo-gges anxious voice sounded over the receiver. Im fine. This is great, I can finally contact someone! I was overjoyed. I had clean forgotten that I could contact Zhuo-gge. Xiao Lan, where on earth have you run off to? It was clear from his tone that Zhuo-gge was relieved to hear from me. I... Im on the Eastern Continent... My voice grew tinier with each word. The Eastern Continent? Zhuo-gge was stunned. What are you doing over there? I have no idea either. I woke up and found myself there after drinking with Nan Gong Zui! I said woefully. Also, we cant send PMs to yers on different continents, so I couldnt contact you guys at all. Is it just me or does Zhuo-gge sound as though he is trying to suppress his anger? You went drinking with Nan Gong Zui and drank until you lost consciousness? Youre a girl, how could you not know how to protect yourself?! Ehhh... But Im a guy in-game! I scratched my face. Nan Gong Zui and Kong Kong wouldnt do anything to me, a guy, right? Besides, is it possible to be XXed in a game? Hmmm... Thats a question worth mentioning to Lolidragon. It still isnt right. You are a girl after all, Zhuo-gge insisted stubbornly. Oh... Well, I wont do it again. I dont like to drink anyway! Thats how it is, right? I remember that the wine was unpleasant, but how did I get so drunk? How odd! Zhuo-gges tone rxed. Its almost time for you toe back to the Central Continent. You should stop ying on the Eastern Continent. Everyones waiting for you in Infinite City, especially Nan Gong Zui C hes brought along an entire adventurers group. Theyre looking forward to meeting you. But I cant go back; I dont have enough money for the ship fare, I told Zhuo-gge pitifully. How much do you need? Five thousand crystal coins. ...Ill ask Lolidragon tonight when I log on to see if we can find a way to transfer money to you, Zhuo-gge said, sounding troubled. Though, Infinite City is a bit strapped for cash. I wonder if Yu Lian would be willing to spare the money? Oh... In that case, Ill just earn it by myself. I felt a bit embarrassed. I havent done anything as the liege lord yet and already Im being a hindrance. Ill talk to them about it. For now, you should take on some high-level quests. With your skill, you should be able toplete several B-level quests on your own. The rewards for B-level quests range from several hundred to several thousand gold coins, Zhuo-gge suggested, and then added worriedly, But they may be quite difficult, so make sure that theyre not too dangerous before you take them on! Alright, I got it. Sis, wheres my breakfast? Yang Mings discontented voice sounded from behind me. Startled, I quickly said, Zhuo-gge, well stop here for now. Bye bye! As soon as I hung up, I turned to faced Yang Ming. After making sure that his face only held dissatisfaction and not a hint of suspicion, I rxed. Ill make breakfast now. Online... With a somber expression, Wicked entered Odd Squads current temporary meeting ce the prison. Just as he had expected, the members of Odd Squad and Dark Emperor werezing on the ground, sleeping, or stuffing their faces with food... Not one of them looked even the slightest bit like a highest-rankingmander. In a heavy voice, Wicked announced, I have important news for Odd Squad. Ugly Wolf reluctantly let go of Yu Lian, who had been in his arms, gave Gui C who was buried under sheaves of designs C a kick, fished Doll out of her snacks and shook Lolidragon C who was drooling in her sleep C awake. What important news? I know where Prince is, Wicked replied. The look he shot Gui held a hint of a challenge, and he watched with satisfaction as Gui paled. Where did that fellow run off to? Lolidragon grumbled. Were working our asses off here, while he, the liege lord, is happily fooling around out there. Hes on the Eastern Continent, Wicked said calmly. All eyes widened among the members of Odd Squad, while Dark Emperors members C who had been making a din to one side C fell silent. Within a moment, the prison was so quiet that even the crackling of Fire Phoenixs mes could be heard clearly. Finally, Gui asked, his tone a mix of concern and anxiety, Why is he on the Eastern Continent? Why doesnt hee back? He doesnt know how he got there either, possibly because he was drunk. As for why he hasnte back, its because... I believe I know the reason, Lolidragon said exasperatedly. The ship ticket to the Eastern Continent costs five thousand crystal coins, and the return ticket costs another five thousand crystal coins. Prince probably only had enough money on him for a ticket to the Eastern Continent, if I recall correctly. What? Five thousand crystal coins? Yu Lians smile was so frosty that the members of both teams could not help but observe a moment of silence for him. Wicked too averted his gaze from Yu Lians terrifying smile and looked at Lolidragon instead. Is there a way to send Prince money, Lolidragon? Lolidragon broke out in a cold sweat and quickly looked away from Yu Lians smile, which had grown frostier than ever, replying stiffly, It is usually possible for a yer to transfer money to another yer, but if a yer is on another continent, then its impossible to send them a private message, much less transfer funds. What? Then what about Prince? Gui turned pale as a ghost as he imagined Prince wandering about on a faraway continent, without a cent to his name, suffering from the cold and hunger, dressed in rags, and finally, ending up as a corpse on some street... White Tiger City, Eastern Continent... Prince: Mmm, wontons in chili oil... Delicious! I said, munching on the breakfast which Yun and Jing were respectfully treating me to. Well just have to ask Prince to earn the money for the ticket on his own, Lolidragon said with a shrug, and then she crawled back to her cage to sleep without a second thought. Hmm... Ugly Wolf scratched the fur on his head. Since that fellows absence doesnt affect Infinite City much right now, plus the Righteous des have long since settled into our city and cant just quit anymore, it shouldnt make much of a difference if Prince doesnt return right away. Yu Lian smiled. Not a penny for him! Doll misses Prince-gge a lot... Doll said, and then furrowed her brow when she caught sight of her snacks out of the corner of her eye. ...But Prince-gge would snatch Dolls snacks to eat, so forget it. Doll crawled back into her pile of snacks and began to eat. Wait, Prince is all alone over there, with no friends and not a cent to his name! We have to go and save him! Gui shouted at his irresponsible teammates, his face white as a sheet. YOUare not going anywhere, so just get back to drawing designs obediently, everyone retorted in unison. Wicked looked at them helplessly, thinking, Looks like Xiao Lan wont be returning for the time being... But that wasnt a bad thing at all, he realized. Gui wouldnt be able to see Prince. On the other hand, he C Wicked C would still be able to talk to Xiao Lan over the phone. Excellent! thought Wicked, his lips quirking into a smile. My arms were folded across my chest as I studied the monster I would have to fight soon a lesser demon. The lesser demon resembled the oni from Japanese folklore, with its hideous face, sharp teeth bared in a snarl, short horns on its head, and a somewhat short katana in its hands. They lived in chilly, deep, and eerie caverns. If Jing and Yun hadnt led the way, I probably wouldnt have been able to navigate my way through this maze-like cave. Id better be careful not to be separated from them, or Ill suffer a fate more horrific than identally ending up on the Eastern Continent. After not moving for several long minutes, Yun couldnt keep silent for any longer and asked, Dg, when are we going to begin fighting? If we dont hurry and get the demon horns, we wont be able to finish the quest! I felt a tad frustrated. I dont know much about the monster, and the people by my side arent my usual teammates from Odd Squad. We dont even have a priest, so if I rush in carelessly, I might just join the ranks of the demons myself... Nheless, I had to get started. I could only pray silently that this type of mob wasnt too strong. Yun, Jing, stand further back. After I gave the order to Jing and Yun... I mean, instructed them on what to do, I looked around carefully and found a lone lesser demon. Moving lightly on my feet, I stealthily crept up behind it, and then savagely stabbed through its back at its heart. Unfortunately, the lesser demons agility was unexpectedly high and it turned around, causing my de to only pierce its shoulder. A green, sticky fluid C probably its blood C spurted out. Enraged, the injured demon brandished its short katana, and the sharp point of the de came stabbing toward me. I leaned backward and the katana whistled past my waist, but an idea darted through my head, and I turned the motion into a backward somersault, kicking the demon and sending it sprawling backward. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I sprang toward the demon, shing my weapon at it and severing its entire right arm. The demon howled. Though it had lost its right arm and its weapon, it still tried to bite me. I wrapped my left hand about its throat tightly and stabbed ck Dao right through its heart with my right hand. Just as I was about to heave a sigh of relief, however, the demon actually bit my left hand. I winced with pain, thinking, Dont tell me the lesser demons weakness isnt its heart? Dg, cut off its head, you have to cut off its head! Yun roared frantically. So thats how it is. In the instant I understood, the demon no longer had a head on its neck. I quickly let go of the corpse, which was spurting blood everywhere, so as to avoid turning into a tank of green oil. Dg is truly a man of valor. Dgs heroic disy has deeply touched Xi?od. That backward somersault of Dgs is truly peerless; elegant, yet unyielding as steel. Sigh! Xi?od can only bow to your greatness... However, could Xi?od trouble Dg to cut off the demons horns, so that Xi?od might be able toplete the quest? What the heck? If you want me to slice off the horns just say so! Spouting so much rubbish, youre making my skin break out in goosebumps. Still, the horn needed to be cut off, so my de rose and fell, and I handed the small horns to Yun. Having a rough idea of how strong the lesser demon was, I realized that I could probably handle them quite easily and my anxiety dissipated. I began toe up with a n to help Yun and Jing level up and, after some thinking, I led Jing and Yun to a crevice in the cave wall and asked them to stand inside. Ill be in charge of luring the demons here. After that, Jing, I wont let the demons harm you, so dont worry and just cast your spells. Yun, set up a Slow Barrier. I gazed into the depths of the cave, closed my eyes, and breathed in deeply. Then I opened my eyes and smiled slightly. Lesser demons, here Ie. To begin with, I lured a single demon and exchanged blows with it with great ease. It was then that Jing pulled out a piece of fu paper. I stole a backward nce and saw her draw several strokes on the paper with her fingers before throwing the paper over, crying out, mes, true and thrice-concealed, go! Unexpectedly, the paper flew straight toward the demon. Seeing that the demon intended to dodge, Iunched into a flurry of blows, forcing it to stay in ce. Finally, the paper reached the demon and suddenly turned into three white mes, enveloping the demon. It howled in pain and reacted by lunging toward Jing, but unfortunately for it, a kick from me sent it sprawling back to its original spot. mes, true and thrice-concealed, go! Seeing that the mes on the demon were about to go out, Jing once again sent out another piece of fu paper. This time, I watched in satisfaction as the mes began to reduce the demon to ash... AHHHHH! Yun suddenly wailed. Dg, the demons horns! Hearing that, I smoothly sliced off the demons horns and watched as the demon turned to ashes. Looks like I can lure more of them, I thought decisively. Thus, the number of demons increased from one to two and ultimately three, after which I decided that was enough, as any more would leave me with insufficient space to fight. In this fashion, I would engage the demons, focusing on honing my defense. While I initially had many openings in my defense and couldnt react quickly enough, I soon grew proficient to the point where my defense was watertight. I grew more and more familiar with this method of fighting, which waspletely different from the aggressive fighting style I had used all this time. It is pretty good training for me... still, if only the mobs were stronger, I thought in dissatisfaction. After luring more than ten groups of mobs, I heaved a long sigh and said mildly, Lets take a break. Guilt washed over Jings face. Im really sorry, Dg. Jingpletely forgot that Dg needs to rest. Its okay, I said and sat down, recovering a bit of my energy. Wow, weve each gained a level, and we have enough demon horns toplete the mission, Yun said, his eyes sparkling. I wasnt really keen on fighting any more of these lesser demons. I had nothing to gain from fighting them, and though my main objective was to help Yun and Jing, it would be advantageous to them as well if we fought higher-level mobs. With that thought in mind, I asked, Are there any stronger mobs that we can fight? Jings and Yuns eyes shone brightly, and Yun quickly replied, Of course, Dg, why dont we take on demon maidens? A demon maidens horns are worth more than a lesser demons. The monsters features are...? I asked. Directing this question to Yun, the gamer, was the right thing to do, as he immediately replied with enthusiasm and confidence, saying, Demon maidens are generally simr to lesser demons, except their levels are higher. Their weak point is their heads, just like lesser demons, but demon maidens use their sharp and long ws as weapons, and they move faster than lesser demons. However, with Dgs speed, you definitely wont have problems once youre familiar with their style of attacking. I nodded. Lets take them on, then. Standing up, I stretched and said, Lead the way. The demon maiden had long, flowing hair, pale green skin, and wore a dress like the typedies used to wear in ancient China. Its hands ended in extremely long nails, their edges glinting dangerously. I darted forward and we began to fight. Yun, the zealous gamer, was right; the demon maiden was indeed more challenging than the lesser demon. Its perception was considerably sharper than that of a lesser demon, making it tough for me to strike her weak spot, her head. Moreover, it was extremely fast, and I had to focus on dodging C with great difficulty C initially. Unfortunately for it... I smiled. The demon maidens attacking style was limited to stabbing. I searched for an opportunity, and when the demon maiden once again stretched out a hand, thinking to leave holes in my body, I stopped moving, and then savagely hacked off its hand the moment it touched me. A demon maiden with one hand missing was nothing to be afraid of, so I used the same method to get rid of its other hand and to finish it off... although I wasnt as sessful the second time I tried and a small hole appeared on my body. Without making a sound, I secretly took a swig from a bottle of health potion, and then returned to mypanions side as if nothing had happened. Yuns eyes were filled with worship. Dg is really strong! I knew that Dg would definitely have no difficulty with it. Well wait here for you to lure the monsters over, Dg. Alright, I replied. Looks like I can train on stronger mobs now, I thought, and happily went off to lure some demon maidens. Dg is really strong! In just three days, L Jing has leveled up five times and Ive leveled up twice as well. Fighting higher-level mobs really speeds things up! What shall we fight next, Dg? Yun said cheerily as he brought over a te of wontons in chili oil. I frowned, but still epted the te of wontons. Inwardly I thought, I should really start to earn some money and prepare to return,although Zhuo-gge had passed me Wolf-dgs message, saying that things at Infinite City were going along fine without me. So I simply said, I cant stay here much longer. Yun and Jing looked panicked. Dg, youre leaving? No, I need to make money. I need to earn five thousand crystal coins, I replied after swallowing a wonton. Make money? What, Dg needs money? But you didnt ask us to split our reward money from the quests earlier with you! Yun paused suddenly, and then frowned slightly. Why didnt you ask us to split the reward with you if youre in need of money, Dg? I remained silent. With Yun calling me Dg, Dg all day long, how could I possibly even ask to split the money? Dg, although we dont have five thousand crystal coins, please take this for now! Jing took out a bag of coins and pushed it toward me. I sighed. Its almost time for them to get new equipment, so how could I possibly take the money from them now? No need, Ill make my own money. But, Dg, are you really going to leave us? Yuns expression was one of dismay, clearly unwilling to part. We dont know your name, or even what you look like. If we part now, wed probably never meet again, Dg! We will meet again, but it will be quite some time before Jing and Yun manage to gather ten thousand crystal coins ande to Infinite City to find me. I wish I could help them earn the money for the ship fare, but my teammates in Odd Squad are waiting for me! Is there really no way out of this dilemma? As though shed gathered up her courage for something, Jing said, Dg, I saw an A-level mission some time earlier. The reward money is substantial, and it doesnt seem to be very difficult, we just have to retrieve the demon kings hair tie. Since the demon king, lesser demon, and demon maiden are all simr types of mobs, it shouldnt be a problem for Dg. Besides, even if we cant beat it, we can just grab the hair tie and escape. It does sound like a pretty good proposition, I thought. If I can take the ship back to the Central Continent with Jing and Yun, then Ill at least have someone to chat with and wouldnt have to be bored to death like I was on the trip here. Alright then, lets get that quest. Dgs the best! Yun happily cheered. With Jing and Yun leading the way, I once again returned to the Demon Cave. Dg, we might have to spend some time searching, since the demon king often wanders around the areas further inside the cave. Itll probably be difficult to find him, Yun said worriedly. Okay. Lets begin searching then. Jing, Yun, and I made our way into the depths of the cave and quickly reached the spot where wed trained at recently. There, I stopped and fought a few lesser demons and demon maidens in order to work the kinks out of my muscles. We then proceeded deeper into the cave to an area where wed never been before. As before, I would engage the lesser demons and demon maidens that we encountered along the way and then let Jing and Yun get some practice. After walking for some time, I beckoned for Jing and Yun to stop and take a short break, as well as to leave offerings to the Temple of the Five Internal Organs... that is, to eat. I chomped on a shaobing youtiaoand drained a bottle of soy milk... Dg, why do you treat us so well? Yun remarked as he ate. Do you even need to ask? Obviously its because were best friends! Since I couldnt very well say those words, I could only keep up my big brother fa?ade and ask, What did you just call me? Dg... Yun trailed off, and then he chortled withughter. Dg really is straightforward. Just because we call you Dg? Just for that, dont you think its not really worth it? Jing looked at me with... Conflicting emotions in her eyes? I must be mistaken.Arent you worried that helping us would just turn out to be a waste of time, and that after youve helped us, we might just go our own way and forget all about you? I simply answered, I dont do things that I will regret. Once Ive decided to do something, I wont regret it. Jing and Yun didnt say anything else. Why has the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy? I wondered. Did I say something wrong? Ah, forget it; Ill just eat my youtiao. Ah... Jing suddenly cried out. I turned around, startled, just in time to see Jing crash against the wall. I caught sight of the culprit out of the corner of my eye, and instantly I leaped forward and knocked Yun aside. A katana came stabbing at my chest. I flipped through the air and as soon as Inded on the ground, I somersaulted backward to Jing and Yuns side. Grimacing in pain, I clenched my wounded left hand, blood spilling from between my fingers. I did not dare to take out a health potion, however, because I knew that as soon as I moved to do so, the person standing across from me with the frosty, piercing gaze C Himura Kenshin C would definitely take the opportunity to attack. Thats right! The mob across from me with that head of red hair, the cross-shaped scar, and that rurouni outfit is DEFINITELY thebattousai. This is rather unexpected; looks like the Nine-headed Dragon Strike that I had giarized has finally met its owner. He wont sue me for giarizing, right? I broke out in cold sweat. Yun helped Jing to sit up, and shouted, Dg, hes the demon king, be careful! What? The battousai is the demon king? Dont tell me that the demon maiden I killed earlier was Kaoru? Hmm... Forget it, if I go on, nobody would get what Im talking about. The important thing now is I deeply feel that the mob in front of me would be a very, very tough adversary. From how he sent Jing flying without me sensing it and how he subsequently managed to injure me even though I was moving at top speed, it was clear that his speed was certainly not below mine... And he might even be faster than me, I thought with a sinking feeling, since speed was my greatest asset. The atmosphere was extremely tense, but there was no sign that the battousai intended to move. Instead, he stood where he was and the two of us exchanged stare for stare until atst, he opened his mouth and said, Elf, why have you entered my territory, knowing that the Demon Cave does not wee you? It took me some effort to conceal my shock. He actually knows that Im an elf? Is he a mob with artificial intelligence? This, this is my first time meeting one... Hold on a second! A mob with artificial intelligence? Then he must be a boss mob at least... I gulped. That cant be, right? If my Odd Squad teammates were here, I would probably have eximed proudly, Come on then, you monster with a brain! Reality is cruel, however, and I didnt even have a healer, so my pride immediately turned into good humor. Gaaah, Im so pissed off! Why am I so unluckytely, so much such that even when Im just trying to earn some money, I would end up bumping into a boss mob with artificial intelligence? Elf, what exactly have youe here for? The battousai suddenly looked at me with curiosity. Elves rarely appear on the Eastern Continent; this is in fact my first time seeing an elf. So thats why he didnt kill me right away, I thought. Jing and Yun finally reacted, eximing, Elf? Dg? I came to borrow something from you. I forced myself to say it. After all, the chances of defeating him inbat and the chances of borrowing the hair tie off him were about the same... that is, almost none. The hair tie? The battousai actually pointed at his hair tie with a smile. Many people have fought me for this ragged hair tie. Just what use does it have? So you mean many people have failed? Just how strong exactly is this artificially intelligent mob? I thought. My hands and legs felt like jelly. Uh, someone asked me to get it. Who? There was finally a serious expression on the battousais face. How should I know? Errr, his, her name is Kaoru! I fibbed. Kaoru? The battousai actually looked astonished. Its her? I see. ...Is this for real? Whats going on now? I was kind of stunned. I cant possibly be this lucky. So this quest doesnt need us to defeat this artificially intelligent mob? Could the game designer actually be a loyal fan of Rurouni Kenshin like me? Tell me, did Kaoru say anything? The battousai looked at me levelly. Say what? This quest has a prequel quest? Oh crap, I thought desperately. Ill just give it a random shot! She wanted me to tell you... to tell you that shell wait for you forever. The battousais expression became gloomy. That silly girl, he said, and he undid his hair tie. Tell her not to wait for me, for I can no longer turn back. With a mncholic smile on his face, he handed the hair tie to the wide-eyed, cant-believe-my-luck me. I lowered my head and looked at the old, bloodstained hair tie in my hand, and then looked at Kenshin, whose expression was one of sorrow, as though something had broken within him. The phrase artificial intelligence vanished from my mind, and suddenly all I saw was a forlorn swordsman who was trapped and unable to reunite with his beloved person, who also happened to be my favorite character, Kenshin, as well. So I asked, Why? Why cant you turn back? Why do you remain here as the demon king and not return to Kaorus side? Kenshin looked at me for a long moment, then finally sighed. You do not need to know. Just ry my message to Kaoru. There were still things that I wanted to ask, but Kenshin leaped backward and swiftly disappeared up the cavern wall. With a heavy heart, I thought to myself, Hes just an artificially intelligent mob, hes just an artificially intelligent mob... Still, the guilt refused to go away, for his hair tie and message would never reach Kaoru, and the culprit would be me. Just then, Yun helped Jing to her feet and said, Thats great, Dg! So thats how the quests supposed to be finished. Now we can go back and im our reward. No, I want to find Kaoru, I replied, gripping the hair tie tightly as I made up my mind. I wont regret it. But, Dg... Jing paled. I held up a hand. Theres no room for discussion, because I know that if I dont do it, I will regret it all my life, whereas if I do it, no matter what the result may be, I will have no regrets. Jing and Yun fell silent and in the end, Yun said, Very well, since Dg has decided to do so, we shall look for Kaoru together. I nodded and gave the hair tie to Yun. After that, the three of us walked together silently, and I couldnt stop thinking about Kenshins behavior earlier. Do artificially intelligent mobs have feelings? Its impossible right? I shook my head, feeling a little silly... Then what about Meatbun? I caressed my pouch absently as I thought, Does Meatbun have feelings? It calls me Mama, cries when I disappear, and seems delighted when I pat it. Does it have no feelings? I could not, would not bring myself to say that it didnt have any. Dg, quick, take a look, theres something down there! eximed Yun, who was kneeling in front of me, next to a cliff. Puzzled, I walked over to where Yun was and peered down the edge of the cliff. Its just pitch ck? I felt someone grab me and looked down in bewilderment, only to see Yun grabbing my ankles. Before I could ask what he was doing, I felt a powerful force hit me in the back. With Yun hanging onto my ankles, I couldnt do anything but pitch forward, both legs in the air... Finally, as I began to fall, I managed to turn around, and saw the conflicting emotions in Jings and Yuns eyes. Yun closed his eyes as he murmured, Why? Why didnt you want to im the reward, Dg? Why did you have to hand me the hair tie? Why did you trust us so much? This time, Dg will surely regret it! Jing said with a pained smile. My mind was nk as I fell, but slowly a thought surfaced in my head: This cliff is really tall, so I should die instantly, and not end up lying half-dead on the ground. SMACK! My syed-out body hit the surface of the water. Damn it... It hurts, I thought, my face contorting with the pain. I grimaced and inadvertently swallowed several mouthfuls of icy water. It was so cold that I began to shiver, but I set aside the cold and tried to swim to the surface, only to find that my waterlogged cloak was weighing me down. With great difficulty, I freed myself from the cloak and fought to get to the surface, but my vision was steadily bing blurrier and blurrier. Waaah, to think that I would get to experience so many different ways of dying while ying a game... Suddenly, just as I was on the verge of death, I discovered that someone had grabbed me by the waist and was hauling me upward. Have Jing and Yune to save me? Is that it? I opened my eyes immediately and stared dumbly at a man who was... kissing me? After freezing up for a few seconds, I hurriedly pushed him away. Kenshin?! I was startled to see that the person in front of me was Kenshin, whom wed just parted from. Are you feeling better? Although they were words of concern, Kenshins voice was emotionless as he spoke. I asked dazedly, You were doing CPR on me? Yes. I tilted my head to one side and thought, That cant count as my first kiss then... No wait, my first kiss has already been given to my cousin, waaaaah! What the heck, my first kiss was given to my cousin, and my second kiss was given to an NPC? Sigh! My kisses have all been such disastrous encounters... Youve been betrayed by yourpanions? Kenshin got to his feet. Seems like it, I replied with a heavy heart. I didnt expect that Jing and Yun would actually hurt me. They didnt know it was me, but still, its wrong to harm others! Although I can understand their desire to get to the Central Continent more quickly... You regret it then; you regret trusting them. The look in Kenshins eyes was iparably frosty. I got to my feet as well and scratched my face. Nope, I dont regret it. No matter what, I wouldve helped them. Its a good thing that they dont know my name and appearance. This way, the next time we meet, at least they wont feel guilty. Letting the person known as Dg vanish just like this might not be a bad ending. Kenshin looked me in the eyes, and finally let out a sigh. I dont understand what youre thinking. Hmmm, the matter is ratherplicated. I need you to meet someone, said Kenshin, clearly feeling torn over something. Oh? Why? I thought curiously, Who could it be? It cant be Kaoru, right? Its a quest. A hidden quest, Kenshin said, looking at me sorrowfully. And I cant go against it. I looked at Kenshin in astonishment. Surely this isnt something that an NPC should be saying? I gulped. Dont tell me... dont tell me he really has developed feelings? I blurted out, Are you an NPC or not? Im an NPC... I think so? Kenshin looked at me, and his eyes held both pain and uncertainty. *Sweat* Perhaps thats no longer the case; perhaps hes really developed feelings and self-awareness. I have never seen an NPC reveal such sorrow or agony in their expressions. You have your own will then? There was a moment of silence, and then Kenshin replied impassively, I do not know. Its just that one day, while I was fighting a yer, I suddenly felt that something was very odd. I didnt know what I was doing, but it felt like I should be looking for someone, looking for Kaoru... But from the conversations between yers, I gradually understood that things werent the way I thought they were. I am an NPC, and it took me a very long time to understand what NPC truly meant. Ever since that moment, I no longer know what I am. You are Kenshin, I blurted out. Do you really want to find Kaoru? Perhaps we can look for her together? I already know that I will only find Kaorus grave. That is how the script was written. I will never be able to see her, Kenshin replied with a pained smile. So what if I do manage to see her? Did things really happen between us? Did we really live together before? After which, I was challenged to a fight by the Demonic Dark God and imprisoned here upon my defeat, while Kaoru became trapped in Snow Vige, such that the two of us can never meet. Originally, my greatest wish was to see Kaoru, but afterwards I slowly realized that everything was just a lie. A lie? Id never thought of it that way, never realized that the arrangement we humans imposed upon the NPCs could be this cruel. Nevertheless, I have toply with the systems hidden quest and bring you to see that person. However, I hope... I hope that you wont hurt him. Can you do that, elf? Kenshin looked at me almost beseechingly. I gave him a brilliant smile. Call me Prince. Dont worry, Kenshins friend is my friend. So, whats his name? I asked as I peered around curiously at the pure white tunnel. From the vibe that Kenshin gave me, Id expected that we would be walking through a dragons pce or some divine immortals sanctuary... He was originally called Lantis nyushenlin, but he wants me to call him Sunshine, Kenshin replied as he led the way. Lantis nyushenlin? Which retarded game designer came up with such a retarded name? I bet he picked alphabets at random and pieced them together to form a name. Sunshine sounds much better. Is this person a guy? He is, for the most part. Eh? Then what about the remaining part? Were here. Kenshin abruptly turned around and I suddenly noticed that before me was a pure white door with a ruby set in its middle.How many ship tickets can be purchased with this ruby, I wonder? I thought, drooling in secret and resisting the urge to climb up and try to yank it off. I hope you wont hurt him. Although the quest requires you to fight him, you dont have to attack as Sunshine is no longer controlled by the quest. Oh, I understand, I replied with a nod as I cheerfully thought, Its a good thing I dont have to fight. I cant even defeat Kenshin, let alone do this insanely difficult quest. (Aside from having to know about Kenshin and Kaoru and answer Kenshins question correctly, one must also have nothing better to do than fall off a cliff. If this quest isnt insane, then what is?) At that point, I still hadnt realized in the slightest just how grave the implications of an NPC that isnt controlled by the quest parameters were! Kenshin pushed open the gigantic door, and a gentle ray of golden light shone through the gap in the doorway. As I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the light, I thought I saw a silhouette within. I followed Kenshin into the room. Sunshine, this is Prince, the elf who came upon the hidden quest, Kenshin said, his lips curving into a smile. Oh? Really? The human figure, which had been originally lounging on a divan, approached me. I gradually began to make out the details of the human figure and promptly received a shock. A dark elf? His skin was as dark as a dark elfs, but instead of silver hair, he had long, silvery-purple hair, which he tied up into a ponytail. He had a pair of emerald green eyes, and he wore a two-piece outfit. On his lower body he wore a skirt that trailed down onto the floor, and there were no shoes on his feet, which were only wrapped with pieces of cloth. I gaped. Are you kidding me? Didnt Kenshin say that there are few elves on the Eastern Continent? Why is a dark elf part of the hidden quest then? Hmmm, I thought, and then I suddenly saw that his ears were just like a normal humans. Just what exactly is going on here? Hello, Prince. Im Sunshine, Sunshine said, and then bowed elegantly. I looked at him, frowning, trying to figure out what the game designer was thinking... An Arabic prince? I suddenly realized. Isnt this outfit and skin color Arabic? So thats how it is, the game designer was trying toe up with an Arabic design. Understanding dawned upon me.Hes not a dark elf, hes AN ARAB. Prince? Sunshine was peering at me curiously. I snapped back to reality and happily greeted my new friend. This was my first time meeting an Arab, even though he was an NPC. Hello, Im very pleased to meet you, Sunshine. There was a slender smile on both Sunshines and Kenshins faces, and Sunshine began to ask me questions about the outside world eagerly. As I wasnt familiar with the Eastern Continent, I could only tell them how I came to be on the Eastern Continent, and then I began to describe to them everything about the Central Continent, including my beloved Odd Squad teammates and our not-sure-if-its-beenpleted Infinite City. I really want to visit the Central Continent, Sunshine said with a slight frown. I would like to see the outside world, to see real sunshine. Sunshine? I see, is that why you named yourself Sunshine? Because you yearn to see the real sunshine... I made up my mind. You guys cane with me and apany me back to the Central Continent. I wont reveal your identities, and you can just pretend to be normal yers. There wont be a problem. Seriously? Youre willing to bring us with you? A smile blossomed on Sunshines face. Yep. I smiled as well, but just then I suddenly thought of something. But even without me, you guys can leave, right? Why havent you done so? Kenshin gave a bitter smile. Its useless; Ive tried. If the hidden quest hasnt been triggered, then when I leave the Demon Cave the system will forcibly teleport me back here. Sunshine cant even step out of this pce. Then can you leave now? No, Sunshine replied, his brow furrowing, and he sighed. You have to fulfill Kenshins wish first. I turned to look at Kenshin. Your wish? You sure have a lot of wishes. Thats because the system dictates it to be so... Kenshin replied tiredly. The hidden mission goes like this. You have to tell me your quest-giver C Kaorus C name before I can give you the hair tie. After receiving the hair tie, you must not bring it to the Adventurers Guild, but instead, bring it to Kaoru, who is gravely ill. Kaoru will beg you to bring me to see her, and you will return to the Demon Cave and tell me the news, that Kaoru is near death. I will then go with you to look for Kaoru, but upon seeing her grave, you will then apany me to look for my enemy and have my revenge. Upon aplishing all that, I will be your humanoid pet. So thats how it is, but really, how many people would know that thats the method to obtain the hair tie? And after getting it, theyll have to give up on the enormous reward and instead give the hair tie, which was so difficult to obtain, to another NPC? And theyll even have to agree to bring Kenshin to meet Kaoru, and most ridiculous of all, theyll have to help an NPC get his revenge? Cold sweat dripped off my forehead as I silently paid my respects to the ancestors of whichever game designer it was who came up with this insane quest. No wonder no one haspleted this quest before. Yes, and Sunshines quest is even more difficult, Kenshin continued emotionlessly. After obtaining me, you must fall off this cliff. I will then rescue you and bring you to meet Sunshine, after which, when asked, you must say Sunshines full name or he will attack and kill you. In so doing, you will never be able to attempt this quest again. Lantis nyushenlin? Even if I were to keep guessing until Armageddon arrives, I would never be able toe up with that name, I said weakly. You have toplete another quest, only then would youe across my name by coincidence. I think its carved upon a b of stone containing a prophecy, on the worlds highest mountain, Azure Peak. There was a glint in Sunshines eyes, and there was a note of dissatisfaction in his voice as he said, But I dont like that name. Is this quest not meant to bepleted? I mean, just how many coincidences would you need to do it? I deeply suspected that if not for the fact that Kenshin and Sunshine had developed self-awareness, until the day Second Life shuts down, nobody would be able to aplish this quest. Kenshin grimaced slightly. I think they didnt intend for anyone toplete it. Until now, no yer has managed to defeat me. If I became somebodys humanoid pet, I would probably be worth a lot. Th-that would be true, I thought, gulping. If I have Kenshin, I would have nothing to be afraid of. Even Lolidragon wouldnt be able to bully me anymore. What about you, Sunshine? Would you be a humanoid pet as well? Sunshine continued to smile charmingly. Yes, I would. After you finish the quest, I would be able to leave this ce. Yaaaaay! Not only have I gained two friends, but theyre super powerful friends! I was practically bouncing around the room with joy. Friends? Kenshin and Sunshine grinned. They had picked the right person after all. You have to finish all the quests, however, or youll raise the systems suspicion, Kenshin interrupted my cheering. Dont worry. With you around, how could I fail toplete the quest? I replied, without an ounce of fear. Kenshin took over the reins of the discussion and continued to exin what we had to do. In that case, lets look for Kaorus grave first. It should be in Snow Vige, which is in the northernmost area. Well look for the Demonic Dark God after that to carry out revenge, and then receive the prophets quest and look for the three prophets, who have scattered throughout thend. Each prophet will give us a fragment of a map. After piecing them together, well go to the worlds highest mountain, Azure Peak, and get the Stone of Prophecy, then hand the stone to the prophets. The prophets will give you this prophecy: The demon awaits his lover; his lover too, awaits him in pain. Only in the most silent and deepest of ces can hope be found. What sort of weird prophecy is that... I wondered, Whoever gets that prophecy will probably throw up blood, right? After climbing up a tall mountain with such difficulty, only to get a weird prophecy... Sunshine exined, Its basically hinting that you have to first aplish the demon king C Kenshins C wish and then jump off a cliff; only then can you meet me. If somebody can actually figure that out, he should just go and buy a lottery ticket. Hell definitely win the grand prize! I thought, and the corner of my mouth twitched. Alright, it doesnt sound that hard. Ill bring Kenshin to look for Kaoru. Wait for the good news, Sunshine! I assured Sunshine confidently, thinking, With Kenshin around, whats so scary about the Demonic Dark God? All I have to do is look for a few people, climb a mountain, and then Ill gain Kenshin and Sunshine as mypanions. With this much to gain, Id be a fool not to do it. Right. I shall await your return, Sunshine replied, looking at me trustingly. My will to fight zing now, I grabbed Kenshin and said, Lets go, Kenshin. Lets finish this quest quickly, then we cane back and fetch Sunshine, and then return to the Central Continent. I waved goodbye at Sunshine and then left through the enormous white door, towing Kenshin behind me. Good luck, Prince. May Ah bless you, Sunshine said as we left. Still towing Kenshin along, we returned to the Demon Cave. With Kenshin around, it was a breeze to get out. I looked at the sky, which I hadnt seen for some time, and stretched my limbsfortably. When I was done stretching, I discovered that Kenshin was looking at his surroundings with a dazed expression. I couldnt help but snicker, since it was so rare to see him looking this bewildered, and Kenshin immediatelyposed himself, though he still looked slightly embarrassed. I suddenly remembered something. By the way, you probably shouldnt walk around dressed like that, since many people might notice that you look a lot like the battousai! Although not everyone likes to read ancientics like I do, hmmm... except for that bored game designer. Is that so? Wouldnt it be fine if we just tell them that Im your pet? Kenshin replied, unconcerned. I looked at him unhappily. But youre not my pet. Youre my friend. Kenshin returned my gaze. Though his face was still expressionless, I could see the mirth in his eyes. Then what should we do? Hold on, I said. I grabbed my pouch and began rummaging through it. Finally, I pulled out my newbie equipment, which Id kept as memorabilia. Its a good thing I didnt sell them, I thought. Wear these! And let down your hair; that way you wont look so much like thebattousai. Kenshin took the clothes from me and began stripping off his rurouni outfit right then and there... Uhhh, should I turn away? My gaze drifted upward. I would steal a couple of curious nces every now and then, but... I swear, aside from his not-so-broad shoulders, lean arms, his six-pack, and two slender legs, I really didnt see anything! When I saw that he was done changing... I mean, after Kenshin told me that he was done changing, I tore a strip off his old clothes and then tied it around his forehead like a headband. Very good, I thought as I looked at him in satisfaction. After putting on the newbie outfit, he looks like a teenager. This way, he looks no different from other yers; in fact, he looks like a new yer. Can I continue to call you Kenshin? I dont think it should be a problem. Mm. Lets go, then. We dont want to keep Sunshine waiting for long. So, off we go to find Kaorus grave. Of course, I hadnt forgotten to put on my opera mask. By the way, it sounds like Snow Vige is a very cold ce. Is it? I asked worriedly. I dont know. Never been there, Kenshin replied simply. Are you scared of the cold? I was curious. I dont know. Probably not, Kenshin replied, raising an eyebrow, as though he didnt think that he could be scared of the cold. [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 5 End]

Footnotes

B-level quest: The Adventurers Guild offers all sorts of quests for yers toplete. The rewards differ from quest to quest, depending on the level of difficulty. From high to low, the difficulty levels for quests are: X, S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. A somewhat short katana: Our trantors suggested that this might be a kodachi, but Yu Wo didnt specify, so were stuck with katana. Shaobing youtiao: A shaobing youtiao is abination of two popr Chinese snacks or breakfast food. A is a baked tbread, often topped with sesame, and can contain a variety of stuffing (or none at all). A is, as mentioned before in V1C4, a length of fried dough thats quite fluffy inside. A shaobing youtiao is basically a shaobing that has youtiao stuffing. It sometimes resembles a sandwich, while at other times it looks more like a turnover. Himura Kenshin: The title protagonist of the manga Rurouni Kenshin. See for more details. Note that rurouni approximately trantes as wanderer. Battousai: ording to Wikipedia, this was a title given to Kenshin in the manga Rurouni Kenshin in recognition of his skill as a practitioner of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryuu, which utilizes superhumanly-fast battoujutsu (sword-drawing) techniques. The title literally means master of sword-drawing. Kaoru: Kaoru was Kenshinspanion andter on, his wife in Rurouni Kenshin. Volume 3 Chapter 6 Volume 3 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The Demonic Dark God C tranted by Spence Not afraid of the cold? Then who the heck is the person desperately clinging to me for warmth right now? My teeth chattered as I staggered onward, having great difficulty in even lifting my feet, not to mention having to haul along someone who was desperately clinging onto me, with a face pale as a sheet and lips turning blue from the cold C Kenshin. As soon as Kenshin and I teleported from White Tiger City to the ck Tortoise City in the north, we felt an obvious drop in the temperature, so I bought two fur cloaks and we began to hurry toward Snow Vige. As we walked, I gradually came toprehend just how onerous my fate was. Why? Why? Why is there a BLIZZARD? Holy crap, it really is damn cold! Even though I had put on or wrapped about my face pretty much everything from my pouch that could be worn, I continued to feel so cold that I found myself thinking, If I were to spit, my saliva would hit the ground as a block of ice; if I were to exhale from my mouth, the moisture in my breath would instantly hit my face as ice. Next to me, Kenshin was even worse off. We had only just started making our way to Snow Vige when he began to shiver non-stop. His condition didnt improve even after putting on his original rurouni outfit, and in the end he was practically sticking onto me for warmth.Looks like in the face of extreme cold, even the strongest swordsman will fall! Ken...shin, a- are we there yet...? I croaked out with great difficulty. Al...most th-there. Kenshins face was turning blue from the cold. ...Hey, can you at least open your eyes and actually take a look? Surrounded by heavy snow and raging winds in the middle of that blizzard, all I could see was an expanse of white in front of me. There was only mypass for directions as we made our way onward, and the hope that God, Buddha, and Ah would grant us their protection, seeing how Im working so hard to save a person...I mean, an NPC. Ahhh! My foot caught on something and I tripped, falling face down in the snow with my arms and legs outstretched, and that bastard Kenshin was stacked steadily on top of me. Ken. Shin! If you dont get up this second, I will throw you back into the Demon Cave to spend an eternity with Sunshine. ... Kenshins expression was cold as he reluctantly got off his firece. Without someones weight pressing me down, I could finally get back on my feet slowly. In my heart, I thought intively, Even if I am not being earnestly religious C praying to God on one hand, Buddha on the other, and even referring to the Quran on the side C its just because I think that the more I pray, the more protection there will be! Did You all have to punish me like this, and even make me trip when theres nothing to trip over in this ocean of snow? Kenshin looked at the ground with a frown and said, You seemed to have tripped on a rock. I hurriedly turned to look. Odd, that arch-shaped rock seemed to resemble...a tombstone? I actually stepped on a tombstone? Oh god, mister ghost, I didnt mean to step on the front door to your house, so please donte looking for me for revenge at night... No, wait, thats not right, I thought. This is the game world; if we die, dont we get revived? Who on earth would need a tombstone... A tombstone? Kaorus grave?! I eximed. Lets clear off the snow from the tombstone, I said as I pulled out my ck Dao to use as a shovel and began shoveling away the snow. It required a lot of effort to work in the middle of a blizzard, but nheless the two of us shoveled away the snow zealously. However, each time I cleared away a shovelful of snow, yet another load of snow would fall. Even afterboring on it for half a day, Kenshin and I still couldnt see the words on the tombstone. As time trickled by, the look in Kenshins eyes grew more and more frantic and hopeless. Seeing his agony, I continued to dig with renewed vigor, but it was all in vain. In the end, I was exhausted, having no more strength to continue digging. I could only watch as Kenshin continued to dig like a man possessed, and the more I watched, the more miserable I became. Even though Kenshin knows that the past is just a fiction dictated by the system and has never really taken ce, can he still not forget about Kaoru? As Kenshin continued to shovel away the snow that could never be fully cleared, his movements became more and more frenzied and erratic. His well-kept hair was already a mess, but still the snow continued to fall... Kaoru... Kenshin cast aside his sword and wailed towards the heavens. His face was streaked with tears. The snow stopped. As the clouds slowly dispersed, a ray of light shone down from between the clouds and illuminated Kaorus tomb. In the small area where it shone, the snow began to melt. Here lies Kaoru, who will wait for her beloved husband forever. Kenshin staggered toward the tombstones and suddenly dropped onto his knees. Kaoru... I got to my feet and went to stand behind Kenshin silently, gazing at the tombstone together with him. Even though I already knew that this was how things would turn out, nheless I still felt an indescribable sorrow at the moment of truth. Rather than say that I grieved for Kaoru, who had passed away, it should be said that I grieved for Kenshin, who could not free himself of the fate that the system hadid in store for him. Should I not havee? If I didnte, Kaoru would be able to live indefinitely, Kenshin shouted as he pounded the floor with his fists. Instead of waiting in anguish indefinitely, maybe she preferred to lie in her grave, waiting with the knowledge that you woulde to see her, I said slowly. Just like you, who preferred toe and find her, despite knowing that you could only see her grave. Kenshin snapped out of his stupor and smiled bitterly. Perhaps youre right. Lets go and get your revenge then. Even though your enmity isnt real, turn your sorrow into your motivation to fight, turn your agony into the energy to wield your sword, and fight to your hearts content. Go, and vent your emotions, I said, my eyes zing with battle lust. Kenshins eyes, too, zed. Lets go. With that, he turned and, without even a backward nce, began to lead the way. The cold was forgotten. As I thought, hes someone who likes to fight too, I thought, smiling. Ive found someone who shares my interest. Kenshin, where is the Demonic Dark God? The blizzard might have stopped, but Im very tired. If its too far, can we go tomorrow instead? I gave Kenshin my most pleading, helpless, and weary look. Unfortunately, Kenshin was clearly very different from Gui. Its in that cave halfway up the mountain. Come on, Kenshin said heartlessly, urging me to hasten even as he pointed at a cave entrance that was kind of far, but not quite that far away. Okay, okay... I wanted very much to grumble as I climbed up the snowy mountain behind Kenshin. As the cave drew closer, the unease in my heart grew greater and greater, as the terrifyingly enormous statue in front of the cave entrance became clearer and clearer. Aside from that, I also noticed that the cave entrance was so big that you could stuff five of me C stacked vertically C into the cave. Five of me... Thats almost nine meters, I think? I gulped at that thought. That cant be, right? Its probably that just the caves a tad oversized; its impossible that theres a monster that big, right? Kenshin, do you know what the Demonic Dark God looks like? I asked in a shaking voice. Kenshin did not spare a backward nce, and merely replied as we hurried along, From the image that the system gave me, its colossal and heavily-built, wears a ck robe, has a single horn on its head, and carries the iparably huge Demonic Sword of Darkness. It sounds really terrifying! That description contained words like huge and heavily-built. Plus theres that enormous cave entrance, I thought, and suddenly felt that getting Kenshin and Sunshine might not be such a simple task after all... Were here, said Kenshin as he stopped abruptly. Are we going in now? First let me see if I can find something that we can use as markers, so that we wont get lost inside the cave... I hurriedly began rummaging around in my pouch. Kenshin, however, stood right in the middle of the cave entrance and suddenly bellowed, Demonic Dark God, I, Kenshin, havee to im the debt owed to me. I froze and stared into the imprable darkness of the cave alongside Kenshin, but there was only silence, as though even the wind and snow did not dare to make a single sound. Burdened with an intense feeling of uneasiness, I immediately drew out ck Dao. The steely ringing made by my sword as it left its sheath seemed especially loud in the silence. A small stone suddenly fell from the roof of the cave...after which, the ground began to shake violently, and a fierce gust of wind actually came from the depths of the cave, and I could barely keep standing. The interior of the cave, which was originally dark, was now shrouded in an eerie green glow. I knew that the battle was about tomence and that the opponent for this battle would possibly be the strongest I had ever encountered. With a resolute heart, I went over and stood next to Kenshin and gazed at the cave entrance with a haughty look in my eyes. At longst, the Demonic Dark God appeared. With a heavy heart, I opened my mouth to ask, Kenshin, strength and size may not be directly proportionate to one another, but do you think its possible that the Demonic Dark God might not even notice us, but just identally kill us by stepping on us? Kenshin looked up at the Demonic Dark God in front of us without a word. My god, it really lifted its leg, I thought, and hastily scrambled further away, dragging Kenshin along. Youve got to be kidding me, who on earth can even fight against this monster that has to stoop just to get out of a nine-meter-high cave? No, I will avenge Kaoru, Kenshin said, wresting free of my hold and charging toward the Demonic Dark God unhesitatingly. I watched as Kenshin charged toward the Demonic Dark God, and had no other choice but to run after him with a forced smile and furrowed brow. As I ran, I shouted, Be careful, Kenshin! Dont confront it head on. Kenshin seemed to have turned a deaf ear upon what I had said and instead rushed at the Demonic Dark God without so much as a word. As he neared the demon god, he jumped directly onto its kneecap, and then with a step on its muscle, he leapt into the air until he was directly in front of the demon gods face, drawing his sword in that second. Just as it seemed he was about to sh the demon gods face, its enormous hand came hurtling toward Kenshins side. Kenshin had no choice but to leap backward, dodging the giant p that might have otherwise cost him his life. Kenshin, Ill distract him. Go attack him from behind, I shouted as I swung my dao down onto the Demonic Dark Gods foot. CLANG! There was actually a sound of metal shing when the sword and foot met? I lowered my head to take a look and gulped, not daring to believe that I couldnt even nick the demon gods skin. Lets try again, I thought, and swung my sword down heavily again...CLANG! To think that my ck Dao cant even do any damage to the demon god, it looks like I need further training. I felt deeply frustrated. There I stood with my ck Dao in one hand, crestfallen, as several dead leaves were lifted into the air by a breeze... Prince, quick! Dodge it! I heard Kenshin bellow. I looked up and saw the so-called Demonic Sword of Darkness hurtling toward me with all the momentum of an airne plummeting to the ground. I darted to one side with lightning speed, however, the airne...the demon sword once again came shing at me. My god, Im so small, but he can still sh at me horizontally? Isnt this unreasonable? Which retarded programmer... I syed out on the ground in a rather pathetic manner, narrowly evading that demon sword. I rapidly mbered to my feet and immediately took to my heels, trying to flee...I mean, trying to distract the demon god, so as to give Kenshin the opportunity tounch a sneak attack. As I fled for my life, I wanted very much to cry; I could sense the earth trembling with each step the demon god took. The airne demon sword would also swing at my butt from time to time... I wonder, will I be stepped on and reduced to offal, or will I be diced and turned into meat paste? Kenshin, hurry up with your sneak attack! If Im turned into meat paste or offal, I guarantee that I will return to the Demon Cave and haunt you as a ghost! I yelled desperately. I tried to cut him already, it didnt work, Kenshin replied, incensed. What?! The color drained from my face. Do the heavens want me dead this badly? But I dont want to die such a gory death, I thought, and shouted, Kenshin, which ways the cliff? Upon hearing my words, Kenshins dejection vanished and he rallied himself. Turn left! Turn left, and itll be straight ahead. Turn left? For the first time in my life, I found turning left to be an extremely difficult action to execute. Kenshin, I cant turn left! I will be turned into meat paste if I do... Demon god, your enemy is me! Kenshins enraged roar sounded from behind, and as soon as the words left his mouth, the Demonic Dark God that had been hot on my heels actually turned around and went for Kenshin instead. Seeing Kenshin make a beeline for the cliff, I immediately ran after him. As I ran, I thought, How on earth are we going to make the demon god fall off the cliff? Trip it? It would probably step on me and turn me into a pancake and still not even register my presence! Kenshin, how do you intend to make it fall off the cliff obediently? Unable to get my thoughts straightened out, I could only open my mouth and yell desperately at Kenshin, who was in front of me. Prince, help me lure it to the precipice, as close to the edge as possible. After suddenly saying that, Kenshin stopped running and simply began to dodge the demon gods airne sword, waiting for me to take the next shift. Can I refuse? I asked, tears brimming in my eyes. No, Kenshin replied coldly. Waaah... I braced myself for whatever wasing and leapt at the demon god, shing down at its kneecap mid-leap. As before, there was a loud ng. I turned and began sprinting frantically toward the cliff, and all I prayed for was for Kenshin to actually have a n. With the demon god hot on my heels, as the time spent on evading it grew longer and longer, I began to feel rather worn out. On several asions, I only managed to dodge the de narrowly, and was even cut multiple times by the fierce wind that followed in the wake of each swing of the giant de. Combining the fatigue with the pain, I began to feel like I could keel over any time. Still, I forced myself to hang in there. Sunshines still waiting for me toplete the quest, and I have to bring him back with me to the Central Continent! Give up? I dont know those words! Upon finally reaching the precipice, I nearly burst into tears. To think a cliff, the same geographical structure that I have fallen off twice, would actually now save my life! Fate is truly unpredictable. No matter, I thought. Now that the cliff was right in front of me, I yelled frantically at Kenshin, Kenshin, Im at the cliff! If you have a trick up your sleeve then hurry up and do it, otherwise Im about to go free falling with the demon god! Kenshin merely followed behind us, and the calm expression on his face seemed to hint at the calm before a storm. His right hand had long since been ced on his sword hilt. Timing! Hes waiting for the perfect time to finish off his most hated enemy. Hmm, looks like Im three centimeters away from a fate involving falling off a cliff... I turned my head and looked at the immense expanse of empty air beyond the precipice, and then turned to look at the enormous demon god. Thats odd! Why am I always being forced to choose between falling to my death and being stomped to death? Could we try something new next time? As I traded stares helplessly with the demon god, I spied from the corner of my eye a human figure leaping to a height that was about level with the demon gods head...Although he did make use of several nearby trees, Kenshins jump power is still incredibly amazing, I mentally noted, impressed. Air Shattering Strike! Kenshin bellowed in an iparably powerful voice and unsheathed his sword at lightning speed, shing toward the back of the demon gods head... This looks like its a move based on the sword-drawing technique? I thought, and saw the gust of air following in the swords wake press down the demon gods hair, followed by a resounding CLANG!. Although I didnt know if the demon god was injured or not, I could see at least that Kenshins strength was sufficient to cause the demon god to fall forward. Looks like its just a matter of time before it falls off the cliff, I thought, once again impressed by Kenshin... But why has the sky suddenly gone dark? I raised my head to take a look, and found myself gaping, wide-eyed, at the behemoth...the Demonic Dark God that was toppling over onto me! Dear heavens, you should really lose some weight, demon god! With a body mass like that, I cant even find a ce to escape to... My god!With a tear-streaked face, I mentally bemoaned my fate as I fell off a cliff for the third time... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I screamed at the top of my lungs, clenching my eyes shut tightly as I braced myself for the excruciating pain of hitting the ground. AHHHHH... Can you shut up? Kenshins cold voice suddenly came from above me. Ahhhhh...? I raised my head and Kenshins face came into view. I froze, and saw that Kenshin held in his hands the ends of a red length of cloth which was tightly wrapped about my waist, and...that Kenshins pants had slipped to his knees as his belt was missing. Kenshin, is a loinclothfortable? I asked seriously. Its something Ive been wondering about ever since myst idental peek. Whats a loincloth? Kenshin asked with a frown. Thats the cloth youre wearing right now to cover your important area. Kenshin lowered his head to look at the cloth, evidently puzzled. Dont you wear this? No, I dont, I wear boxers, I denied solemnly. I most definitely do not wear loincloths. Whats the difference? Hmmm, I would love to discuss with you the differences between loincloths and boxers, but... I trailed off, frowning. You know, its really not very...sanitary to be discussing the matter of underwear while dangling in mid-air, and besides, Im not really used to not having both feet firmly nted on the ground. I rolled my eyes. As such, could you kindly pull me up first? I promise that I will clearly list out every type of underwear avable to you, and then exin each of them in detail, okay? I climbed over the edge of the cliff and sat down on the ground, not quite daring to believe that Id managed to avoid dying by falling off a cliff yet again. Kenshin, I saidzily. Even if we set aside the fact that youre level 100, your stats are simply too terrifying. No wonder youre so strong, I said, looking at his stats with envy. Its a shame that you cant level up, though. The system is quite a cheapskate; I put in so much effort to get you, I couldnt resist grumbling under my breath. Kenshin shot me a cold look and said mildly, Running a few steps can also be considered a lot of effort? Hearing his words, I immediately jumped to my feet and retorted, What do you mean, running a few steps? Ill have you know that I came all the way from the Central Continent, and had to help Jing and Yun level up for so many days before I could be pushed off a cliff by them. In addition, I had to brave a blizzard to get to Snow Vige, and I even tripped and fell... Hey, Kenshin, dont go yet, Im not done talking! Whats with that cold stare? Dont you realize that Im your owner? Hey, dont you ignore me! What are we supposed to do next? Kenshin and I had teleported to the White Tiger City in the west. Just what exactly are we supposed to do to free Sunshine, whos still stuck in the Demon Cave? I really cant remember. We have to go to the Adventurers Guild and receive the prophets quest. Right. I understood. After that, I eagerly stepped into the Adventurers Guild. I wanted to finish the quest quickly and then bring the strong Kenshin and elegant Sunshine back with me to the Central Continent. Sigh, I really miss everyone in Odd Squad. After receiving the quest, I looked at the piece of paper in my hands and felt rather dizzy. What is this? Why is it that, on the map given to me by the Adventurers Guild, the location of the three great prophets are pretty much just three points that would form a giant triangle when connected on the entire Eastern Continent? Wouldnt they be really hard to locate, even if I actually had a sense of direction? Never mind, I thought, and suddenly got back my nerve. Theres still Kenshin here with me. What am I scared of? Hey, Kenshin, it should be a piece of cake for you to locate the three great prophets, right? Kenshin slowly turned to look at me, his expression stoic as ever. I dont know the location of anything aside from Kaorus Snow Vige! ...Looks like this quests difficulty might very well increase by three levels because of two people who have absolutely no sense of direction, I thought, heaving a sigh, and resigned myself to staring at the map. Lets start with the nearest! This nearest point seems to be in the lower left corner; looks like its in White Tiger City. No matter, well just keep heading left and down, I said, and began to walk forward briskly. Prince. Kenshin, who had been following silently all this while, suddenly called out my name. I continued to walk and only nced back at him. What? You still havent exined to me about underwear, Kenshin replied with a dead serious expression. Hmmm, underwear... I only know that there are low-rise ones, ones with girdles,cy ones, thongs... I wonder if guys have other types of underwear aside from boxers and briefs? Waaah, how would I know anyway? I cant possibly rmendce underwear to Kenshin, can I? Oh shit, I really kind of want to do so. Kenshin wearingce underwear... Heh! Hmmm, it might be worth a try. Never mind, Kenshin said abruptly. I felt crestfallen. I looked at Kenshin with shining eyes and pleaded, Why? I really want to discuss it with you. Let me tell you about it,pleeease? Kenshin fired another cold look my way. For some reason, I simply didnt want to know after seeing your smile. ... I scratched my face. So it was my smile that gave it away. Next time I must remember not to smile. Mission Get Kenshin to Wear Lace Underwear C failed...Such a pity. Is this the sea? Kenshin suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the sea dumbly, as though he had never seen such a sight before. On his face was aplicated mix of delight and awe. As for me, my feelings toward the sea werent half as pleasant. The memory of being trapped on the ocean, bored to the point of talking to Meatbun, and even forced to work as a deckswabber and clean off seagulls droppings in order to pay for my meals...is really not something I want to remember. Can we get closer to look at it? Kenshin asked hesitantly, even awkwardly. I shed a pearly smile at him. Of course. On the surface, Kenshin was calm as ever, but his footsteps quickened noticeably. I grinned and followed him. To think that the stoic Kenshin would actually feel shy! Kenshin stopped before the sky-blue expanse of water, and I walked up silently to stand next to him. After a moment, I said, Its very beautiful, isnt it? Wait till we rescue Sunshine and go to the Central Continent! You two will definitely see many more beautiful scenes like this. Mm. A ghost of a smile appeared on Kenshins face atst. I nced around at our surroundings. Why does this ce feel rather familiar? I looked to the left and an extremely familiar-looking ship came into my view, as well as an extremely familiar-looking harbor... Weve actually ended up at the harbor? I whipped out the map and checked it again, only to discover that Id strayed by about forty-five degrees or so. What a disaster! I thought. If I cant even reach the nearest point on the map, then how on earth am I going to find all three great prophets? Sigh, I cant find the way, I said, frowning. Kenshin tore his gaze away from the sea and suggested, There are a lot of people over there. Shall we ask them for directions? A lot of people? I turned and saw that there really was a quite a crowd. It seems like theyre all watching something? Interesting, I thought, and enthusiastically dragged Kenshin along toward the crowd. Come on, lets check out themotion. Commotion? Is it even more beautiful than the sea? Err... It depends on your taste. This is really quite a lot of people...plus, it looks like the atmosphere is pretty tense? I looked at the crowd that had gathered, most of whom were clenching their fists and cracking their knuckles, with livid expressions on their face, and some had even drawn their weapons. Whats going on? I peered left and right, desperate to see just what was going on at the center of the crowd. Local mob boss Huang Wei, blurted out the person next to me all of a sudden, and his voice was even shaking. Huang Wei? That name sure sounds familiar. L Jing, are you going to be my wife or not? Im telling you, Ive already posted my people at all the rebirth points. If you say no, I will definitely kill this kid over and over until he hits level one again, said a familiar voice C the kind that begs to be thrashed C from the middle of the crowd. As soon as I heard it, my face darkened. Huang Wei, you lowlife; you actually dare to pick on my best friends again and even try to force Jing to marry you? You obviously underestimated me. I shoved aside the gradually retreating crowd in front of me and immediately saw Jing, whose face was white as a sheet, and Yun, who was being held down by several other yers. Rage boiled in my veins, and I said in an iparably frosty voice, If shell marry you, Ill swallow my dao whole. All eyes fell upon me, and Yun eximed agitatedly, saying, Elf? Dg is an elf alright. Is that you, Dg? I smiled. Aside from me, which other elf would be sightseeing here on the Eastern Continent? Dg... There was aplicated look on Jings pale face as she cried out to me hesitantly. I shifted my attention to Huang Wei, who was as shiny and as unbelievably crass as before, and spoke in an icily calm voice that belied my fury. Huang Wei, right? Looks like the lesson I gave you thest time around wasnt enough. You...! Huang Weis face contorted with anger and, to a lesser extent, terror. God damn it, dont think that Im really scared of you. Last time you snuck up on me, but it wont be that easy this time. Boys, get him! Whoever kills him will be heavily rewarded, Huang Wei roared. The fights started, Kenshin, I remarked to Kenshin, who was next to me, with a faint smile. I was feeling rather eager. I had to endure so much frustration in the fight with the demon god. How can I pass up on this opportunity now that Ive finally met someone whom I can bully?! Kenshins face was expressionless as he gave a curt nod. I drew ck Dao, and smiled coldly as I looked at Huang Wei, who had retreated behind his henchmen, thinking, You think that I cant get to you just because youre hiding at the back? Kenshin and I darted forward simultaneously,pletely unconcerned by the presence of eight thugs in front of us. We moved at lightning speed between their des, my ck Dao and Kenshins sword were so fast that all that could be seen of them was a ck shadow and silver gleam respectively, followed by blood spurting everywhere... I leaped and darted about nonstop, feeling refreshed, not seeing the eight thugs as threats at all. Heck,st time I dared to challenge them on my own, and this time I have a level 100 terror, Kenshin, by my side. It might be quite an insult to some, but to me, this fight is really just a game to get rid of my itch to fight. I left thest two guys to Kenshin to deal with and sauntered toward Huang Wei with a nd smile. Huang Wei, listen to me carefully. Dont ever let me catch you bullying these two people who call me Dg. Otherwise, no matter how much trash you bring with you, to me, they will still just be flies buzzing around. As for you, I will definitely kill you without fail. With a flick of my weapon, I knocked that shy but utterly useless gold sword from Huang Weis hand and sent it skidding far away. Nine-headed Dragon Strike! I threw back my head andughed wildly as I watched streaks of white light shoot into the sky. After a long while, I stoppedughing and a sudden realization hit me upon catching sight of Kenshin, who had finished off the remaining two thugs a while ago. Hmmm... Id just used Kenshins move right before him, hadnt I? But...Kenshins techniques didnt include the Nine-headed Dragon Strike, so it should be fine, right?*sweat* Are you guys alright? I looked worriedly at Yun and Jing. Fortunately, aside from their pale faces, the two of them looked unharmed. Dg... Yun walked up to me, regret evident on his face. Standing in front of me, he sudden dropped onto his knees. Im sorry, Dg. I looked at him, bug-eyed, thinking, Yun, this fellow who hates to lose face, is actually kneeling before me in front of this crowd? Dg, weve deceived you so many times. Why do you still help us? Jing asked as she came up to me, hesitation written all over her face. I shrugged. I said it before, I dont do things that I will regret, and once Ive decided to do something, I wont regret it. Ive already decided to help the two of you, and so Ill help you till the end. Dg, Yun and Jing said in unison, and the two seemed to have made up their mind about something. We beg of you, please let us stay by your side. Huh? I frowned. The two of you should have enough money to go to the Central Continent now. Dont bother about me and go there first. I still have some business to take care of here. Their faces suddenly turned pasty, and Yun asked in a trembling voice, Dg, are you unwilling to let us stay by your side? I can swear that we will never betray you again. Its not like that... My brow creased with thought as I wondered, Should I let them follow me? I couldnt decide. It would be good to have them along, especially since Yuns and Jings sense of direction is definitely way better than mine...but if theye along, I will have to exin to them about Kenshin and Sunshine. Demon king? Jing suddenly eximed softly as she stared at Kenshin dumbly. Yun too, turned to look at Kenshin, an incredulous expression on his face. I paled slightly, and hastily said, Dont say anything first, just follow me. Jing and Yun led Kenshin and me to a restaurant and charged into a random booth. The two of them promptly sat down and two pairs of eyes began staring intently at Kenshins expressionless face. Amused, I deliberately picked up the menu slowly and leisurely ordered dish after dish, as though I hadnt noticed their agitation... Heh! Im about to die from stifling myughter. To think that I can tease them like this in-game; usually theyre the ones who team up to pick on me. For thest dish, well have... What should I order? Wontons in chili oil, right, Dg? Yun said with a cheeky grin. Ive fallen in love with wontons in chili oil as well. Dgs taste in food is the best! I raised my eyebrows. I must admit that when ites to food, Im definitely the connoisseur of our group. After all, arent I the one who always decides where to eat and what to order every time we eat out? Then wontons in chili oil it is. As soon as the waiter left the booth, Jing and Yun immediately fixed their eyes on Kenshin again, clearly determined to get to the bottom of the truth. I sighed, and said sternly, Jing, Yun, what Im about to tell you two now is something very important. I want the two of you to promise never to tell anyone, and never to mention the matter again. Jing and Yun exchanged a resolute look, and Yun said firmly, Dg, I am willing to swear that from this day on, I will obey Dg without fail. Since Dg has asked us not to speak of the matter, the two of us will not so much as breathe a word about it. If Dg is still skeptical, then theres no need to even exin the matter to us. We wont object, Jing said as well. I looked at Kenshin inquiringly. After all, it was his business. I had no right to decide for him. Tell them. I have no desire for them to treat me like any other NPC, Kenshin replied coolly. Jing and Yun stared at him nkly for three seconds, and then Yun stammered, You...youve attained self-awareness? Can it be true? This kind of thing that only happens in sci-fi novels is actually happening? Thats precisely how it is. I scratched my face, thinking, So Yuns actually smarter than I thought he was. He actually managed to figure out the truth just like that. Kenshins not the only one. Theres another one called Sunshine. Im currently trying to figure out a way to rescue him as well. Theres another one? Yun and Jing were stunned. Yeah. I have to finish another quest, only then can I get Sunshine out of the Demon Cave. I frowned. Theres something I need your help with, though. Im not too good at reading the map provided for the quest... Let me take a look. As expected of Jing, shed gotten over the shock pretty quickly and calmly asked for the map. I took out the extremely confusing map and passed it to her. Jing stared at the map, frowning, and then took out a protractor... How professional, I thought in admiration. No wonder they never get lost. I should learn from them, but first, how do you use a protractor? Head twenty degrees east-south-east from the harbor and travel for approximately fifteen kilometers, Jing pronounced as she stowed away her protractor. Oh... I replied indifferently as I chewed on my food. After all, with them to lead the way C since Jing and Yun already said that they would follow me C I wouldnt have to bother with this east-south-east or whatever. I picked up a meat bun from the table and stared at it mutely for a while. I havent fed Meatbun for a few days now, right? I thought, breaking out in cold sweat. CRAP! Not caring if Jing and Yun were still present, I hurriedly reached into my pouch and fished out Meatbun... Mamaaaaa! Meatbuns eyes were visibly swollen from crying, but as soon as it saw me, its face seemed to light up with joy. Meatbun-bun missed Mama so badly, Meatbun-buns tum-tum is also very hungry-hungry! I couldnt even begin to express the heartache and regret I felt. To think that Id actually forgotten to feed it... I hurriedly fed Meatbun the edible meat bun in my hand. As I fed it, I apologized, saying, Im really sorry, Meatbun, I really forgot. Its my fault for making you hungry for so long. Mmmph, mmmph! Meatbuns mouth waspletely stuffed with food, but it continued to look at me with happiness shining in its eyes. Seeing that Meatbun was eating happily, I felt relieved and once again raised my chopsticks, ready to fill my own stomach...only to see three pairs of eyes looking on, stunned. A meat bun with eyes... Yun said, wide-eyed and ck-jawed. A talking meat bun... Jing gulped. ... Kenshin said nothing. I chuckled. This is my pet. Its called Meatbun. Meatbun, say hello to everyone. Meatbun swallowed therge meat bun in its mouth and hopped onto the table, saying, Hello, everyone-one! Meatbun-buns name is Meatbun. Meatbun-bun is Mamas pet. Mama? Three pairs of eyes turned to look at me inquisitively. Meatbuns not too good at distinguishing gender and always likes to call me Mama, I replied, sweating furiously. This is aplete lie. Theres probably nobody in this world as good at distinguishing gender as Meatbun... Dgs pets are really special, Yun said with a helpless smile. Hmmm, let me think. My first pets a meat bun with eyes, the seconds Kenshin, a manga character whos attained self-awareness, and after rescuing Sunshine, wont my third pet be an Arabic prince whos gained self-awareness? They certainly are very special... *sweat*! So you like to eat meat buns, Meatbun-bun? Thats really unusual, Yun said to Meatbun, which was sitting on his shoulder. Meat buns, yummy! Meatbun replied, bouncing on its perch delightedly. Meat buns are pretty tasty. When did you start to speak? After fighting with fire birdie. Whats a fire birdie? Its Gui-guis pet. And what is a gui-gui? Gui-gui is... Meatbun tilted its big head to one side in thought. A thing like Mama. Oh...another elf warrior, Yun remarked, suddenly seeing the light. Then... ... Noment. Along the way to the first prophet, two of us humans C Jing and myself C and an NPC listened speechlessly to the nonsensical conversation between another human and a meat bun. Looks like Yun and Meatbun clicked together quite easily. Neither of them can stop talking C so theyd just keep talking to one another! Jing, how much further is it? I asked exasperatedly. If I keep listening to the two of them chatter on, Im afraid I will really end up with neurasthenia! Jing held the map in her left hand and apass in her right. It should be around here, Dg. Lets search around here, then. Thwack! My foot met some resistance mid-step. Was there some obstacle? I wondered, and looked down... I actually kicked an elderly beggars bowl and sent it flying five meters away? I gaped. My god, what have I done? I hurriedly picked up the bowl and apologized profusely, saying, Im really sorry, uncle. Here is your bowl. Seeing there wasnt much of a reaction from the elderly beggar, I thought for a brief moment and then reached into my pouch and fished out several gold coins and ced them in his bowl. Uncle, these gold coins are for you. Im really sorry for knocking over your bowl. With the matter settled, I was just about to continue walking when I saw Jing and Yun staring at me in astonishment. What is it? I felt my face. Nope, my mask is still in ce! So what are they staring at me for? Nothing, its just... Dgs attitude towards NPCs is really unusual, Yun replied in a tone of surprise. Jing took a deep breath and said, No wonder Kenshin and Sunshine chose you to take on their quest. ... Kenshins impassive face suddenly twitched. *Sweat* If I recall correctly, the reason why they chose me seemed to have to do with the fact that no one else has fallen off that cliff before... Still, I had to keep up my appearance, and so I coughed twice and in a falsely stern tone, said, Since when did Kenshin have a quest for me to take on? What are you two babbling about? The two of them immediately panicked. Sorry, Dg. We didnt say anything. I nodded and said in a rxed tone, Lets hurry and locate the prophet. Yes, Dg. A weak voice came from where the elderly beggar was kneeling on the ground, saying, Why do you seek the prophet? We turned to look at him. We wish to learn about the prophecy inscribed upon the peak of the Azure Mountain, I replied hesitantly. The beggar sighed faintly and got to his feet slowly. Looks like I cant hide forever! I am one of the three great prophets. Ah? All of us were dumbfounded. Is he for real? Is it so tough to be a prophet that he has to resort to begging in order to eat? Young man, seeing that youre a good person, I wont make things hard for you. I was originally going to ask you to do something in order to prove that you are a righteous man, said the prophet with a benign smile. Now, I shall hand this piece of the map of the Azure Mountain to you unconditionally. I epted the map piece from him, feeling a bit stunned. We got the first fragment this easily? Excuse me, mister prophet, but what were you going to ask us to do initially? Jing asked curiously. Challenge the Fierce Tigers stronghold on Tiger Mountain and kill their three leaders, the prophet replied lightly. Jings and Yuns jaws were hanging open in a most inelegant fashion. The Fierce Tigers stronghold... Thats an area no less dangerous than the Demon Cave, and we would have to kill the three bosses? After a long while, Yun finally managed to close his mouth. He turned to look me reverently and said, Dg, I really am in awe of you. Xi?od will definitely learn from your example, and have a noble heart which does not deign to serve as a healer of the masses. Hey, can you not abuse proverbs like that? Healer of the masses indeed! And to think that youre majoring in Chinese literature like me, I thought, scratching my face. Still, its truly unexpected that such a small action would actually save us so much trouble. Just as well; this way, the time until I get to see everyone in Odd Squad again will be even shorter. I turned toward the elderly prophet-beggar. Thank you for the map piece, uncle prophet. Well be on our way now to look for the second prophet. The prophet smiled. Such a polite fellow. Then let me give you yet another hint. The northern prophet often appears at that ce with chickens, ducks, fish, meat, green vegetables, and carrots. After saying that, he knelt down once again and resumed being a beggar. The wet market? I mused, scratching my face. The designs for the prophets sure are weird. Here I thought they would all be hiding like hermits in the mountains or other secluded ces with only birds and beasts forpany. Then lets go to the Northern Tortoise City to look for the northern prophet! Yes, Dg. Jing and Yun looked at me more worshipfully than ever. Looks like this quest will be easier than I thought. Right? I thought confidently. Members of Odd Squad, Ill being home soon! [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 6 End]

Footnotes

Sword-drawing technique: Kenshin fans may be more familiar with the Japanese term for this C battoujutsu. As the name implies, the types of moves based on this technique often involves (to varying degrees) the drawing of the sword, such as using the movement to build up momentum for the actual attack. See for more information. Kenshins techniques: Note that Kenshin here only has a few of his moves from Rurouni Kenshin such as Dragon Flight of Heaven (also known as Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki). Most of the other moves are not from the Rurouni Kenshin universe. Volume 3 Chapter 7 Volume 3 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: The Battle Begins C tranted by Amphrase Yu Lian, are we stillcking a lot of money? Ugly Wolf asked. He looked at his wife C whose brows had been locked in a permanent furrow for the past few days C with some distress. A lot, a lot. The furrow between Yu Lians eyebrows deepened as she discussed the financial ounts with Ice Phoenix. Both of them looked very pale. This isnt working. We wontst for much longer, not unless wee up with other ways of earning money soon, said Ice Phoenix. She threw down a stack of documents and began massaging her temples. But weve already sent all the people who could be spared out to earn money. In another two weeks, the game admin will be withdrawing all the NPC guards, and then the members of the Righteous des who are out earning money will definitely have to return to protect Infinite City. At that time, our finances will be in an even worse state, Yu Lian said, troubled. But wont there be yers visiting and spending money in our city at that time? Ugly Wolf asked. No, the city would only just be starting out, so we definitely wont be breaking even for some time. We dont have enough people to work as shopkeepers, peacekeepers, or soldiers either, therefore we must continue to expand our staff... Just these expenses alone are shocking enough, not to mention the fact that we have to continue the construction of the city. The hundred thousand or so crystal coins that we have right now wont be enough for our purposes, analyzed Phoenix. Ugly Wolf tilted his head to one side as he mulled the information over. Guis blueprint of the city is almost done. Shall we send him to the other three cities to perform on the streets for tips? Mm! Yu Lian noted down the new method of increasing the citys ie with a serious look on her face. So how much money did you manage to swindle out of other yers, Lolidragon? Ugly Wolf asked Lolidragon, who was lounging nearby. The hundred thousand crystal coins I got from swindling others have been used up a long time ago, Lolidragon replied. She rolled her eyes at Ugly Wolf. Im already a wanted fugitive. My appearance and methods are pretty muchmon knowledge throughout Sun, Moon, and Star Cities by now. Its impossible to con them anymore. What a pity... If Prince was here, he could tag along with Gui to perform on the streets, Lolidragon raised her eyebrows. His voice is really good, and with that face of his, he would definitely earn a lot. Does Prince sing very well? Phoenix immersed herself in her imagination... Then when Prince is back, well send him off to perform on the streets. With his abilities, if he takes the task assigned to him seriously and earns money, and if we sell a few small treasures, we should be able to earn all the money back! Yu Lian calcted. The problem is, will that guy take the task assigned to him seriously? Lolidragon disagreed. ...That is another big problem! Were in trouble, Nan Gong Zui said as he slowly walked in, his face somber. Can you not use such a shocking opening line? We all know that were in trouble with things the way they are, Lolidragon said, rolling her eyes at Nan Gong Zui. Nan Gong Zui ignored Lolidragon. There was a trace of anger in his voice as he exined, Fan is recruiting soldiers. Theyll be invading Infinite City once the NPC guards are gone. Fan? Upon hearing her ex-lovers name, Phoenixs eyebrows furrowed, and aplicated feeling welled up in her heart. One disaster after another. Yu Lians expression darkened. Now well have to recruit more soldiers as well. Prince isnt back yet? Nan Gong Zui asked calmly. Uhhh, about that... The members of Odd Squad began to stammer. Nan Gong Zui turned to face Ice Phoenix. In a kind but firm voice, he said, Phoenix, leave the room for a moment. There are some things which I have to discuss with the members of Odd Squad. Although she was reluctant to leave, Phoenix knew better than to argue. In a small voice she said okay and then obediently left the room. Nan Gong Zui watched as Phoenix closed the door, and then turned around to face the members of Odd Squad. What exactly happened to Prince? Tell me. There was a long silence in the room... I am aware that although Prince is remarkably strong and values his friends and honor greatly, he is also scatter-brained, a little silly, plus he has no sense of direction. Nan Gong Zui said steadily. You shouldve told us earlier! Everyone else breathed a relieved sigh. So you already knew about Princes true personality; you shouldve told us earlier, we were worried half to death! Lolidragon patted her chest, having yet to recover from her fright. Where exactly is Prince? Nan Gong Zui asked again patiently. Hes on the Eastern Continent, Ugly Wolf replied without hesitation now that there was no need to conceal the truth. Nan Gong Zui frowned uprehendingly. What is he doing there? The result of hisck of a sense of direction and drinking. Lolidragons expression darkened. ... Even though he was already aware of Princes true personality, Nan Gong Zui couldnt help being stunned for a moment. When will he be back? We dont know, Lolidragon answered honestly. You guys dont seem to care much about Prince. Nan Gong Zui said mildly, but dissatisfaction was evident in his tone. Its not that we dont care, its just that we dont want to imprison him yet, Lolidragon replied calmly. Nan Gong Zui gave her an uprehending look. You will understand in the time toe, Yu Lian added with a smile. Just then, Gui entered the room. The very first phrase to leave his mouth was Bad news. He received several res in response. What happened this time? Lolidragon askedzily. Wicked said that Prince might have to dy his return, said Gui, clearly tormented by the news. Just what is that guy doing? A vein popped on Lolidragons forehead. Wicked, who had entered the room after Gui, was frowning. He refused to say, but it seems to be of great importance. He said that he will hurry back as soon as possible. As soon as possible? The enemys almost knocking on our door, yet our liege lord is still wandering around on the Eastern Continent? Lolidragon stood up abruptly. No, Wicked, tell him that he must board the ship within three days, no matter what hes doing. How are we supposed to fight this war when our liege lord isnt even around? I will ry your message, Wicked said with a nod, but after a moments thought, he added, But I cannot predict what he will do. That guy cant even predict his own actions, so how could you? Lolidragon replied, massaging her temples. In a weary tone, she continued, We can only hope that he will return before Fan reaches the city. After all, Prince is still the heart of Infinite City. Hahaha! Iughed to myself, thinking, The map fragments sure were a piece of cake to collect. All I had to do was answer a few questions of the northern prophet in the wet market, and then win against the eastern prophet in a game of Sic Bo at the gambling den, and the three map fragments were all mine. This quest is so easy! How is it possible that somebody can actually differentiate twenty different kinds of vegetables and ten different kinds of fish meat from one another? And even spell out the names? Yun asked disbelievingly. All the fish meat had looked exactly the same to him, and they even tasted alike. How can somebody manage to win ten games in a row of Sic Bo? Cold sweat dripped down Jings forehead. Dumb luck couldnt even begin to cover it. Kenshin, this map is too difficult to assemble. Help me piece it together and then pass it to Jing, I said after trying in vain for while to piece together the three map fragments and tossed them to Kenshin to deal with. Yet this person cant even piece together three pieces of a map... Jing and Yun thought, staring dumbfounded at theirpanion. Isnt this a bit too far-fetched? Kenshin caught the map pieces and tossed them onto the table. Just when he was about to begin piecing them together... Wow, Kenshin, youve already pieced them together. Thats quick, I said, staring at thepleted map that wasid out on the table, and hastily beckoned Jing over. Jing, quick, take a look and see where this is. ... Kenshin looked at the alreadypleted map and frowned, not saying a word. I can roughly tell where the location is, Jing said thoughtfully. Thats good, lets set off then. My brow creased with thought. ording to Zhuo-gge, I had only about three days left toplete my quest and pick up Sunshine. I had to hurry. Its so tall. Standing at the foot of Azure Peak, which was so tall that its peaks were lost in the clouds, I had a dark premonition in my heart... With our skill, climbing a mountain shouldnt be a very difficult thing to do. Right? I hope so... I turned to Jing and Yun. Since you two arent warriors, it might be rather difficult for you to scale this mountain, so just set up a camp here and wait for Kenshin and me to return. Yes, Dg. Jing and Yun nodded. Lets go, Kenshin. Kenshin too, gave me a nod, and I lifted a leg, ready to climb this mountain, but just then... I suddenly turned around and said to Yun, Hey, return Meatbun to me. Shock, disappointment, anguish, and reluctance appeared on Yuns face, and he bit back tears as he handed Meatbun back to me. Meatbun-bun, you must return quickly, otherwise I will be very bored. Meatbun-bun will return quickly. Dont cry-cry, Yun-yun. Meatbuns eyes too, were filled with tears. The atmosphere was that of a sorrowful parting. In this fashion, a human and a bun gazed at each other heartbreakingly, as though they were a couple who were being forced to separate. From time to time, they would even throw me pleading looks, as if they were begging me C the heartless murderer who was brutally separating two lovers C to show mercy and let them off... To hell with you! I gave Yun a smack on the head. Lets go, Meatbun. Two veins popped on my forehead as I turned and left. Yes, Mama. Meatbun hopped after me, its eyes filled with happiness, leaving behind a intive Yun who kept shooting resentful looks at me. Right, lets start climbing. I gazed up at Azure Peak, and what I saw was not the cloud banks, but the faces of my teammates in Odd Squad. How much longer? Nan Gong Zui asked Kong Kong and Lolidragon calmly. Theyll definitely be here in half a day. Kong Kong replied angrily. Fan brought around seven hundred people. Warriors make up around two thirds of the force; the rest are mostly mages and priests. Theyre very high on offense power. Its going to be hard, analyzed Lolidragon. Nan Gong Zuis thought went to Infinite Citys defense force, which had around two hundred warriors, fifty archers, fifty mages, twenty priests, and twenty thieves... and thought that if not for the fact that his opponent was Fan, whom he detested the most, he C Zui C would probably have surrendered right away. Nan Gong Zui sighed softly. No matter what, he had to defend Infinite City for Prince. After all, the Righteous des had poured in so much of their heart and soul into building the city. White Bird, here, chair the meeting. White Bird too, was frowning slightly. The situation did bode ill, but as they say, its easy to defend a city and hard toy siege. She believed that so long as they nned carefully, capturing Infinite City would definitely be no easy task. All groups, report on your situation. The eastern, western, and southern gates have been walled up and they definitely cant be opened. Aside from the northern gate, the only other way Fans forces could enter Infinite City is by scaling the city walls, but weve prepared and ced hot oil on them. What I fear is that we wont have enough oil for Fans forces... Guis brow furrowed deeply with thought. Weve only finished the gates recently... Sigh, the cost for reopening the three gates and reconstruction alone when this war is over will be sufficiently rming. In contrast to her usual willful self, Fairsky wore a pair of sses with a ck frame and held in her right hand a scroll of information, which was so long that it trailed along on the ground. In her left hand she held an abacus and she analyzed meticulously, Fortunately, weve allocated an adequate amount of money to the construction of the citys foundations. The city walls will definitely hold out. With a force of five hundred, it would take... about a month, fifteen days, three hours and forty-six minutes to break through the wall, but since this is a game, I seriously doubt that anyone can sleep for an entire month with the game helmet on withoutplications. Also, the city gate is extremely strong. Even taking into ount magical attacks, it canst for at least several days. Yu Lian sighed and massaged her temples. Where are we going to get the money for the three gates from?! Sigh, Phoenix, you guys report on your status. I need to get a cup of tea to calm my nerves. Phoenix hastened to speak. Due to a severeck of archers, every warrior has been equipped with a mid-level crossbow and arrows. Although their damage would be nothingpared to real archers, they should be able to make up for it with their strength and maim or kill the enemy from atop the city walls... even though this increases the burdens of the finance department. Phoenix too, felt faint when she finished her report. What about supplies and ammunitions? White Bird asked thoughtfully. Regardless of the state of their finances, they had to have supplies and ammunitions. Without even just that much, there would be no way for them to win the battle outnumbered as they were. Weve followed the list given by the military department and made the necessary purchases. When theyd first received the list C which was as long and as horrifying as the cloth used to bind old grannies feet in ancient China C Phoenix and Yu Lian had just stopped short of huddling together and weeping. However, they were forced by the harsh reality (or rather, White Birds despotic rule) and could only force Lolidragon to head out and con more people yet again... How about the mages? In a gentle yet firm tone, Rose said, Ive already let the mages know that their main duty is to maintain the defensive barrier and prevent Fans mages from destroying the city gates, but I think we may not have enough magespared to Fans forces. However, I can guarantee that all our mages are top-notch. Even if they have to drink mana potions like water, they must hang in there, White Bird said fiercely. Both Rose and Phoenix sighed, but still they answered, Understood. Do we have any reinforcements, foreign affairs department? White Bird asked, although she knew better than to hope for any help from that quarter. Feng Wu Qing shook his head with a sigh as he fanned himself. Its not so easy to find reinforcements. Right now, Infinite City has nothing to offer, so how many people would be willing toe to our aid? A vein popped on Lolidragons forehead. You jerk, were you just fooling around outside the city while I was being pressed into hardbor by the finance department? You couldnt find even a single reinforcement? Feng Wu Qing replied coldly, Hardbor? More like serving as a fox spirit! You! Just as Lolidragon was about to throttle Feng Wu Qing, Ugly Wolf grabbed her by the cor, so she was unable to strangle Wu Qing to death. Feng Wu Qings cold expression thawed as he grinned slightly. I didnt find much by way of reinforcement, just a hundred and twenty warriors, thirty mages, and then some priests! Its a pity Sis refused to help; otherwise I would definitely have the help of yet another brother-inw. Shes such a selfish sister to refuse to just help defend a city. Lolidragons mouth immediately formed an O shape. She leveled a trembling finger at Feng Wu Qing and said, You... you... Where did you manage to find that many yers? Feng Wu Qing rubbed his nose and then admitted, My parents also y this game, plus my moms a writer, so she summoned her loyal readers to help out. Lazy fellow, Lolidragon replied disdainfully. You... How did the trap-setting go? White Bird ignored the bickering duo and turned to ask the thief Kong Kong. Kong Kong nodded and said, Ive already gathered all the thieves beforehand and weveid countless traps around Infinite City, only leaving a few narrow routes past them. Hmph, if that yboy Fan dares to draw close to Infinite City, I guarantee that he will either be blown to bits or buried alive. Next is the most important group C our military department, said White Bird as she turned to look at Nan gong Zui, Wicked, Broken Sword, and Ugly Wolf. The Righteous des have been training hard ever since we arrived in the Infinite City. Although the members who joinedter are not as skilled or as united as the original members of the group, theyve made tremendous improvement this past month. Their average level is fifty or so, which is pretty good, Nan Gong Zui reported dutifully. Ugly Wolf said confidently, Ive ced the extra men that Wu Qing recruited on top of the northern gate. Even if the gate is breached, these hundred yers can hold out until otherse to reinforce them. The remaining yers will be positioned upon the city wall and defend it using magic and ranged attacks with their bows, thus slowing the enemys advance. Together with fifty selected strong yers, Odd Squad and Dark Emperor will defend the central tower. Broken Sword looked at Legs, and thetter nodded. Legs and I have already made sure that the warriors have learned basic archery skills. Although their uracy and strength cannotpare with actual archers, theyll have no trouble with bending a bow and shooting arrows. I have already divided the yers into smaller teams, taking into consideration how well they work together as well as other factors. I believe this will prove very useful during meleebat, Wicked reported on his progress with a serious expression. Seeing that all the departments were done with their reports, White Bird began to exin the strategy for the uing battle. First and foremost, I want to say that during the battle, Infinite Citys rebirth point will be shut down to prevent enemies from resurrecting inside our walls, which would be very dangerous to us. Although shutting down our rebirth point will also prevent our yers from getting back in, this is a necessary move. Does everyone understand? All the people present nodded. White Bird continued with her exnation. Theres another thing everyone has to note: We are the defenders, so our most important duty is to defend the city center. No matter what, we must protect the central tower and the Infinite City gemstone, as once its shattered Infinite City will no longer belong to us. I believe everyone understands the severity of this matter, so we must defend the gemstone to the death. (Authors note: All yer-owned cities will have a central tower. Within it is the citys gemstone. Usually, the central tower cannot be entered, but during a siege, yers can shatter the gemstone by force. Whoever shatters the gemstone will take over the city as its liege lord, and the original ruler will lose his/her control over the city.) Defend the gemstone to the death! everybody roared. Finally, White Bird couldnt resist raising a question which Zui had forbidden her from asking. Will the liege lord be returning? Everybody looked at the members of Odd Squad, who turned to look at Wicked in unison. Wicked merely said, I dont know. White Birds voice was filled with suppressed frustration as she said, Its one thing if the liege lord doesnt show his face for an entire month, but to actually be absent when somebodysying siege to the city? Isnt that too much? Prince will be back, he definitely will. Lolidragon gave White Bird a firm look. White Bird too, looked steadily at Lolidragon. Lets hope so. Lets hope so... Although Lolidragons gaze did not waver, her back was wet with sweat. May the heavens protect Prince from getting lost again! There must be around a thousand yers in this crowd. Even the calm and fearless Madame White Bird could not help turning pale at the sight of the rminglyrge force formed up neatly in ranks and dressed and armed with superior equipment and weapons that glimmered under the sun. In addition, there was a giant siege engine and nearly ten scalingdders... If the shock was any bigger, she would probably have just jumped off the city wall straightaway. Their faces were all pale, but Nan Gong Zui said coolly, We have to hang in there. I dont wish to disappoint Prince. Wicked raised his eyebrows. I will never let disappointment show in his eyes. A disappointed look does not suit Prince, Gui said coldly. Nan Gong Zui walked to a ce where everyone could see him and then drew his sword abruptly. The ringing of cold steel calmed down the agitated defenders. After surveying them once with his eyes, Nan Gong Zui roared emphatically, For our Infinite City, we shall fight to the death! TO THE DEATH! the warriors roared, echoing his words. Nan Gong Zui stared at Fan, who was also staring at him from far away, and muttered, Come on then, Fan. Lets finish this. Archers, nock your bows and wait behind the arrowslit for the signal. Get ready for the first volley of arrows, ordered Legs, who was themander of the archers. Warriors, move the cauldron of oil into ce and then attack using your bows first! Once someone begins to scale the walls, pour the hot oil on them immediately. Also, protect the archers and the mages well, ordered Wicked swiftly andposedly. Mages, put up the barrier! Yu Lian and the other mages immediately took their positions well behind the city walls,bining their power to cast a protective barrierrge enough to envelop the entire Infinite City. The battle was about to begin at any moment! Prince, I will bring you down from your position as the lord of Infinite City. Although Fan was still smiling gently, those who were familiar with him could tell that there was an icy look and a deep thirst for vengeance zing in his eyes. All men, prepare to attack. Infinite City will be ours! Fan ordered as his forces advanced upon Infinite City, like a celestial general leading his immortal soldiers into battle. Quick, hurry! Pour the hot oil to stop them from climbing up, Wicked bellowed frantically as he moved among the defenders. Yu Lian, hurry and get the mages to help destroy the scalingdders. Yu Lian hurriedly replied, Right. Phoenix, stay here and takemand of those maintaining the barrier. Team one, and you, Ming Huang, follow me. God damn it, the difference in numbers is just too big. To think that Fan actually had so many men skilled at dismantling traps; those traps were ced for nothing, Nan Gong Zui thought, swearing silently to himself as he looked at the densely-packed horde of enemy yers C like a colony of ants C attacking the city walls. He could only forcibly suppress the rising panic in his chest and ask everyone else, in a steady tone, to remain calm, and then desperately fire arrow after arrow, hoping that he could take down a few more enemy yers... asionally, he would raise his head and gaze into the distance as though he could see Fans face C impassive but for the trace of a smile that seemed to say that the city was already his. Zui, theyre about to breach the city gates, Ugly Wolf said, struggling not to panic. What?! Nan Gong Zui eximed. Didnt the mages get rid of the enemies in front of the city gates? They did. Maybe its because the enemy has too many mages... I dont get why the city gates were destroyed so quickly either; perhaps Gui and Fairsky estimated wrongly? Ugly Wolf frowned. In any case, we should redirect some of the yers to defend the city gates now. The defenders are already having a hard time fending off the yers scaling the walls. Theres no way we can redirect anybody to guarding the gates, Nan Gong Zui replied, panicking inwardly. Or should they get those defending the central tower to defend the gates instead? But no, the central tower was simply too important. There was no way they could decrease the number of yers guarding it... but it would also be a disaster if the city gates were breached. Ugly Wolf watched with empathy as Nan Gong Zuis expression grew more and more troubled. After all, he too, couldnt think of a solution, which was why he came to ask Zui, hoping that a miracle would appear, that he could think of a solution. Zui... is there a way? ... Nan Gong Zui stared at the sky and could not suppress a sigh. If I had another months time or twice the funds, Infinite Citys forces and defense wouldnt be in such a sorry state. Ugly Wolf scratched the fur on his head upon hearing that. Hopefully that fellow Prince will hurry back in time. Nan Gong Zui smiled bitterly. Even if Prince returns, we will only have one more defender. What difference would it make? I dont know, Ugly Wolf replied as he scratched his face, But... Prince himself is a synonym for a miracle. Nan Gong Zui frowned uprehending and gave Ugly Wolf a questioning look. Ugly Wolf smiled. Didnt youe to Infinite City because of Princes miracles as well? Nan Gong Zui smiled as he shook his head. Sigh, we cant hope for a miracle this time. Wicked approached them from one side, and he seemed oddly calm in the midst of the chaos of war. Weve run out of oil, were losing the city wall, and the city gates are almostpletely breached. I suggest we retreat and defend the central tower. Wicked and Ugly Wolf both looked at Nan Gong Zui questioningly. With a heavy heart, Nan Gong Zuimanded, All troops, retreat to the central tower! Upon receiving the order, all the various teams began to make their way reluctantly to the central tower. At this point, the benefit of training in smaller groups became clearly visible as team members smoothly assumed their respective roles in the team. Shielded and protected by the warriors, the archers and mages continued to attack the enemy even as they retreated, and even managed to take down quite a number of enemy yers. Moreover, the teams could cover for one another and provide support for other teams that were having a hard time. In this fashion, the soldiers of Infinite City fought and retreated to the za in front of the central tower, putting up a final stand against those enemy yers who hade to take over Infinite City. Archers, volley! Nan Gong Zui had already lost count of the number of times he had given themand to fire. The streaks of white light in the skies were practically like fireworks, yet the number of enemy yers didnt seem to diminish at all. A thousand men? Im afraid its more than that, he thought, troubled. You should just surrender, Nan Gong Zui. If you do, I might just consider giving you a small position. The benevolent smile on Fans face held a trace of rage. Hmph! Nan Gong Zui merely sneered. Although Fans troops greatly outnumbered Infinite Citys, he was still the invader. All those cauldrons of hot oil would definitely have cost him countless men. Besides, the members of the Righteous des had all received extensive training inrge-scale fighting, so the situation wasnt necessarily in Fans favor. With that thought, Nan Gong Zuis spirits lifted. So you choose the hard way, Fan said coldly. Kill him! Just as suspicion entered his mind, Nan Gong Zui was suddenly sent sprawling to the ground. His shoulder went numb for a moment, and then red with pain. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the one whod pushed him down was Lolidragon, while Madame White Bird was looking incredulously at a panicky Phoenix. Nan Gong Zui sighed. Phoenix, you... Phoenix, what are you doing? White Bird demanded, staring at her own sister in disbelief. Phoenix actually tried to kill Nan Gong Zui? And she was clearly listening to Fans order; hadnt she already transferred her affections to Prince? I... Although shed panicked when she saw that Nan Gong Zui was still alive, her spirits lifted after she took a look at Fan, and once again, she fired a bolt of magic at Nan Gong Zui... Do you take me for a corpse? Lolidragon coolly sent Phoenix sprawling with a kick, and then calmly pinned thetter to the ground. Nan Gong Zui got to his feet without a word, his heart gripped in ice. Hed always sincerely treated Phoenix as his godsister, forgiving her mistakes time after time, protecting her, worrying that she would feel guilty, feel upset... yet the result was still like this. Zui... White Bird looked guiltily at the dispirited Nan Gong Zui, and then at her sister, whose face was almost buried in the ground. She could only sigh yet again. Why did this sister of hers always have to choose to sacrifice everything else for her love? To even be a spy... You sabotaged the city gates, didnt you? Although it was phrased as a question, Guis tone was one of certainty. He knew that there could not have been a mistake in his calctions, so someone must have sabotaged them; otherwise, they would never have been breached so quickly. Upon hearing Guis question, as all those present turned to look in sudden realization and anguish at Phoenix, thetter buried her face even more deeply into the ground. Everybody had worked hard, pouring in their efforts to defend the city, and yet there was a spy, and it was actually somebody so close to them. At that thought, the defenders of Infinite City grew disheartened. Fan seized the opportunity and began the attack. It seemed that the defense of Infinite City was in a critical situation, as cracks appeared in the defense surrounding the central tower. Nan Gong Zui and his team were in particrly low spirits, wracked with guilt and uncertainty... Uncharacteristically enough, Fan led the charge, and the defenders of Infinite City were actually so dispirited that the enemy managed to charge right up to Zui. Nan Gong Zui, in the end, youve lost, Fan said lightly, a satisfied smile on his face. Nan Gong Zui looked at Fan bleakly and said in a hoarse voice, I can take whatever revenge you throw my way; just let Phoenix off! Fan broke into maniacalughter. Let Phoenix off? Hahaha, she doesnt want me to let her off! As for you, Nan Gong Zui, I definitely will Wahhh! Whoevers down there, make way! A piteous cry from above could suddenly be heard. Why did the voice sound rather familiar? WHAM! Damn it, if Id known, I wouldnt have stood up as I pleased. So when they tell you to sit on an airne, you should really sit and not stand on an airne; the same holds true for flying carpets! I want to cry; my entire body feels like its about to break... I looked up into the sky at the crowd sitting on the flying carpet. Kenshin and Sunshine were idly sipping their tea, while Jing and Yun were staring dumbly at me, who had fallen off the ne... I mean, the carpet. Oh, by the way, I should mention that such a uniquely Arabic object as a flying carpet is obviously a treasure belonging to Sunshine. Its all thanks to that carpet that I coulde back so quickly to Infinite City. My entire body ached as I stood up slowly, only to see everyone from Infinite City staring at me. I said slowly, Whew, good thing the ground was soft; I almost fell to my death. Everyone stared at me nkly, and then suddenly shifted their gaze to my feet. After a moment of confusion, I too, looked down at my feet... Oh, so I crushed a human cushion to death. Doesnt this human cushion look rather familiar? I yanked the cushion dudes head backward by the hair in order to see his face. Fan? I thought, scratching my head. So its him. Whew, my conscience can finally be at ease, then. Crushing this sort of person to death isnt worth agonizing over. Prince! Fan snarled, ring at me as he spat a mouthful of blood. Its you again! I interjected quickly. Im sick of that opening line; cant you change it to something else? Dont re at me like that. Its not like I know why Im always making things hell for you. Maybe its our fate? I cocked my head to one side, thinking, Is it just me, or am I always subduing Fan? Maybe its because hes called rice, so hes destined to be cooked by me? Oh yeah, what are you doing in Infinite City anyway? Sight-seeing? The citys open to the public already? I asked uncertainly. ... Everyone continued to stare at me wordlessly. Lolidragon rolled her eyes and bellowed irritably, He came to attack the city! Our idiotic liege lord has finally found his way home, Ming Huang C who could never say anything useful C shouted idly. Ohhh! My eyes narrowed. He dares to attack our city? What nerve! I immediately threw a punch at Fan and sent him sprawling. Seeing that he was about to reach into his pouch for a health potion, I raised my eyebrows and then stomped on the back of his hand with one foot. You cowardly bastard; fight me one-on-one if youve got the balls! Fan yelled desperately, seeing that he might be killed any time. I gave him a bloodthirsty smile and then said nonchntly, One-on-one? Sure, just wait till Ive cleaned up your friends. I looked at Fans forces and then suddenly remembered what Zhuo-gge had told me over the phone, about how Lolidragon wanted me to put on the fa?ade of the Blood Elf when I got back... Sigh! Im not too keen on the idea, but since when have I been able to disobey Lolidragon? Im resigned to my fate... So I drew my ck Dao and ran my tongue over the de lightly, without forgetting to smile slightly. So many people for me to kill, thats great! I watched the enemy with satisfaction, seeing that some of them had widened their eyes, while others gulped... Hey, you, over there, is there need to wet your pants? Am I really that terrifying? Im only twenty and in the prime of my youth, not to mention lovely and charming... Prince, the atmosphere over here on our side C among the defenders of Infinite City C isnt too good. You should do something about it first, Lolidragon told me over a PM suddenly, interrupting my moment of narcissism. Since she rarely uses such a serious tone, something major must have happened. What happened? Phoenix didnt really fall in love with you, only pretended to do so. Her aim was to serve as a spy in Infinite City. She sabotaged the city gates and nearly killed Nan Gong Zui, Lolidragon said heavily. Prince, if you can, try and make Fan look bad by beating him up some more. Perhaps this way, Phoenix might really transfer her affections to you. I broke out in cold sweat. Phoenix... your luck with the opposite sex is about as good as mine; you have to fall for either a dastardly yboy or me, a transvestite? Still, as I said, there was simply no way I could disobey Lolidragons orders. I looked at Nan Gong Zui. As expected, he looked as though he had lost all will to live, which seriously pissed me off. I stomped on both of Fans hands a couple of times to prevent him from secretly taking a drink from his health potions, and then marched up to Nan Gong Zui and, ignoring the astonished looks on everyones faces, I gave him a punch. Completely caught off guard, Nan Gong Zui hit the ground hard as a result and stared at me nkly. I raised an eyebrow. Ill settle the business with your sisterter, so just kill these guys and vent your hatred together with me first! Nan Gong Zui got to his feet with a forced smile, thinking, What can Prince do when its a matter of a persons feelings? However, he was more than happy to vent his hatred by killing Fans soldiers. Right. Hey, up there, are you guys done with your tea? Coming down yet? The fightings about to start! I said casually. The flying carpet drifted down slowly. Sunshine, Jing, and Yun retreated to the rear while Kenshin, Zui, Broken Sword, Wicked, and I, being warriors, stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the front. With a smile, I said, Game, start! [? Prince Volume 3 Chapter 7 End]

Footnotes

Sic Bo: A gambling game originating from ancient China. Basically, you roll three dice and then bet on the total oue. There are a number of bets you can ce, but the two mostmon bets are big (that the sum of the dice is greater than ten and less than eighteen) and small (that the sum of the dice is greater than three and less than eleven) See for more information. Fox spirit: While fox spirits do appear in a number of oriental mythologies, the fox spirits of Chinese mythology are rather unique. For one, they often adopt human appearances C to be precise, they often appear as beautiful young women and, asionally, beautiful young men. In many myths, the fox spirits utilize their good looks to seduce or bewitch humans. This is possibly a contributing factor to the impression that fox spirits (in Chinese mythology) are often evil and unscrupulous. See for more information. Sit on an airne: Just to rify, this is the Chinese way of saying take an airne. Were not referring to the act of sitting on airne, but the act of taking the airne as a mode of transportation. Hes called rice: No, Fans name doesnt mean rice, its just that rice is also pronounced as fan. Volume 3 Chapter 7.5 Volume 3 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: Companions for Eternity C tranted by Samuki This time, Dg will surely regret it, right? L Jing smiled bitterly. We hinted at it to him before, Yun Fei retorted half-heartedly. Yeah, we did hint at it, but he still chose to believe in us... L Jing suddenly turned to yell into the abyss beyond the cliff, Dg, why are you such an idiot?! Yun Fei, too, couldnt hold his feelings in any longer and yelled angrily into the pitch-ck darkness beneath. Youre aplete idiot! You didnt even realize that wed set everything up right from the start. Wed noticed you fighting mobs on your own for a few days, saw that you were a strong yer and wanted you to power-level us, so we deliberately aggroed the ming Skeletons and got them to chase after us. How could you not have figured it out? How could you not have realized that its impossible that Jing, who only knows True Thrice-Concealed mes, would attack mobs of the same element like the ming Skeletons? It should have been obvious that I held a grudge against the owner of Oriental House, so why did we still deliberately choose to go there to eat? You dont need a brain to know that I wanted you to deal with that bastard Huang Wei for me. Jings expression was fierce. We knew full well that no one has ever managed toplete this quest for the hair tie. In fact, that no one has even survived it, but seeing that the reward money was ten thousand crystal coins, we still brought you here on a suicide mission, just to try our luck. And you just followed us like this, without even bothering to ask us about the quest details? Contempt was evident on Yuns face. You saw for yourself how strong the Demon King was, but you still didnt suspect us, and even entrusted the hair tie to Yun so easily? And you walked to the edge of the cliff? Even when Yun grabbed you by the ankles, you still managed to look so puzzled. Jing began tough wildly. How could anyone on Earth be this na?ve, this foolish? The two of them finished yelling, their chests heaving with the effort, as though they had screamed out all of the frustrations weighing on their minds. Their expressions were identical C identically lost and numbed. After a long while, Jing said quietly, Lets go. The Central Continent awaits us. Dont forget, Xiao Lan is there as well. Yeah, Yun said, casting onest look back at the cliff, his emotions soplicated that even he himself couldnt tell what they were. Now that weve got the tickets, lets get something to eat while we wait for the ship. L Jings face was still as hard as stone. Yeah, Yun Fei answered, and then frowned. Though do we have to leave so soon? I wish we could stay on the Eastern Continent a little longer. Dont be silly, L Jing said fiercely. Dont forget, Dg will surely return to White Tiger City. Itll be a blessing enough if we dont bump into him while were waiting for the ship, and here you are, thinking of staying a little longer? Yun Fei didnt reply and merely followed Jing into a nondescript inn silently. Owner, two tes of fried noodles, a te of green vegetables, and a bowl of fish soup, Yun said as he looked at the menu, ordering Jings C who wasnt a picky eater C share in addition to his own as per usual. Yes, sir,ing right up, said an NPC dressed as a waiter with a smile. He left to give the cook their orders. Yun Fei suddenly remembered something and hurriedly shouted, Ah, right, I forgot the wontons in chili oil C Waiter! We also want a te of... Yun Feis face went white mid-yell. And a te of? The waiter returned and asked dutifully. L Jing looked at Yun Fei, who had fallen silent, but she merely said indifferently, And a te stir-fried shredded meat. Sure,ing right up. Yun Fei remained silent until the food arrived, but when he raised his chopsticks, he discovered that he had no appetite at all. His stomach felt heavy, as though a rock had been stuffed into it, and his heart was filled with a myriad of nameless emotions. Finally, he sighed, put down his chopsticks, and looked at L Jing, who was eating the fried noodles at a steady pace. Jing, I dont like the way things are. You think that I like it any better? L Jing, too, put down her chopsticks, a stiff look on her face. Besides, wasnt it you who nned this entire thing, right from the beginning to the end? But I didnt think that all of those schemes would be used on the same person; I thought that no one would help us twice, Yun Fei said, frustrated. How on Earth does a Dg whos dumb to such an extreme even exist? Its precisely because he was so dumb that he was tricked by us. Its a good thing, in a way; let this be a lesson to him, so that he wont be tricked again, L Jing said quietly, and then she quickly began to eat again, making it clear that she wasnt in the mood to discuss the matter any further. Yun Fei could only sigh as he gazed out of the restaurant, as though he fervently hoped that someone would suddenly barge in. A figure really appeared in the doorway. Yun Fei was startled, but also a tad worried, and he wondered if Dg would forgive them this time. In his heart, he secretly wished that Dg would be so foolish that he would continue to forgive them. Ive finally found you two adulterers! This time, that cloaked fellow wont be around to get in my way! the person said as he came through the doorway, and Yun Fei and L Jing recognized Huang Weis venomous tone as well. Huang Wei. L Jing nched. Yes, its me, your most beloved husband, Jing-Jing, my sweetie-pie, Huang Wei said, leering at L Jing. There was no way Yun Fei could simply watch idly as his best friend was being harassed. Huang Wei, dont think that were still newbies. Its not going to be so easy for you to bully us now. And just what exactly can a barrier master do, going up against myckeys? Huang Wei looked coldly at Yun Fei. To think that youre actually stupid enough to choose to be a barrier master, a rubbish ss. What did you say?! Yun Fei was enraged. What he hated more than anything else was other people belittling the barrier master ss; these people didnt even have the faintest clue as to how useful a barrier master could be in defending a city. He just hadnt managed to find anyone wise enough to appreciate his decision yet. I said, you piece of trash, stay the hell away from my wife, Huang Wei drew his shiny gold dao, and swung it at Yun Fei mercilessly. Yun! L Jing shoved Yun Fei aside and the gold dao bit into Jings body brutally. Biting back a cry of pain, she red at Huang Wei, then turned into a pir of white light and shot into the sky. Jing...! Yun Fei yelled, watching as the white light disappeared. Damn it, I got the wrong person, Huang Wei said, regarding Yun with spite. You piece of shit, I know that you guys intend to run away. I also know that youve bought ship tickets, but Im warning you, if you intend to run away, do so alone. L Jing will never be able to escape from the Eastern Continent and from my control. Hmph, the tickets are valid forever. Even if we cant take this ship, we can always take the next one, Yun Fei retorted, looking at Huang Wei coldly. I dont believe that you have the ability to change Second Lifes rules. Huang Wei began tough loudly, however. I might not be able to change the rules, but I can arrange for my people to stand guard at the docks around the clock and kill you guys each time they catch sight of you. Lets see just how many levels you two have for my boys to rid you of. Yuns face was white as a sheet. You... Listen, kid, Im warning you, dont think about running away with L Jing. Dont even think about getting close to her again. If you do, Ill make you pay. Huang Wei turned around to hisckeys andmanded, Give this kid a sound beating. Heal him up whenever hes about to die and then continue to beat him, and dont let him use death to escape. Beat him until hell never dare to get close to L Jing again. Huang Wei, Im telling you, Ill definitely bring Jing to the Central Continent, I definitely will! Yun Fei bellowed. Unfortunately, facing several warriors, there was really nothing a barrier master could do... God damn it! Gu Yun Fei fled offline in a pathetic manner, only to find that the phone was ringing off the hook. As soon as he pressed the Answer button, L Jings frantic face instantly appeared on the screen. Yun, are you alright? Why didnt you return to the rebirth point after so long? Isnt it obvious? That bastard Huang Wei beat me up into a pulp and even got a priest to heal me, so that I couldnt just die. Finally, when I couldnt take it any longer, I logged off, Yun Fei replied. He couldnt resist touching his face; just a short while ago, his face had been left swollen by the beating hed received in-game. L Jing looked pale. Why didnt you log off sooner, and instead let him continue to beat you up, you- you idiot?! I have my pride! Yun Fei muttered sullenly. Forget Huang Wei, well just rush to the docks tomorrow immediately after logging on. Otherwise, if we really run into Dg... The consequences wont be any better, L Jing said, distressed. Huang Wei said that hes going to get his people to stand guard at the docks around the clock. Yun Fei sighed. What? L Jings face grew even paler. What should we do now? Yun Fei was deeply worried. L Jing took a deep breath, and then calmed down. Lets wait a few days before logging on. Huang Wei cant possibly have people standing guard there forever! I hope so, Yun replied, although he still felt that Huang Wei seemed to be pretty deeply obsessed with L Jing. Huang Wei, what on earth do you want? L Jing was infuriated; she wanted to know how much longer this person intended to keep causing trouble. He had, true to his word, really kept a look-out for them at the docks for so many days. I want you to be my wife, Huang Wei replied, smirking. Stop dreaming, Yun Fei bellowed. Jing wouldnt fall for a douche-bag like you, so save it! Contempt spread across Huang Weis face, and he looked at Yun as though he had just seen a pile of dung. Youre really asking for it, and you even dare to be with my Jing. Boys, let him have it. Huang Wei, stop it! L Jing turned pale with fright. Sure C if you agree to be my wife, L Jing. There was a cold look on Huang Weis face. Dont choose the hard way, Jing. Ive gone soft on you for too long already. Jing, dont agree to it! Yun Fei was being restrained by a few yers. Even when faced with the prospect of being beaten up yet again, he still tried to stop Jing. Seeing that Yun Fei was being restrained, doubt appeared on L Jings face. Biting back tears, she looked utterly miserable and pitiful as she said, Why must you coerce me like this? How can something like love be forced? Huang Wei stiffened. If I say it can, it can. Whats so bad about marrying me? Ill provide food, clothes, and lots of spending money. What more can you ask for? L Jings suffering was clear on her face, and her tears finally began to fall. Is giving me lots of spending money the same as love? Thats not what I want! By this point, a crowd had gathered on the docks. There were, of course, plenty of onlookers, and when they saw such a lovely girl weeping from being forced into a marriage, many of them began to voice their disapproval, and other onlookers C who could not stand by idly C began to clench their fists and crack their knuckles. The atmosphere was increasingly vtile. Huang Wei turned toward the crowd with an ominous look in his eyes. Damn it, shut the hell up! Make any more noise and Ill bloody well chop you all up too. Upon hearing that, the noise only grew louder and people began yelling angrily. Damn you! Being that cocky even though youre snatching someones bride? Chop me up? Ill chop you guys up first! Hes too much, how could he coerce a girl like that! Poor thing; the girls already crying. Huang Wei didnt back down in the face of the crowds anger; in fact, he became even more arrogant. Damn it, you people think you can get away with it just because therere more of you? Dont think that I, Huang Wei, only have so few men. Just wait till I call for ten of my boys toe and take care of you guys; well see if you dare to make a peep then. Mob boss Huang Wei? someone in the crowd eximed. Anyone who had stayed in White Tiger City for any period of time would probably have heard of White Tiger Citys tyrant, Huang Wei, who would C with the support of his eightckeys C bully others, use money to suppress his dissenters, kill yers whom he didnt like, and flirt shamelessly with any pretty girl who caught his eye. Huang Wei had uncountable crimes listed against his name, but for the sake of money, there were still a huge number of people willing to work for him. No one dared to do anything to Huang Wei as long as all those warriors continued to work for him. Those among the crowd who were about to intervene began to hesitate upon realizing that the cruel person in front of them was actually Huang Wei. After all, Huang Weis power within White Tiger City was something they were all deeply familiar with. No one wanted to make things awkward for themselves, not if they wanted to remain in White Tiger City... Yun Fei and L Jing had originally pinned their hopes on the indignant audienceing to their aid; they had not expected that Huang Weis name alone could scare the crowd like this. Their spirits sank. As expected, only an idiot like Dg would do something foolish like upholding justice, Yun Fei said with a bitterugh before hepsed back into silence. It seemed to him that it would be a very, very long time before he and Jing would be able to go to the Central Continent to look for Xiao Lan. ... L Jings tears had long since stopped. She could only sigh in resignation as she looked at the crowd of people, none of whom dared to step up in their defense. It looked like she and Yun would have to go missing from Second Life for a period of time. Huang Wei looked satisfactorily at the now-silent audience, before turning to Yun Fei and L Jing. L Jing, are you going to be my wife or not? Im telling you, Ive already positioned men at all the rebirth points. If you say no, Ill definitely have this kid killed over and over again until he hits level one. Yun Feis and L Jings faces were both bone-white. L Jing opened her mouth, but the words refused to leave her mouth... If shell marry you, Ill swallow my dao whole, a familiar voice said. Yuns and Jings hearts skipped a beat as they thought, Dg? Yun looked ecstatically toward the source of the voice. At that moment, the person had also walked out from the crowd C it was a masked white-haired elf. In an emotional voice, Yun eximed, Elf? Dg is an elf alright. Is that you, Dg? The elf smiled slightly. Aside from me, which other elf would be sightseeing here on the Eastern Continent? True, only an elf like him with his level 100 ability to get lost would be wandering around here... Dg... Jings expression was beyondplicated. The elf looked toward Huang Wei and said softly in a voiceced with the threat of an imminent storm. Huang Wei, right? Looks like the lesson I gave you thest time around wasnt enough. You...! Although he was livid with rage, Huang Wei had not forgotten the fright hed received from the elf during theirst encounter. It was precisely because he knew that Yun Fei and L Jing were no longer traveling with that person that he had dared to stall the duo, but now hed bumped into this formidable elf, whom he had no intention of riling, yet again. God damn it, dont think that Im really scared of you. Last time you snuck up on me, but it wont be that easy this time. Boys, get him! Whoever kills him will be heavily rewarded! In front of a crowd, there was no way Huang Wei would willingly back down and lose face. Besides, the elf only managed to win thest time around by using a sneak attack; this time, he C Huang Wei C would be well-prepared. He would have his revenge! The fights started, Kenshin, the elf remarked smilingly to the red-haired warrior next to him, who looked like a newbie. The red-haired warrior only nodded, his face an icy mask. Two figures streaked toward Huang Wei and his men at lightning speed... Dg... Yun Fei was astonished; hed never thought that Dg would once again help them without another word. Why did Dg treat them so well? Even after he and Jing had pushed him off a cliff, snatched the hair tie from him, and were nning to run away, Dg would still help them unconditionally. This Dg is really such a fool,Yun thought, but in spite of his words, he was deeply touched, and warmth enveloped his heart. Jing, lets apany Dg to the Central Continent, okay? Yun said calmly to Jing, but while it was phrased as a question, he stated it like it was a matter of course. After we look up Xiao Lan in the Central Continent, I want to follow Dg. I dont want to look for the professor and Prince anymore. Yeah, Jing replied without hesitation as she looked at the two figures engaging Huang Wei inbat. She, too, knew that they would be the real idiots not to follow someone like Dg. After the elf and the red-haired warrior had thoroughly taken care of the eight thugs and Huang Wei, the elf threw back his head andughed for a long time, clearly astonishing the surrounding crowd with his arrogant demeanor. Dg, were definitely following you. Yun Feis and L Jings eyes glittered with determination and there were broad smiles on their faces. [? Prince Volume 3 Extra Chapter End] Volume 4 Chapter 1 Volume 4 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Infinite City Will Never Fall C tranted by eilinel Dont bother about me! Hurry up and riddle them with arrows! howled Fan, who was pinned to the ground under Wolf-dgs foot. I raised my eyebrows, but just as I was about to say something... The mages have already cast a protective barrier around us, so long-range attacks from archers should be useless against us, Broken Sword said doubtfully. Has Fan be so consumed with rage that hes lost his mind? Why would he give such an order? Even if he were to give orders, why would he so openly announce them? Why didnt he use the PM system? Wicked analyzed calmly. I think he must have given a different order via the PM system. Looking at the current situation, he probably ordered them to charge and then have the thieves or warriors with high agility rescue him during the attack. Thats right; we must not fall into his trap. We should start forming our defensive line right away. A woman with amanding aura walked up to us. She looked like she was going to give orders, but after some hesitation, she looked at me, Liege lord, is the formation of our defensive line at this time eptable? I smiled while looking at her, Wow, such a cool, smart, and beautiful girlCbut who on earth is she? I was puzzled, but still dutifully answered, Of course it is, but please ask the mages to remove the protective barrier and attack the enemys rear with AoE magic attacks, or help our side defend with simple spells. She was struck dumb, then replied frantically, No, we cant do that! If the opponent switched to attacking us with arrows or spells, we would sustain heavy damages due to our tight formation. Believe me, there will be no problems. I looked at her resolutely, There is no time to exin now. Please, just follow my orders. Despite my words, she continued to look dubious. She turned towards Zui as though looking for help. Do as the liege lord orders, Nan Gong Zui said without any hesitation, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Prince, please stand back a bit. Wicked said coolly, You are our leader; your job is to give us instruction and to be our pir of spiritual support. The front line is not your ce. My face dropped. But I want to fight too! I stared at Wicked with a pitiful expression, but even acting pitiable was of no use this time, as Wickeds determined expression did not even flicker, so I could only rub my nose and obediently listen to his words. I will stand back. Kenshin, remember to help me protect them, I said to Kenshin, feeling disgruntled. I walked to the back and stood in front of the group of mages. I saw that our opponents already stood in their offensive formation and White Bird had also given the orders for defense, so now both sides seemed to be waiting for a signal to start the battle. Prince, are we really going to remove the protective barriers? Rose and the other mages asked with some hesitation. I gave a wave of my hand while keeping my eyes trained on the tense situation in front, Yes! All of you should just attack with spells without worries. I suddenly thought of something, and turned towards Sunshine to ask, Sunshine, can you use the spell thats able to chase people? The one you told me about before? Sunshine smiled gracefully, Guided Arcane Missiles? Yes I can, but I will need a long time to lock onto the enemies. Mm, you can take all the time you need; just make sure you cast it before the battle ends. I nodded and then returned my gaze to the front line. Eh? Why hasnt it started after so long? Im almost falling asleep. Feeling extremely displeased, I shouted at Kenshin listlessly, Kenshin, did you fall asleep? Quickly start the battle. Kenshin turned his head to look (re?) coldly at me, slowly drew his katana out, then suddenly disappeared from his location. In the blink of an eye, while everyone was still stunned, the sound of a howl suddenly came from the enemys side. After that, the sounds of different peoples howls seemed endless. Everyone stared at the sight of a red figure that jumped here and there without pause. Wherever he went, enemies stomachs were cut open and intestines flowed out. Bodiesy all over the ce and the flowing blood formed a river. Sigh! Kenshin, can you stop disembowling our opponents? We could easily slip if we stepped on the intestines that have been dropped onto the ground! You should consider the effects for our side. The opponents, who were only able to react after their initial shock wore off, finally started to hunt down Kenshin. I snorted, If even I was unable to follow the speed of a level 100 Kenshin, how would it be possible for you all to catch Kenshin? If you all can even touch a corner of Kenshins clothes, you would already be considered incredible. Everyone, quick, follow the original n; dont be distracted by him! a warrior who was pretty good-looking yelled with all his might as he saw the situation going amiss. Under the roar of this person, everyone from the enemy side suddenly rushed towards Infinite City. When they drew near the defensive line, countless Fireballs, Ice Spears, Wind des and Jaws of Hell greeted them and killed a row of enemies straight away. Then, before I could even p my hands and apud them, another wave of spells attacked. It was so fast between waves that there wasnt time enough to bat an eysh. I looked over to the group of mages, slightly perplexed. Ooooh! So they are attacking in turns. Furthermore, they are moving with perfect coordination, taking turns and casting spells without missing a step. Magical attacks? They have removed their protective barriers? Mages, quickly attack! There was another anxious roar from the opponent side. Then, as our side watched on with some fear in their eyes, I admired the sight of a multitude of spellsplus one smelly sock that came out of nowherebeing hurled in my direction. Sigh, a liege lord is a liege lord indeed; eight out of ten spells were aimed at me. I raised my eyebrows, unconcerned, but Gui, who was at my side, suddenly rushed out to stand in front of me, and hugged me tightly. A vein throbbed on my temple while I smiled tightly. Gui, I am really touched that you are willing to help me block the attacks, but Im more angry than touched about the fact that you slyly hugged me again. I ruthlessly pinched Guis face, hard. Ouch! Then, as I expected, the sound of many cries went up again. What is happening? Gui, who was originally prepared to be a meat shield, had forgotten about the pain from my pinch. He stared in a daze as the spells that flew close to his head suddenly reversed their direction and sted the enemy mages into the sky. Good job, Yun, I praised Yun, who also stood quite close to me, and he signaled a V to me. Facing the shocked stares disyed by both sides, I calmly exined, Rebound Barrier is a special skill in a job that is extremely obscurethe Barrier Master. Its just nice that there was a Barrier Master, Gu Yun Fei, among the people I brought back. Everyone looked towards Yun. Just when Yun was feeling high spirited and proud... Gui looked at Yun, smiled, then said, Yun Fei, you had only scored a C in your mid-term literature exam, please work harder for the final exam. You should learn from L Jing, as her grade was A+. Yun looked overjoyed instead of disappointed and he mumbled to himself, I scored a C! I thought my exam result this time would have definitely been closer to the cup size of Tian Xin, a F. I wonder what I scored on the exam? I really, REALLY want to ask... I fiercely tried to control my mouth in case I asked Gui identally. You should quickly set up your Rebound Barrier, I could only order Yun with a bit of resentment, since I couldnt ask about my result. Yun exaggeratedly gave me a 90 degree bow, Yes Dg. The battle had cooled down for a bit as the opponent side seemed helplessly bewildered. I couldnt help butugh loudly as I leisurely walked to the side of Legs. Do you have an extra set of bow and arrows? Legs stood bewildered for a moment, then handed me a bow and a quiver of arrows. I waved my hand to call Jing over, drew the bow and notched an arrow, while Jing automatically tied a piece of fu paper to the tip of the arrow. I released the arrow ...and hit some unlucky man on the shoulder, then the fu suddenly exploded, sending the man and a few unlucky people around him up to see Buddha. When everyone looked at me with admiration, I revealed a faint smile as usual, but I was actually thinking in my heart...Shit! I missed the target! Originally I wanted to shoot the warrior on the left that was so ugly he hurt my eyes. How did I hit the people on the right instead? I furrowed my brow, drew the bow again and shot another arrow. Damn! Why did I miss again? Being slightly annoyed now, I swiftly pulled the bow and continuously shot the arrows like mad. I was shooting so fast that Jing almost had no time to tie the Fu on to the arrows in the quiver. In the end, the entire front row of people died, except for the ugly warrior that was still standing and looking at me with wobbly feet. Hmph, this time I will kill you for sure. I drew my bow again, aimed, and shot the arrow... ...... With a swipe of his sword, Kenshin deflected the arrow that was flying towards him. Coincidentally, the deflected arrow struck the ugly warrior. Good thing I didnt choose to be an archer in the beginning, I rejoiced silently and then smiled innocently at Kenshin while thetter speechlessly red at me. Sharpshooter! Hearing the shouts of admiration from our side and seeing the terror in the eyes of the opponents, I scratched my face,This...really is a beautiful misunderstanding. The opponents seemed to be at an impasse now. I thought, Well its to be expected; they cant use spells and arrows since they are worried about the attacks being reflected back and if they charged at us directly they have to face both warriors and mages at the same time. What can they do even if they outnumber us? I started to feel bored, as the oue of the battle seemed to be decided. So, I took out a packet of guazi from my pouch and started to crack them open. Hey Prince, the battle is still going on, dont you think you are too rxed? Lolidragon said while watching my actions with a vein throbbing on her temple. I continued to chew on my guazi. Just when I tried to exin to her that I was feeling bored, a huge beam of light rose up and shot toward the sky behind my back. As I raised my head to observe the light and crack my second guazi, the beam of light divided into one hundred smaller beams of light in the air, and descended from the sky. Everyone finally realized what was happening when the first small light beam killed an opponent. Guided Arcane Missiles, is an ability simr to guided missiles. The only difference between them is that while guided missiles can only target one target, Guided Arcane Missiles can target one hundred people at once. However, its disadvantage is that not only does it have a casting time long enough to make one fall asleep, the caster also must look at each and every target in the eye in order to lock on. Therefore, this ability is extremely useful for defending castles but not much else, simr to Yuns Barrier Master abilities that are only useful for defending too. As this attack had killed one hundred people simultaneously, the morale of the attacking side was dropping lower and lower; some people had even went as far as to stand there helplessly without doing anything. I saw a man with green hair and blue eyes roar, Stop! Everyone in the attacking side froze immediately, while everyone from the defending side looked towards me. Oh? So its my turn to talk now? But my mouth is full of guazi... Thus I was forced to suavely raise my right hand and everyone from our side stopped instantly too. The green-haired blue-eyed man drew a deep breath and said, We surrender. Kui, you are not allowed to surrender! Fan roared angrily. That man, Kui, looked dejectedly at Fan, Fan, its over. There is no need to make our brothers pointlessly lose levels. No matter what the situation is, I forbid you to surrender to him. Fan said while giving me a malicious re. I swallowed the guazi in my mouth calmly and turned to give Wolf-dg a look... Wolf-dg immediately stomped hard on Fans chest. I watched with satisfaction as Fan vomited a few mouthfuls of blood and was unable to talk again. Then I turned in Kuis direction and said, Surrender? Wont you regret it? You still have a lot of people that can fight. Kui smiled bitterly, Fight? From the moment you dropped from the sky, I should have known that it was over. When that man who was so agile that he was like a ghost started to butcher our people, I had faintly guessed the oue in my heart. When I learned of the Rebound Barrier, I could only pray for a miracle to happen. But what really made me give up was the fact that after you used the bow to shoot us one by one like in an FPS game, you took out the guazi to eat. It was then that I realized that you never took us seriously, and that this whole battle was only a game to you. GAMESTART, really was game start. Kui said while smiling with a touch of bitterness. After listening to Kuis words, I raised my head andughed while saying, You are really interesting. Are you interested in joining Infinite City? Kui was stunned for a moment, and then he replied, I have already joined Fans Divine Coalition. With a smile that was dripping with malice, I said, If you refuse to join Infinite City, I will kill all yourrades present here and dere all members of Divine Coalition to be KOS. Kuis face was filled with anger. I ignored his anger and roared on, Anyone from Divine Coalition that joins Infinite City will be treated as arade. Those who dont will be banned forever from Infinite City and hunted down within its walls. The opponents started to riot upon my deration and many of them were infuriated. When I saw this, I smiled faintly and said, What are you all being angry for? Im just helping you find a reason to quit Divine Coalition. ...... Kui and the other members of Divine Coalition quieted down after they heard this and looked undecided. If they are in doubt, it means that they actually want to join Infinite City very much; its just that they are still undecided because of worthless reasons such as loyalty, their strength of character, and reputation. So, without waiting for them to agree to join Infinite City, I raised my brows and told Nan Gong Zui, Zui, go and ask Kui how many members there are in Divine Coalition and discuss with him how to fit the people into Infinite City. Zui nodded and walked to Kui. Kui smiled with bitterness for a moment, then stopped doubting and started to discuss intently with Zui. I revealed an extremely malicious smile as I crouched down to see Fans eyes that visibly shone with anger and hatred, and said, Fan, oh Fan, what do you suggest I do with you now? I deliberately paced around as if unsure and continued, You cant beat me in a one-on-one duel and now you also lost in a battle. What can you do now? At this time, Kui walked over with a pleading expression. He watched his former superior Fan with a sorrowful gaze and said, Prince, can you please let Fan go? Let Fan go? I asked with a soft voice and furrowed my brows deeply. Please Prince, let Fan go, Ice Phoenix, who had been standing silently with her head bowed at the side all this time, suddenly raised her head and pleaded with me. I sighed deeply and said solemnly, If I let Fan go, will you let yourself go? Ice Phoenix lowered her head and didnt say a single word while crying continually. My heart ached as I watched her cry... Erm, my heart aches because we both are women, so I know her feelings; dont think too much everyone... I still prefer handsome men. Never mind. Wolf-dg, heal him up and then let him go. I ordered helplessly. Really, originally I had wanted to try The Ten Torture Methods of the Manchu Dynasty on him! After being healed, Fan stood up calmly; his eyes were so calm that it was unsettling. He said, Prince, you are indeed a worthy adversary. I, Fan, swear to you that I will return and the next time, I will defeat you fair and square. I raised my brows and said, I will be waiting for you at Infinite City. Fan gave me ast look before his lonesome figure walked out of Infinite City. Wicked and Broken Sword, we should lead the survivingrades to tidy up Infinite City. The city is a mess now and its an eyesore! I said. After I watched Fan walk out of the gates of Infinite City, I suddenly realized the gates were nted and barely hanging on their hinges. It really went against my virtue of cleanliness so I couldnt help but feel like wanting to tidy it up. Therefore, a fierce battle for a city that shocked the heaven and earth and made both the devil and god cry, ended clumsily, with the sound of us hastily moving bricks and wood. This battle that wasted countless amounts of money and levels ofrades just suddenly ended with a mess like this? Who is going to be responsible for the financial loss? Yu Lian-ds?o sobbed tearlessly in Wolf-dgsp. Mm, after epting everyone from Divine Coalition, our military strength has greatly increased. I think there isnt anyone who would dare to attack us for now, said Madame White Bird, who seemed quite happy. We have to redesign and reconstruct the gates again. Gui said, releasing a heartfelt sigh while observing from afar the terrible state of the four gates. I wonder how much money Yu Lian will agree to give us? Fairsky was depressed too; the battle between The Social and Construction Department and The Financial Department would just be starting now. I have toy the traps all over again... Lolidragon said with a pale face. Thousands of traps! Prince, you are finally back. Nan Gong Zui said to me. Yep, did you miss me? I asked him with a smiling face. Nan Gong Zui contemted for a moment and replied, I rather did, especially when the battle was drawing near. Who said that he missed Prince very much? Wicked, Gui, and Fairsky, three people that were separated in three different corners turned their head back as one and roared. Their eyes inly showed that they would kill the next person that dared to join the battle for Prince. Zuis face was expressionless, although I saw that he was dripping cold sweat... He turned his head slowly and said, Im saying, Liege Lord, wee back to Infinite City! Liege Lord, wee back to Infinite City! some random person suddenly roared, whom I strongly suspect to be that fellow, Kong Kong. Liege Lord, wee back to Infinite City! Everyone roared joyfully. The battle just now had ended so fast that everyone hadnt had time to react to it yet. Now the joy of sessfully defending our city had finally burst out. I alsoughed wildly while raising my ck Dao high, and yelled, Infinite City shall never fall! [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 1 End]

Footnotes

AoE: (Area of Effect) Spells that have an area of effect from around the target or a radius from the caster. Guazi: A popr snack for the Chinese. They usually are made from melon seeds, but other variation such as sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds aremon too. FPS: (First-person shooter) A video game genre which centers the gamey around gun- and projectile weapon-basedbat through the first person perspective; i.e., the yer experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. See Wikipedia () for more information. Volume 4 Chapter 2 Volume 4 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Snake KissC tranted by samuki Prince, the people youve brought back are rather remarkable, arent they? Lolidragon asked suspiciously. Where on earth did you find them? I shrugged. Jing and Yun are my ssmates; its just a coincidental meeting. Plus they just found out that Im Prince. As for Kenshin and Sunshine... I hesitated. Should I tell her? Theyre NPCs from a hidden quest, right? Lolidragon stated matter-of-factly. How did you know? I demanded, shocked. Lolidragon froze for a moment, and then she retorted, Im a hidden GM, remember? Oh..., I scratched my cheek. Didnt she say that hidden GMs are exactly like normal yers? Thats why I thought she wouldnt know! Lolidragon sighed deeply and shook her head in disbelief. Youre one lucky dog, to even be able toplete this super-duper disgustingly difficult hidden mission! You know, Lantis and Kenshin were only created for fun; no one ever expected anyone toplete the mission! Uh, theres actually a reason behind that, Should I tell Lolidragon about Kenshin and Sunshines awakening? I hesitated a little; after all, Lolidragon was a Second Life employee. Who knew if she would report this incident? It would be best for you to tell everyone that theyre your humanoid pets soon; Ive already seen a lot of people treating them like yers, Lolidragon nagged. No, I cant tell. I waved my hands frantically. Lolidragon asked suspiciously, Why? Uh, because theyve gained self-awareness now and I have no intention of treating them as humanoid pets. In fact, I want them to be just like normal yers. I exined everything in one breath. Self-awareness? Lolidragon paled. As expected, it really is shocking... I took a deep breath, and then said seriously, Lolidragon, could you please not tell? Dont inform anyone else about this, okay? Especially not the people from the gamepany, or else Sunshine and Kenshin would be in danger. I dont want them to be deleted, so please. Lolidragons stern expression remained in ce for a moment, leaving me in suspense. Finally, she lost it, bursting out into a guffaw. Waving her hand, she said, Rx, I wont say a thing. Its not every day that NPCs gain self-awareness. Something as fun as this, how could I tell thepany and let them spoil my fun? I was speechless. Whicheverpany that had hired Lolidragon must be really unfortunate. The door opened with a thump C Lolidragon and I looked toward the entrance, as a familiar petite figure leapt into my arms and murmured into my ear, Prince, youve finallye back, oh how Ive missed you! I looked down, expressionless. Fairsky really is like an unstoppable, determined roach... Then another very familiar ck-haired headtched onto my back . I looked back in stoic silence. This one had even more vitality than Fairsky C Gui, with skin so tough that even bullets could not prate it, was looking at me with tear-filled eyes. Your Highness, youve finally returned! Ive been so worried! Worse still, standing in front of me with popping veins on his head, Wicked had long since drawn his sword. I looked impassively at him as he kicked Fairsky and Gui off, and then gave them the beating of their lives... The beaten duo, not wanting to take this sitting down, ganged up against Wicked. Fairsky blocked Wickeds attacks, while Gui shot cold arrows at him, turning Wicked into a bloody pincushion. Not stopping them? Lolidragon asked coolly. Its a good show to watch, why stop it? I replied in the same cool manner. Just then, Wickeds longsword was flung into the air by Fairsky, grazing my cheek and leaving a bloody line... The three brawlers paused to look back at me with regret and heartache in their eyes. I wiped the blood from my cheek with the back of my hand, smiling slightly. Hitting me too? Interesting! Finally, Lolidragon ended up munching on guazi while watching as I thrashed the trio, chatting with me the whole time. Prince, why dont you take Phoenix on as well? Shes been moaning about Fan day and night; Nan Gong Zuis frustrated, as is White Bird. Whos White Bird? I punched Gui with my right hand, stepped on Wicked with my left leg, and tickled Fairsky with my left hand using all my strength. Oh, you still dont know. Ill tell you all about whats happened! Lolidragon told me everything that had transpired during my absence. What? Rose and Broken Sword are together? I paled; in shock, wondering if we had to give them red packets soon. It cant be, right? Recently moms been running out to y all the time and she hasnt written any manuscripts; our houses finances are a mess. Where am I supposed to get the money for the red packets? When I thought of this, Ished out more violently at the trio on the floor. Are you jealous? Lolidragon lifted an eyebrow. At this time, the almost dead trio on the floor leapt up suddenly, looking at me with worried faces. I replied hotly, No way! Thats good, someone from the side sighed in relief. I looked over to spot Broken Sword, Rose, and... everyone else. When did everyone arrive? I asked stupidly. They started trickling in when you began beating the trio up. Lolidragon shrugged. I smiled awkwardly at all of them. Uh, hello guys. Pfft! Yun suddenly burst outughing... Hey, whats wrong with you, guys dont go pfft, only girls do that! What business do you, a grown man, haveughing like that? Dg, howe youre bing more and more stupid? In the beginning, you were even the picture of sternness. I aimed a flying kick at him. Exposing my cover? Are you courting death? After kicking him, I smoothed my clothes, and gestured at the four people I was about to introduce to everyone. This is Gu Yun Fei, a barrier master; Lu Jing, an exorcist; Sunshine, a mage; and Kenshin, a warrior. Yun, who had been thrown to the floor by my kick, looked sullen before posing like a mermaid. Hi everyone, Im the Gu Yun Fei whos always bullied by dg. Im Lu Jing. Im really happy to meet everyone, Jing posed shamelessly in a cutesy manner in front of the crowd. Im Sunshine, pleased to meet you, Sunshine smiled elegantly with a tinge of warmth. Kenshin, Kenshin said curtly. Seeing as all four had finished their self-introductions, I guessed that it was time for me to introduce everyone else to them. But... I counted the amount of people present, and decided to forget about the introductions. I said carelessly, You guys mingle slowly and get acquainted with each other. Prince, therades youve brought back this time are extremely talented! Wolf-dg patted my head fondly. Of course theyre strong; you dont know how much time and effort Ive spent on them! I sighed, misty-eyed, thinking back to that time... I had finished the arduous climb up the highest peak, Azure Mountain, only to find the three old prophets standing in front of the stone monument, saying, Come on! Young one, if you defeat us, you can be the Demon King... Ah, thats not right! Defeat them, and they would give me a pile of dung. I stared at it, face full of disbelief, as I thought, What would I need a pile of dung for? Im not nting any crops, so I dont need fertilizer, right? The main point of this mission is to give you a Great Returning Pill. The stone monuments name and the prophecies are extras, Kenshin exined slowly. Seeing the disgusted look on my face as I looked at the pile of Returning Pills, Kenshin added, If you eat the Great Returning Pill, your experience points will be multiplied by ten during a period of three days. Oh? Thats quite impressive, I smiled nicely at the three old farts. Respect to the elderly was an alien thought at the moment. Kenshin and I gave the three old farts a good beating before taking the dung and stone monument down the mountain along with us, finding there the two familiar people who were in the midst of a good barbeque. The two of you share this pile of dung and then well go to the Ghost Cove and train. I snatched away the aromatic freshly-roasted meat and, ignoring the shocked expressions on their faces, force-fed them a half of the pile each. Seeing that both of them had fainted immediately after, Kenshin and I had no choice but to carry one each and rush back to Ghost Cove. When we returned to Ghost Cove, I struggled for what seemed like forever at Broken Cliff before being kicked down by an impatient Kenshin... After saving Sunshine, we helped Jing and Yun to train like mad at Ghost Cove. With the help of the Great Returning Pill, both of them managed to level up nearly 15 levels. Lastly, we used Sunshines flying carpet to hurry back to Infinite City. Because I was afraid that we wouldnt make it back in time, I had even threatened the carpet, forcing it to fly at a breakneck speed... If it didnt, I would have used it as an entrance mat at Infinite City, free for all passers-by to clean their shoes on. Sigh! These two life-long friends of mine and the two NPCs who had gained self-awareness spent a lot of my time and effort! Ah well, the end justifies the means. I stopped reminiscing and looked back at everyone else, only to notice that they all looked frustrated yet were at a loss of what to do. When I followed their gaze I saw... Ice Phoenix! Ah, I sighed, I had already promised Nan Gong Zui that Id take care of his god-sister, plus Lolidragon has also told me to take Phoenix under my wing, so it looks like I cant escape this matter anymore. Phoenix... I affixed an angst-ridden expression on my face and walked toward Phoenix. Phoenix yelled at me in panic. Donte over here! I stopped in mid-step and softly said one line. I didnt know you hated me that much. No, no, its just that you... Phoenix didnt know what to say for a while, and then she started crying. I actually made Phoenix cry! I became flustered too. At a time like this, what should I do? In the midst of the panic and disorder, I seemed to hear Lolidragon whisper, Go and hug her, you idiot. Roar! Easy for you to say! But seeing that Phoenix was crying so miserably, I could only bury my sighs deep in my heart and hug Phoenix gently, while consoling her. Its alright, dont cry, no one will me you. At first, Phoenix struggled in my arms, but the more she struggled the tighter I held her until she was finally snug in my embrace, weeping her heart out. Sorry, I didnt mean it, b-because Fan he- he begged me, and I still cant forget him... Phoenix wailed her exnations out in my arms. Was I too merciful to Fan, to just let him off like that? Ay, Im bing less and less bloody; next time I will improve! Its okay, you can start forgetting now. If you think of him, you can juste and hug me. As I spoke, I stroked Phoenixs long hair; I was beginning to understand why men love girls with long-hair; smooth and fragrant, long hair is really a pleasure to touch indeed. Prince... Phoenix shyly buried her face in my chest until only two red ear tips were visible. Hmm? I lifted my nose out from Phoenixs silky hair and realized that I really shouldnt have looked up, as I immediately noticed three vengeful spirits... Gui was being held up by Wolf-dg in mid-air with his legs kicking out at the air; Wicked was held back by Zui and White Bird, his eyes blood-shot; Fairsky was being pulled back by Rose and Broken Sword, so angry that her cheeks were puffed up. I broke out in a cold sweat and stiffened C Phoenix obviously noticed that too as she lifted her head up shyly. She then noticed the three vengeful spirits... Her expression changed; she looked at me with a strange resolve... Ugh, I suddenly had a very bad premonition, and while my instincts have never been right about good predictions, theyre superb when ites to the bad. Prince, if you really ept me, then kiss me. Phoenix closed her eyes and lifted her head high, every inch the picture of a maiden waiting to be ravished. Ugh... I was right again. Kissing her would be no problem at all, since Ive already kissed more interesting people C for girls Ive kissed my own cousin, for guys Ive kissed the games NPC, Kenshin. What more could frighten me? However, if I were to kiss her in front of the three angry spirits, Ill never have another peaceful day. Gui would cry until the Great Wall of China falls down, Wicked would nag to me about girls chastity, and Fairsky would go crazy; she might even challenge Phoenix to a duel. In my hesitation, Phoenix had already opened her tear-filled eyes, but she was doing her utmost to hold back those tears. How... extremely heart-wrenching! I made my decision. No longer hesitant, I lifted her shocked face, and kissed her roughly. Snake kiss, Prince, give her a snake kiss, then shell really be yours, heart and soul. Lolidragon seemed unusually excited as she cheered us on in the sidelines. Snake kiss? Whats a snake kiss? Kissing a snake? I was baffled. Stick your tongue in Phoenixs mouth and move it around; thats a snake kiss. Lolidragons voice rang out in the PM channel. Oh.... I did as I was instructed, and stuck my tongue into Phoenixs mouth and moved it around... Finally, when I ran out of breath, I stopped the snake kiss, and licked my own lips, wondering Had Phoenix eaten some candy?Why does her mouth taste sweet? So stimting... Lolidragon said dumbly. I shot her a nce, thinking, Lolidragon, even if you want to try it out, please dont look so eager! Have some self-restraint, alright? I looked down to see how Phoenix was faring, only to see that her eyes had already formed two giant hearts and her entire body was limp, remaining upright only through the support of my two arms... How could this be? I only felt that it was a little numbing, and sweet! I scratched my cheek and decided not to think about it any further. As long as I could seduce Phoenix away from Fan, all was well! ButI still have the problem of the three vengeful spirits to deal with! I handed a still-swooning Phoenix to her sister, White Bird, and moved toward the team of resentful spirits who were standing like statues, frozen to the ground with shock at what I had just done. First, I walked to Fairskys side and smiled at her. She couldnt help but to smile back, then... I repeated my actions and gave her a good snake kiss. Looking at another heart-shaped-eyed girl in my arms, I suddenly felt that it was extremely fun! I threw Fairsky over to Rose and turned my head to look towards the two men. I frowned. I dont mind kissing girls, but if its men... After all, Im a young maiden; it wouldnt seem too good if I did that, right? But, I really want to know if kissing guys or girls feels morefortable. Prince, your highness.... Guis tears had already formed two waterfalls, and his voice was full with grief. I was thinking, Okay, Ill kiss him once, seeing that hes so pitiful...But just as I was about to walk toward him, and Gui looked extremely ecstatic when... Youre not allowed to kiss him; Ill leave the issue of you kissing girls alone, but... You! Must! Not! Kiss! Gui! Wickeds mes of wrath were strong, almost to the point of materializing. I stopped walking, for the safety of my life, and shrugged at Gui. Wicked, what quarrel do you have with me? Guis eyes were full of pain and anger. Hatred as deep as Blood Sea! Wicked red right back. I turned around, no longer caring about the brawling duo and stretchedzily, only to find out that... I was hungry. Lolidragon, Im hungry. Lolidragon looked unfazed, as if she already knew that wasing. The food has already been prepared, and you can familiarize yourself with the new members White Bird, her husband Outside Window, Feng Wu Qings parents, and so on while you are eating. Feng Wu Qings parents? I emphasized on the word parents. If Im not wrong, doesnt Feng Wu Qing have the same parents as me? Yeah, this time in the siege, Feng Wu Qings parents helped out a lot, plus theyve already decided to settle down in Infinite City, said Lolidragon, emphasizing the word parents as I had. ... My shoulders slumped down; I had just managed to get out of one storm, when another onees C I was beginning to suspect that I hadnt yet made my peace with any unhappy deities somewhere. I followed Lolidragon to the dining room...and started sweating like mad. Is there someone getting married? Howe it looks like a wedding feast?! I could only see row upon row ofnterns and ribbons, all with a red theme color, and counted scores of round tables with everyone sitting in their proper ces, all wide-eyed with excitement, watching my entrance. Suddenly I felt as if Lolidragon and I were the long anticipated bride and groom. I even looked back to check if there was a giant Congrattions stuck to the wall behind me. What the...? Thats what I get for turning back to look; its unknown whether the word was painted on with coloring or whether it was actual blood. It looked like it had just been written because it was still dripping. Liege Lord, would you like to go over the citys operations or finances first? An unfamiliar face... This should be the White Bird that Lolidragon was talking about! She was holding a thick stack of paper, blocking my way toward my lovely dining table, her expression respectful yet not too humble. Lets eat first! I waved my hand; nothing is more important than my wonderful food. Upon hearing that, White Bird put away the papers in her hand and said, Yes, my Lord. Then would you please announce themencement of dinner? I rubbed my nose; I wasnt used to being addressed so politely. Everyone, its time to eat. The quiet crowd suddenly roared back to life, and I too was eager to sit down and enjoy my exquisite meal of... White rice, meat floss, and egg soup? I blinked but it was still those three things. It cant be... Are those appetizers? Lolidragon, these are... Main dishes. Seemingly knowing what I was thinking, Lolidragon replied without a moments hesitation. This..., The corner of my mouth cramped as I recalled Zhuo-gge telling me something about Infinite Citys financial woes. But is it really this bad? Whats the matter? The person who spent 5000 crystal coins taking a ship to Eastern Continent isnt satisfied with the food? Yu Lian-ds?os warm voice rang out, but I felt like Id fallen into an ice pit and couldnt stop shivering. These dishes are wondrous; I havent had such, such healthy food in ages! To prove my point, I even lifted up my rice bowl and started shoveling huge amounts of in rice into my mouth. Yu Lian-ds?o gave a small smile once again. Prince should have been rather well-fed during this trip, right? Right... I started sweating violently. Suddenly, I had an inspiration that I hoped would save my skin; I snatched up my backpack and dug out a gleaming red ruby (Remember which one this was? The one on a certain someonesrge door... I had hacked it down before leaving.)I presented it with shaking hands. Ds?o, this is little brothers small gift of appreciation, please ept it. Yu Lian-ds?o signaled for Phoenix to take the ruby. Phoenix actually...sniffed the ruby before saying, 3000 crystal coins. Oi, youre a phoenix, not a dog...yet you sniff? Yu Lian-ds?o used her eyes to cue Lolidragon next, who threw down her chopsticks hurriedly to say in a calm and dignified manner, Prince, because of the citys economy crisis, weve decided to send you out to earn money. I pointed to my own nose, face full of shock, thinking Me? Earn money? Spending it all is more likely... What if! What if they really want me to work as something like a male host? I paled and asked, How am I going to do that? Doll suddenly broke out in a radiant smile, Prince-gge is so good-looking. Lolidragon nodded. Plus Blood Elfs name is so well-known. Im done for, Im done for; they really want me to work as a male host? My first part time job and I have to sell my body? No way, this will never do, if news of this spreads, how am I, a little maiden, supposed to continue living? Its impossible... But C I eyed Yu Lian-ds?os widening smile... Ugh, Ill at most be a male escort, selling my smile and not my body; I can still tolerate that... I looked at Yu Lian-ds?os smiling face again... Ugh, at the very most, Ill ept selling my body to beauties. ording to what Lolidragon said, you can sing rather well? Wolf-dg suddenly asked out of the blue. I was stunned. Do I sing well? I turned toward to Lolidragon, face full of puzzlement. Didnt you sing Its My Life to me before? Lolidragon lifted an eyebrow. I dare say that at the very least youre a match for the original singer. Prince, you sing, and Ill help you to y the apaniment! Gui raised up his guqing and started tuning. Use a guqing to y rock and roll songs? Wed better not, right? Even if the original singer didnt turn in his grave, the guqing string would surely break... But, looking at the anticipation in the eyes of the crowd, I was too embarrassed to say no, so I had no choice but to discuss the choice of songs with Gui. Lets change it to a song with more sentimental feelings, that one isnt very suited for apaniment on guqing. Which one then? Gui asked. I didnt need to think twice, Dreams Want to Fly. As Gui yed the first note, I too immersed myself in the songs lyrics. I opened my mouth and sang: Dreams want to fly Flying with wings wouldnt be amazing any longer, feathers are too soft Dreams are heavy and burdening, nothing seems more difficult than taking-off I jump, I leap, I will try I fall, Im hurt, I pity myself Crossing over heart, over hardships, but not over feelings, Taking the final step, hurting myself, hurting others, but I cant hurt eternity, Legends, created with sadness, bitterness and sorrow Touched only by wanting to fly, and flying Dreams want to fly by Yu Wo I stopped singing, took a deep breath, and came back to reality. When I opened my eyes again, everyone in the audience seemed absorbed in my singing. I could only scratch my cheek; did I really sing that well? Yu Lian-ds?o was the first to open her eyes; they shone with bright excitement as she said, Weve struck gold! Huh? What does she mean? Howe I feel so uneasy again, especially after spotting my parents sitting at the table to my left, looking like theyre deep in thought? My heart started racing at the thought. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 2 End]

Footnotes

Cold arrows: A term in Chinese that literally means sneaky attacks using arrows. Red packets: These are mainly presented at social and family gatherings such as weddings or on holidays such as the Lunar New Year. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): ӑt, Ҫ. (Cantonese):. A married person would not turn down such request as it would mean that he or she would be out of luck in the new year. In keeping with Chinese customs, newly wedded couples are also usually expected to be extremely generous with the amount offered in the red packets, so as to receive blessings for a blissful marriage. See wikipedia () for more information. ...cry until the Great Wall of China falls down: Theres a story about this saying. The building of Great Wall of China caused a lot of peoples deaths so the people in ancient China were unwilling to go build it. However, the emperor of that time forced the men to leave their homes to build the Great Wall. A woman called Meng Jiang Nv had just married when her husband was forced to go build the Great Wall, and he died. Legend said Meng Jiang Nv cried days and nights under the Great Wall after her husband death until the unfinished part of Great Wall was shaken and fell down. Snake kiss: Snake kiss is pronounced the same in Chinese as tongue kiss...which, as you can guess, is a French kiss. Hatred as deep as the Blood Sea: Usually this phrase is used for a really deep hatred, for example when the enemy had killed your parents...hence the blood sea part. The blood sea part also can mean that you hate your enemy so much that you want to see his blood flowing out so much that it can form a sea. Volume 4 Chapter 3 Volume 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: The Busking Tour Group C tranted by PR! You want me to be a singer, and have a concert? I began to feel slightly dizzy. What on earth is everyone thinking? Arent I the Lord of the city? How did I turn into a singer? Yeah, just take a look at yourself. Lolidragon shoved a mirror at me. Look at that invincible, super-duper handsome face and tall, perfectly proportioned body. Look at that cool and elegant poise (as long as you dont open your mouth), plus those power vocals! If you dont sell your bo I mean, records, isnt that a heinous waste of natural resources? I nced at Lolidragon, wondering if I had heard her beginning to say body. But, this is an online game. Who bes a singer in a game, and actually holds concerts? And has a photo-shoot, Lolidragon added, and whereupon catching me paling at an rming rate, quickly quipped, Dont worry, we wont have you bear it all; at most just a little, little bit... A little, little bit? I asked with a hint of suspicion. Really just a little, little bit? Yeah, a little, little bit! Lolidragonughed with deep sincerity. Iter found out that Lolidragons a little, little bit had two littles in it, so in her mind that defined two particr little bits... Lolidragon, who on earth taught you your Chinese? Wait a minute, this isnt the point! How am I supposed to be a singer? Im not even a bard, I retorted. Lolidragon lifted an eyebrow. When did you start being concerned over what we can and cant do in the game? Do what you feel like doingisnt that your style? The crux is in whether you want to do it or not. That gave me some pause. Before... Yeah, I think I really did whatever I wanted to do. A singer... I tilted my head to the side. Sounds rather interesting! In the end Iughed aloud. Alright, being a singer seems rather tempting. Great, now let me think... First off, you guys will have to tour through the three cities of Sun, Moon, and Star in order to publicize and make a name for yourselves. And earn some money while youre at that, Lolidragon added hurriedly upon catching Yu Lian-ds?os brilliant smile. Seeing that her smile had warmed a little, Lolidragon heaved a sigh of relief and continued, Lastly, after you gain poprity,e back to Infinite City to hold a concert. This is because, one, we can earn money from that and, two, it can help us boost Infinite Citys poption. Its definitely killing two birds with one stone. I thought for a while, before asking, So do I have to bring Gui along as my musical apaniment? Hearing this, Guis eyes lighted up immediately. Can I follow His Highness Prince, please? Not only GuiI think we have to look for a few other people and form a band, Lolidragon said. After all, Second Life has no audio tracks that we can make use of. She hesitated. I dont know if Second Lifes craftsmen can make things like instruments, though... I dont know about drums, but they can make guitars, Fairsky suddenly blurted out. She stuck a hand into her bag and drew out a guitar. I have one. You know how to y the guitar? Lolidragons eyes shone. Fairsky nodded regally. Of course. Ive been learning for ten years; I y really well. Great, weve got one more member! Lolidragon noted down happily. I chowed down on my meat floss on rice mixed with scrambled egg soup, slightly dubious over whether people could mix guitars and guqinstogether. Whatever. Anyway, Im only responsible for singing, so Ill leave the rest up to Lolidragon! Hmm...meat floss scrambled egg porridge doesnt taste bad! I want to go too, Wicked said coldly, ring at Gui. I wont let Gui have the chance to be alone with Prince. You! Gui clenched his fists in anger. Can you y any instruments? Lolidragon asked with great interest. Her eagerness for more chaos was written across her face. The Chinese flute, Wicked answered simply. Wow, thats just great. Guqin, guitar, and the Chinese flute? Thats a mixparable to the bowl of messy things in my hand. And me! Phoenix said hurriedly, seeing that three of the four admirers of Prince had already joined. And what can you y? I can y the drums, and have been at it for ten years too, Phoenix boasted, irking Fairsky who was at her side. Ill look for craftsmen to make a drum set for me immediately. They can definitely do it! Okay, Gui ys the guqin, Wicked the Chinese flute, Fairsky the guitar, and Phoenix the drums. Lolidragon noted that down before wrinkling her brows. Well split into two groups then, with the guys being in charge of the more sentimental songs, and the girls the rock songs. I sighed heartily and looked into the distance. Times have really changed. The guys are all choosing to be more sensitive, while the girls all like rock music C it seems like Im getting old. Lolidragon whacked me soundly on the head and PMed to me, Thats why you, neither female nor male, have to sing both kinds of songs! Ouch! With tears threatening to spill over, I pouted and muttered sullenly, I said Ill sing already! Why did you have to hit me on the head? Ill be stupid! Heh heh heh, so the members of Infinite Band are decided, Lolidragon said. Gui, get to work on the lyrics and the tunes of the songs. Wicked, get started on choreography. Prince, start memorizing the lyrics. Fairsky and Phoenix, lets go prepare the performing costumes. Lolidragons eyes shone as she grabbed the two girls and left so fast that they seemed to have teleported away. Gui... Do you know how to write songs? Why didnt I know that Gui knew how topose music and lyrics? Guis expression was extremely troubled. Me? Ive never written a song before. We sunk in silence for a moment, then I turned to Wicked harboring a tiny glint of hope. You know how to dance? Yeah, Wicked replied, and my hope blossomed. Ive folk-danced before. My heart chilled abruptly, turning as cold and hard as a frozen fish that could be used as a murder weapon. Lolidragon suddenly stuck her head back into the room, If you guys dont do well, youll be kicked out of Infinite Band. Prince is the exception, but if he doesnt do well, he can only eat in rice for all his meals. After saying that, she drew her head back to wherever she hade from. Two bulging veins throbbed on my forehead. If my heart was as cold as a frozen fish before, it was a volcano now. Damn that Lolidragon, always using food to threaten me! Dont let me find any of your weaknesses, or Ill @#^&%!* you! (Due to excessive violence, this phrase was censored so that the author would not be banned by the writingmunity!) In the days following this event, a particr literature professor was seen determinedly reading elementary school music textbooks while giving lectures on the history of literature. What was more ridiculous was that he actually managed to make sense in his teaching. Hey! Genius shouldnt be used like that! Besides that, another particr icy hunk would suddenly break into dance hip-hop, waltz, and even Taiwanese opera while conducting experiments in his post-graduate ss, leading people to suspect that the experiments had somehow messed with his brain. It had even instigated an ongoing investigation. As for me, because the songs were not done yet, I was forced to train my vocals, singing Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti continuously. Lolidragon, Fairsky, and Phoenix also kept hauling me away for measurements, or for impromptu fashion shows in which I was the model. Originally, as a girl, I quite liked picking out clothes, but every time I changed into a new suit, I had to face the lecherous eyes of three female perverts. Thats not fun at all, especially when I realized that the amount of cloth was rapidly declining... I ran away in panic. However, after I ran away, and when they failed in getting Wicked to participate in their fashion shows, they eventually got hold of defenseless Gui and were making him wear swimming trunks... What? How would I know? What rubbish; how could I miss out on such eye-candy? All in all, Infinite Band had thuse into existence, and the first song, dance-steps, and costumes were soon ready. The first rehearsal made its debut in the square of Infinite City. I wore a ck and red themed, skin-tight suit that exposed half of my shoulder plus arm and long boots, oozing sex appeal while looking cool. Behind me were two sexy beauties dressed in the same theme, with one wearing a mini-skirt and the other hot-pants. In her short boots, Fairsky was as feisty and pretty as a dancing fire, while in high heels, Phoenix was as sophisticated and cool as cold ice. With both of them trailing behind me, we stepped onto the makeshift stage. Looking at the pairs of longing eyes below the stage, I felt a sudden urge to sing my heart out, to satisfy both the audiences and my own desires. I closed my eyes, thought about the first song Gui had written and submerged myself in the lyrics of the song. It was highly emotional, and I began to sing in a high and powerful voice bearing a tinge of sorrow, like how the moth is attracted to me. Youugh, you cry, your every action is my Bible that I recite with care. Im happy, Im sad, I give up my freedom in life for you, I want to be directed by you. You are fire, you are wind, you are a devil weaving a web, a temptation from the angels. From: Swallowtail Butterfly Lyric and song by: Ah Xin (a singer in the famous Chinese band, May Day). I sung, apanied by Phoenixs strong drum-beats and Fairskys wild guitar chords, dancing Wickeds sensually choreographed dance, just as if I were the moth that was flying to the me, singing out my swan song, surrendering my body to passionate love without a care. When the song was done, the people under the stage looked intoxicated. It seems like I really can sing rather well! I thought happily. This song doesnt seem as well-sung as Dreams Want to Fly! Lolidragon said with a frown. Herment hit me on the head like a giant iron hammer; I looked at Lolidragon tearfully, wailing, How can that be? Ive practiced this song for a long time! Maybe yourecking in emotion. Lolidragon nced at Gui. Its very obvious that youve never been in love, especially the one-sided, bitter-sweet sort. As Lolidragon spoke, Guis expression darkened. In the end, he opened his mouth and sang the same song. (To avoid the suspicion that Im filling in the words for more money, the lyrics have been removed...) Even though we had sung the same song, the depth of emotions conveyed had such a huge difference. I understood what Lolidragon had said about cking in emotion C I didnt know howplicated Guis voice could be, so sad yet determined, so hurt yet sweet, especially when he was staring at me. I almost, almost did not dare look in his eyes; I was afraid that if I did, if I was not careful, I might...anger Wicked further, whose re had gone beyond freezing point. If Gui had made a single movement, Wicked would have started making human meat buns. Especially with those two women behind me, who were equally eager to make human meat buns... Youve got to be joking! Only I can thrash Gui, other people dont even need to think about it! Thinking about that, it seemed like a long time since I hadst beaten Gui up... I summoned a warm smile, and spoke in my warmest tone, Gui, teach me how to sing. Yes, Your Highness! Gui ran toward me with a touched expression, and I too watched him run toward me with happiness, before carrying him up with a single hand. Leaving behind a Im off to practice, I dragged Gui into a random room and Heh heh heh! In any case, wed best up the pace of our practice. Were going to kick you off to the three cities to for your tour within a week, maximum. Remember not to ruin the reputation of Infinite City, Lolidragon nagged at the remaining members of the Infinite Band. Yes! One day, after finishing singing practice, I suddenly had the feeling that I had been ignoring a certain four people that I had brought to the city. I wonder whatre they up to? Feeling a little guilty, I PM-ed them. Jing, Yun? Where are you guys? I asked with a bit of worry. Yun replied immediately in high spirits, Were picking out a house! Picking out a house? I paused. Yeah, as a citizen of Infinite City, Gui said we can buy property for half-price here! Yun said excitedly. After selling the ship ticket that we didnt use, plus a bit of our savings, we can buy a rather nice ce! Jing couldnt hold in her excitement either. Thats why we went to choose a house now; if we wait until Infinite City opens its gates officially, well bepeting for houses with a lot of people. Ohhh, so should I get started choosing a house soon too? I asked urgently, but then I remembered that all of my money had been taken away by Yu Lian-ds?o. Ugh, I cant afford a house! Dont tell me I, as Lord of this city, will have to live on the streets? Yun asked me in a funny tone, Dg, you should be staying at the pce, right? What do you need a house for? Jing, on the other hand, sounded as if she didnt know whether to cry or tough, Dg, Odd Squad, Dark Emperor, Rose Team, Nan Gong Zui, and so on, all the important people in Infinite City, stay in the pce. Youre the Lord; you cant be expected to use money from your own pocket to stay outside, right? Oh, so thats how it is, I realized. Tell me when you guys are done choosing a house, and remember to invite me over sometime! Of course! Yun replied. I suddenly remembered my other question. Oh yeah, do you know where Sunshine and Kenshin are? I asked. They seem to be at Infinite Inn a lot. Jing thought for a while. If not, theyd be walking around Infinite City. Ill go look for them then, I said as I started to worry. After Jing and Yun pick their houses, whats going to happen to Kenshin and Sunshine? Where are they going to stay? I dont have extra money to help them buy property... I scratched my face and decided that, at most, they would move in with me! I dont think Ill be using my rooms a lot anyway. I ran hurriedly to the inn, immediately spotting the duo sitting together and drinking tea. I sat down, grabbed Kenshins tea, and gulped it down, before asking in a calm tone, Howve you been these days? Kenshin red at the cup in my hands, then took another cup without a word and poured himself a new cup of tea. Meanwhile Sunshine replied, smiling, Were fine. Weve been walking around this city, people-watching and drinking tea here. That sounds so boring! I felt guilty for bringing them over and then neglecting them. Why dont you guyse with me on the concert tour? This way youll get to see other cities. A concert tour? Sunshine looked perplexed. I scratched my head in embarrassment. A concert tour is putting it nicely. Actually, were just busking in the three cities. Busking? Again, Sunshine looked confused. Singing songs on the streets, I exined again. Why do you want to sing on the streets? Sunshine asked with an elegant smile. To earn money... Huh, howe I feel like Ive met another Meat Bun? Why do you want to earn money? Sunshine asked tirelessly. I shot a nce at Kenshin who was doing nothing. Well, why dont you ask Kenshin? Im not very sure of this myself. Sunshine frowned. When I ask questions, Kenshin doesnt reply. I looked at the silent Kenshin and kind of understood why he kept his silence. If I were to be alone with Sunshine for several months, I think even a chatter-box like me would learn the meaning behind silence is golden. I started to think that maybe the noisy Yun and overly-curious Sunshine would get along nicely. Anyway, just follow me on the tour, I changed the topic. Sunshine gave me another warm smile. Okay. Those two people have been looking like they want toe over and talk for a while already, Kenshin spoke up suddenly, pointing behind my right shoulder. Oh? I turned to look, and immediately stiffened. I couldnt move, because the two people who were mirrored in my eyes were my two good-for-nothing, y-the-entire-day-away-without-cooking-or-working parents. They became very excited when they saw me turn around and started waving their hands at me frantically while running over to my table. My mom looked super excited as she started speaking. How are you, Lord? Do you remember us? We once met at the Adventurers Tournament and our son is Feng Wu Qing of Dark Emperor! Yeah, and your daughters the Lord of Infinite City too. How could I forget my mom and dad? I thought helplessly, whilst still stering a smile on my face. Of course. Youre Lovely-dovey Husband and Lovely-dovey Wife, right? See, hubby, the Lord really remembers us! My mom looked touched as she said that. I told you! How could the Lord forget us? Think about the day of the siege, and how full of vigor, all-powerful, and almost godly the Lord was! He scared the enemies so much that they lost control of their bowels and immediately knelt and surrendered. A Lord like this could hardly forget us! My dad thumped the table emphatically. Dont- dont get too excited, I said hurriedly, thinking, Almost godly? I really want to know which god descends like how I had when I fell from the carpet. Dad rubbed his head rather apologetically. Im sorry, I got too worked up. But the Lord really is great! My wife and I willingly ept our loss; our past grudges are all forgotten. Forgotten is fine, forgotten is fine. I heaved a sigh of relief. And the Lord isnt just good at martial arts, even his voice is wonderful! My mom said, looking at me with a bright smile. Not really. I put on a smile as well. But Xiao Lan, dont you like Its My Life the most? Why didnt you sing that, or sing your second favorite, Dreams Want to Fly, instead? Mom asked, puzzled. Oh, thats because the guqin isnt suited to rock music, so I had to choose something more sentimental, I replied while smiling. Oh, so thats why! The three of usughed, our smiling expressions surprisingly simr. Prince, your nickname is Xiao Lan? Kenshin quipped from the side. My smile froze, as I finally realized what my mom and dad had said. My eyes popped and I sweated a few buckets of cold sweat before I swallowed with difficulty and looked at the two grinning people. You, I, no I stuttered. Dont deny it, Xiao Lan. Do you think that the part of our brains that recognizes people is naturally retarded, like Yang Ming? Moms voiced floated over the PM channel. How did you find out? I asked, a little put out. Its very simple, Dad exined gleefully. First, Yang Ming said that you were a tranny in Second Life (Stupid brother, your mouth is too big!). Second, Ling Bin likes Xiao Lan, but he pesters Prince in the game C taking that guys stubborn nature into ount, the chances of him two-timing you is below zero, so the most likely conclusion is that Prince and Xiao Lan are the same person in the first ce. Third, Xiao Lan, youre always singing those two songs, so who wouldnt recognize that voice? Uh...except for my stupid son, Yang Ming. I paused for a second, beforeing out with only more questions. What did you say? Zhuo-gg likes me? Doesnt he like Yang Ming? Mom and Dad paused for a while, too. Ling Bin likes Yang Ming? How is that possible? Doesnt he pester you a lot? Zhuo-gg only wants to protect me, right? I questioned stupidly. ording to what I had concluded before, isnt Zhuo-ggpeting against Gui for my brothers affections? Huh? Thats strange... Then why are they always sticking to me in the game, and not Feng Wu Qing? My dad and mom were stunned... And then my mom fell into my dads arms, sobbing. Hubby! Why are both our children so retarded? Ay, it must be because we forgot to pray to the fertility goddess before they were born. My dad shook his head, sighing. So does Zhuo-gg like Yang Ming after all? I titled my head to one side, biting my fingers while deep in thought. Of course not! my dad and mom yelled in unison. My mom even grabbed my ear (Ow ow ow!) and shouted, You shouldnt let down his devotion! Ling Bin has liked you for eight years! Hes a top schr, and a hunk to boot. If you dont bring him home and get married to him, whore you going to marry? I snatched back my own ear, rubbing it morosely, Zhuo-gg has liked me for eight years? Then... I suddenly recalled the fight between Zhuo-gg and Gui Could it be that the person they were fighting over wasnt Yang Ming? It was me?! Say, are you going to bring that hunk Ling Bin back so mom can have some eye candy? Mom had my poor ear back in her pincer-grip again. Mom, youve finally shown your true colors! But, but, I dont know if I like Zhuo-gg or not! I replied helplessly. And if I marry Zhou-gg, Gui will definitely cry until the Great Wall falls down. Gui? Mom batted tworge, innocent eyes. Is that the drool-worthy hunk of a bard? Yeah, and hes my universitys professor! Hey! Mom, it isnt good to drool over other guys in front of your husband...Even though dad seems to have gotten used to your fetish for pretty boys. A professor! Really? Moms face filled with longing, before she blinked her eyes at me. Hes handsome too. A different type from Ling Bin, but both are undeniable hunks that can feed you for life. Ahaha, not bad, not bad, Xiao Lan! Just choose either of them; Mommy has no objections. Of course you are fine with any hunk as your eye candy! What objections would you have? I sighed, thinking about going out soon with two guys and two girls to busk, plus the fact that they were all my admirers... Things are going to get messy. Anyway, mom, dont say anything about my secret. I looked stern. Not even to Yang Ming. If you tell anyone, Ill marry an ugly guy and pollute your eyes. Mom looked horrified. Dont, dont! I swear I wont say a word. Xiao Lan, you have to remember that you must choose one out of the two hunks to marry! I nodded my head tiredly. Who should I choose? Forget it, Ill cross that bridge when I get there. As for whether my dad would spill the beans... Have you ever heard of hen-pecked? What my mom says, is what my dad says! You get it now, right? Once again snatching Kenshins tea, I deliberately ignored Sunshines Ive got a question expression while rubbing my temples. Ay, it seems like things are getting out of hand. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 3 End]

Footnotes

...defined two particr little bits: In Chinese, it is said exposing three bits when the guy is exposing both his nipples and XXX. So when Lolidragon says a little, little bit here, she actually means the exposing Princes nipples. Meat floss: Also called rou song in Chinese. It is a dried Chinese meat item that has a light and fluffy texture simr to coarse cotton and it is made by stewing cuts of pork in a sweetened soy sauce mixture until individual muscle fibers can be easily teased apart with a fork. This usually happens when the cogen and stin that normally hold the fibers have been cooked out of the meat. The teased-apart meat is then strained and dried in the oven. After a light drying, the meat is mashed and beaten while being dry cooked in arge wok until it ispletely dry. Chinese flute: There are many different types of Chinese flutes, but the one that is being yed by Wicked is called Xiao in Chinese. It is an end-blown flute and generally made from dark brown bamboo. Please refer to this link for more information:. Yu Wo started off as an inte writer. Chinese inte sites usually pay money depending on the words count. The normal rate is about 3 cents for 1000 words * the number of people who subscribe to the text. Volume 4 Chapter 4 Volume 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4:The Most Important Matter in Meatbuns LifeC tranted by Spence Roll call! Prince, check. Gui, check. Wicked, check. Fairsky, check. Phoenix, check. Kenshin, check. Sunshine, check, Lolidragon muttered to herself as she confirmed everyones attendance. Seeing as were all here, I shall begin. Today is the day we start the busking tour and, after much deliberation, it has been decided that we will start the tour from Star City, then on to Moon City and finally, Sun City. A slight quizzical look spread across my face. Much deliberation? Throwing dice is considered deliberation? Ok, maybe if we count the fact that we took forever to choose the color of the dice. First, you guys will perform publicly at the town square of each city once, then at different bars a few times, and then once more at the za. An important reminder: after each performance remember to say that you guys are from Infinite City and that there will be a concert in Infinite City in about a month. Understand? Lolidragon said with a stern expression. Everyone nodded their head wearily, since we had already heard this hundreds of times. Our bands main goal right now was to build Infinite Citys fame and get a big fan base, and also to earn money. Alright, Infinite Band, depart! Lolidragon shouted enthusiastically. With our blood boiling with excitement as well, we shouted, HERE WE GO! Oh yeah, as a side note, Yu Lian said there arent enough funds, so she asked you guys to cover your travel and living expenses by killing mobs, Lolidragon added casually. Ah...no wonder Yu Lian-ds?o took all my money yesterday. I turned and looked at the others, all of whom were wearing a grave expression.Oh lord, looks like we were all robbed yesterday. Well have to kill mobs for money I guess... I said somberly. Youve gotta be joking! We need to transverse the entire continent in a month, and perform in all three cities? You want me to run for president or something? Even a presidential candidate gets a jeep! We can use my flying carpet, Sunshine suggested with a faint smile. I turned my head sharply in Sunshines direction and gazed at him, touched by his offer. Rescuing him was indeed a great idea. Its settled then, we will ride on the carpet, I said happily. Its lucky that we still have roasted meat to eat. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as I wolfed down the delicious pile of roasted meat in my hand. Above me Meatbun was riding atop of Fire Phoenix, having the time of their lives in the air. Yeah, Gui sighed, after I wrestled some lodging money from Lolidragon, Ipletely forgot about food expenses. Fortunately, we have Fire Phoenix and Meatbun here, so we dont have to go hungry. Fairsky and Phoenix, now ves to the great taste of the roasted meat, lost all theirdy-likeposure as they wolfed down the food, eating almost as fast as me. As for Kenshin and Sunshine, Sunshine kept bombarding the ever silent Kenshin with questions as the two of them ate together. Where are we going to stay tonight? Wicked casually asked. In the park? I suggested. That way we can use the money to buy food. Prince, you shouldnt be going through this... Gui said with a pained and tender look, then suggested, Actually, we should sleep in the town square; that way we can wake up tomorrow and sing right off the bat. I nodded. Youre right. What?! Sleep in the town square? Fairsky and Phoenix both spluttered out incredulously after they anxiously swallowed their roasted meat. Why not? Its just a bit of sleeping time before you log off and after you log on. I shrugged, not caring about their disbelief. NO! Fairsky shouted with a zing red face. What kind of joke is this? We cant do that, even if its only for a little while. A girls sleeping form should NEVER be seen by strangers! Even Phoenix, who rarely agreed with Fairsky, was nodding furiously. Lets stay in an inn then; girls should not carelessly let others see them while they sleep, Wicked said while ncing at me with a meaningful look. Oh yeah, Im one of the girls too, huh... I almost forgot. I rubbed the back of my head with a foolish smile on my face. Then we shall rent three rooms. Fairsky will share a room with Phoenix, Sunshine will share the room with Kenshin, and Wicked and Gui will take thest room... I tilted my head in thought. What about me? I dont think I can share a room with Phoenix and Fairsky, right? After all, Im a full-blown male in game with a XX! What if the two of them decided to use force with me? ...What should I do? Yet, I cant possibly sleep in the same room as Gui and Wicked, since Im still technically a girl...must have...restraint... (The definition of restraint: Even though I want it very much in my heart, on the surface I must still pretend that I dont want to do it...if only Zhuo-gge didnt know who I was, how great would that be! I could stare at two super attractive guys...while they sleep...I cant help but want to drool as I imagine the scene.) So annoying! This is the first time that I have found my tranny identity to be annoying.Ill sleep with Sunshine and Kenshin then. Finally, I made my decision. It should be alright, since both of them arent really human anyway, and they are pretty good looking too. Upon hearing that, both Gui and Wicked turned to look at me expressionlessly. Then, Gui started to show sadness, disappointment, self pity, and other such emotions across his face while Wicked squinted his eyes dangerously and fire started to sprout from his irises... I began sweating furiously, and so I said, Fine, Ill sleep by myself. Upon arriving at the inn, I said goodbye to everyone in a intive voice and headed toward my room, nning on retreating into a corner. Prince, Gui suddenly called out, dashing towards me. He summoned Fire Phoenix before continuing. Here, take Fire Phoenix. Then, if you get hungry, you can have some roasted meat to eat. Gui... Touched, I gave him a look of gratitude, happily took the food supply, and walked to my room. Once in my room, I hastily took out Meatbun, wanting to get some food in me before I logged off. Meatbun, spit out some meat. Okay Mommy! Meatbun happily spat out a pile of meat. Fire Phoenix, knowing the drill, instantly breathed a me out and grilled the meat to perfection. I happily wolfed down the food while observing the two pets ying at the side. They seemed to be getting along really well. Fire Phoenix, Meat-bunbun wants to ride on your back! Meatbun said while earnestly rubbing Fire Phoenixs leg with its head in a cajoling manner. Fire Phoenix haughtily raised its head at first, then it nced at Meatbuns wide and innocent eyes, and sighed, (I swear to god, I really saw it sigh!) What am I going to do with you? ...Get on. Meatbun cheered as Fire Phoenix hoisted it onto their back with its beak. Fiery fly fly! Meatbun started to shout again, and Fire Phoenixs eyes was filled with a helpless expression as it flew in a circle around the room with Meatbun on its back. My mouth was slightly ajar. Is this normal interaction between pets? Pets with AI are really something. Even their emotions seem so real. The helpless expression in Fire Phoenixs eyes is exactly the same as my expression every time I have a conversation with Meatbun... I closed my mouth and continued chewing my roasted meat. Meatbun continued cheering non-stop while saying, Fiery is the bestest! Meat-bunbun wants to fly with you forever! Really? Fire Phoenixs me seems to get a little hotter. ...Kind of like...blushing? What an absurd idea... Yeah! Meat-bunbuns favoritest one is Fiery! Meatbun shouted out, Just like Mommy! I proudly nodded, Good Meatbun, you didnt forget your good ol mom. Then Meatbun, would you...like to marry me? Fire Phoenix asked slowly. ...My eyes widened with shock, and my delicious barbeque fell out of my now O shaped mouth. What is marry? Meatbun asked, blinking its big, innocent eyes. Fire Phoenix said solemnly, Im not too sure myself. I only know that if we get married, we can always stay together. Meatbun started to jump around wildly on Fire Phoenixs back, Okay! Meat-bunbun wants to be with you forever! Marry, marry! I closed my mouth, picked up the fallen meat, and stuffed it back in my mouth and continued chewing. What is this? Did a bird just propose to a meat bun? Whats worse, that particr meat bun is my daughter! This...this...is more ridiculous than a science fiction novel and scarier than a horror story! Lolidragons words came back to me. I think she said that two pets can have children? What kind of messed up children would they have?! Meatbun stuffed with Phoenix meat...? That...is actually the best scenario... I mean, what if they gave birth to a Phoenix with a Meat bun for a head...ugh, I think Im about to faint. When I was still imagining how a phoenix with meat bun head would look like, Meatbun and Fire Phoenix had already approached me and Meatbun was happily squealing at me, Mommy! Meat-bunbun is gonna marry Fire Phoenix! I was totally stumped. What should I say? Do I congratte them? Jumping up, I grabbed the two pets, kicked open my door, and stomped towards Gui and Wickeds room. Gui! Your son seduced my daughter! I roared as I kicked their door down as well. After I made my entrance, I looked at the two people in the room, rubbed my eyes and looked again. Then my jaw dropped. This wasnt my imagination; I was really seeing Gui on top of Wicked. To be more specific, both of them were on the ground tangled together, and Gui, who was on top of Wicked, looked up at me, obviously shocked as well. Uh... Sorry to disturb you guys. Im so sorry. After a moment, I rubbed the back of my head, slightly embarrassed, and closed the door. Prince, Your Highness! Wait! This is a misunderstanding! Guis desperate cries rang out from behind the door. Then, with a cry, Gui crashed through the door. I dodged nimbly and watched as Guinded in a heap beside me. I looked back into the room and saw Wicked standing straight as a pole, with a vein popping out of his forehead and his right foot out. Clearly, the culprit responsible for Guis sudden flight out of the room had to be Wicked. I nced at Gui, who was now dazed from the fall, then at the furious Wicked, and I asked stupidly, Are you guys ying SM? NO WAY! Wicked said through clenched teeth. Then why did you kick Gui out? Werent both of you...? I paused there and coughed; it is something that should note out of adys mouth. NO! Gui and Wicked shouted at the same time. He suddenly jumped on me! Wicked said while shooting daggers at Gui with his eyes. Oh Gui, arent you a bit too rough? I asked with a shake of my head. Guis blood drained from his face and he hastily tried to exin. That was an ident, I didnt mean to...! I interrupted, Oh, so you couldnt stop yourself? I nodded in understanding. Well after all, Wicked is a hottie as well. Of course Gui couldnt resist the temptation, so he jumped Wicked... ...I just heard your cry all of a sudden, so I tripped and idently fell on Wicked! That is all! Gui finished his sentence. Then when he heard what I had said, his face went nk. Prince! Wickeds passive face had suddenly changed. Your left hand...! My left hand? I looked down. My poor left hand had been holding onto Fire Phoenix the whole time and now the smell of freshly roasted meat was wafting from it. Ahhh! After everyone had been drawn over by my scream, they all stared at me with bewildered eyes. Hence, I was forced to exin why I had kicked Gui and Wickeds door open while Ice Phoenix tended to my mutted left hand with red potions. In summary, Meatbun and Fire Phoenix are getting married, I finished. Upon hearing the news, their reactions all mirrored my ownmouths and eyes wide with disbelief. I know that pets are able to get married...but Ive never heard of such a ridiculous pairing. Fairsky said while giving weird looks to the nuzzling love bird and meat bun. Master, I am going to marry Meatbun, Fire Phoenix told Gui in an almostmanding tone. Oh... replied a bemused Gui who didnt look like a master in the least. Then he frowned. But how do you get married? No idea, Fire Phoenix said nonchntly. Do you really want to marry my Meatbun? Seeing Fire Phoenix so void of responsibility, I immediately thought with some anger, I dont want to marry my cute little Meatbun to this, this haughty chicken! What if it takes advantage of my Meatbun? What if it cheats on my Meatbun? Fire Phoenix nodded seriously. I really like Meatbun. I attempted to stare Fire Phoenix down, but it didnt back down. Instead, it raised its wing in a protective position around Meatbun. Atst, I sighed and thought, It looks like Fire Phoenix sincerely likes Meatbun. I shook my head. In this day and age, not only can you not keep a grown-up daughter from marrying, you cant even keep a daughter that is a meat bun from marrying... But thinking on the bright side, at least from now on this couple can specialize in making me barbeque anytime I want. With the heavy heart of one about to be parted with their only child, I said, Then its settled, let me consult my game guide and check how pets get married. Game guide? Phoenix asked suspiciously. Second Life has gaming guides? I shrugged, I dont know about others, but mine is called Lolidragon. Opening the PM channel, I briefly told Lolidragon what happened. As usual, sheughed until she almost died before answering me. Pet marriages are simple, as long as the pets themselves agree. Then, just have the one of the masters express the wish to be wedded and when the other agrees, the ceremony isplete. Gui, do you agree for your pet Fire Phoenix to take my Meatbun as its bride? I asked as soon as Lolidragon finished. Gui, under the fiery gaze of Fire Phoenix, said without hesitation, Yes, I agree. Gui and I were both stunned. Failed? I asked Lolidragon again, and I even told Lolidragon verbatim our phrase usage. Thats strange, theres nothing wrong. Are you sure they want to get married? Lolidragon asked in confusion. Of course; they are the ones who suggested it in the first ce. Lolidragon was silent for a moment. Finally she said hesitantly, Prince...ask Fire Phoenix and Meatbun about their genders... I just remembered that Phoenixese in pairsthey can be both male and female. Seeing as Fire Phoenix is a Fire Phoenix, then... Fire Phoenix... are you ...female...? I asked with a nk face. Ive always been female, Fire Phoenix said angrily. ck lines dropped from my face. What the hell is this? Its enough that I met a bunch of gays around, now even pets are doing it? What has this worlde to? With this revtion, my head began to ache horribly. Youre female and Meatbun is female, so how can two girls get married? What are you talking about? Meatbun is male, Fire Phoenix retorted in an annoyed tone. Everyones widened eyes immediately turned towards Meatbun. Meatbun...is male? Dont tell me...the reason for the failure before... I said hesitantly, Gui, do you agree to let my pet Meatbun take your pet, Fire Phoenix, as its bride? Gui paused, and then answered, I agree. ...What the hell? [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 4 End]

Footnotes

Fire Phoenix: Since phoenixes are called ˡ, they say that  refers to males, ˡ refers to females, and the two words together refer to phoenixes in general. Here Fire Phoenix is addressed as ˡ. Volume 4 Chapter 5 Volume 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: The Diary of a Suffering Street Musician C tranted by Raylight After the members of Infinite Band put their heads together, they finally came up with a method to gather as big an audience as possible. First, the members would split up into four groups and travel different roads. Wicked, Gui and I would each go alone, while Phoenix and Fairsky would go together, apanied by two bodyguards C Kenshin and Sunshine. We would start from the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern gates respectively, following the road to the central square. Then, we would begin our performance. Looking at the increasing horde of people behind my back, I thought, This should be about enough... With the horde attracted by the others, the square might end up being packed to the point of bursting! I walked into the square while thinking, and coincidentally saw Gui walk into the square from another road at the same time. Gui was definitely a handsome guy whose beauty couldpete with mine, and the number ofscivious women following him was also overwhelming. I waved to Gui and he ran towards me. So the rest havent reached here yet? I asked. Gui beamed as he said, I did see Fairsky and Phoenix, and the two of them have attracted quite a number of men. Oh? Using my hand as a support, I jumped onto the fountain in the center of the square and pulled Gui up. The two of us sat in this fashion on the rim of the fountain, allowing the crowd to admire us even as we casually kept a lookout for the others arrival. Its a good thing we brought them along; otherwise we wouldnt have attracted even a single guy. I said half-joking. After all, we cant let Infinite City be the City of Women. With Your Highness here, Im afraid that itll really be the City of Women, Gui replied with a smile. Whaaaat...Like all of you dont have any responsibility for this, I said sarcastically. You and Wicked are also extremely handsome guys that people dont see around very often. That reminds me, Kenshin and Sunshine can also be called beautiful men. Theres also Nan Gong Zui, who is rather good-looking. Broken Swords not bad too, although hes already taken. Wah, I didnt realize we had so many handsome guys in Infinite City! In front of you, Prince, nobody can say that they are good-looking, Gui spoke with a slow and infatuated tone. His hand gently brushed away the white hair that had fallen in front of my forehead, and then he... was pushed into the fountain by a jump kick. Please dont misunderstand; Im not the one who kicked Gui. Look! The person who kicked Gui down, Wicked, was hovering near me, looking threatening. He was even glowering down at Gui in the fountain. Youre here! Wahhhh, Wickeds really popr too. I looked at the sea of faces in the square and nodded my head, satisfied. Phoenix and Fairsky are behind us; they should be reaching here soon, Wicked answered as he reluctantly pulled Gui out of the fountain. Uh, I already see them. I broke into a cold sweat, watching the two ultra-beauties walk slowly here, the road cleared by the two bodyguards I had sent C Sunshine and Kenshin. And behind them was a crowd as dense as a swarm of ants: a horde of perverts with an excess of male hormones. Looks like Lolidragons clothing designs worked well. The top was sexy, leopard-printed, and strapless. The bottom was an extra-short, figure-hugging leather skirt, along with a pair of high-heeled boots for footwear. These items were surely the top three godly weapons needed to attract males. On Fairsky and Phoenix, the effects of the clothes were even more devastating Cit was enough to make males drool until they died from dehydration. Looks like the members of Infinite Band are all here. I smiled lightly, looking at the two unbelievably cool beauties. Lets start with something exciting. Fairsky, Phoenix, are you ready? Fairsky took out her guitar and gently plucked a few notes, gesturing an Okay to me while Phoenix set up her drum set with the help of the remaining four men. After she picked up her drumsticks and casually yed out a beat, she too nodded at me. Standing on the fountain and looking at therge audience below, I haughtily said, Then dont say anything. Let us sing a song first! Let them see the musical prowess of our Infinite Band. No problem! Fairsky and Phoenix said simultaneously. As soon as they spoke, Phoenix vigorously beat out a rhythm, causing the originally noisy crowd to quiet down. At the same moment, Fairsky violently strummed across the surface of the guitar. I sent a roar to the heavens, and began our concert tours first song. Following the intense rhythm and the sonorous singing, I danced wildly, as though I was fighting. With heated abandon I flew, I leapt, I poured all of myself into my performance, as though fire was coursing through my veins and setting alight the hearts of all who were present. Atst, I sang the final note. Regaining my senses after the passionate dancing, I stood silently on the spot. Without our performance, the square remained soundless. It was so quiet that I could only hear my own breathing... Ahhhhhhh! A loud shrill from a female suddenly emerged from the crowd, nearly piercing my eardrums. With the silence broken, the voices were like the explosion of meteorites hitting the earth, which even led to a chain reaction. Encore, Encore!, Its too wonderful, sing another song!, Ahhhh! So handsome!, What a hot babe! Damn! I nearly had a nosebleed... As I saw the scene start to get rowdy, I cocked an eyebrow. Now lets calm down the atmosphere. Gui, Wicked, no problem, right? Of course not, Your Highness. Gui took his guqin and sat on the fountain elegantly. Lets start. Wicked took out his flute and stood unmoving. The tall, proud, and lonely figure was a perfect match for the flute. Just like that, the sound of the flute started to ring amidst of all the mor, but for some reason, the noise was unable to block that mncholic sound. The sound of the flute wove through the crowd, through the noise, directly into everyones ears. Very quickly, there was pin-drop silence in the square, all except that mncholic sound of the flute. Following it was the faint and touching sound of Guis guqin, and then I lightly opened my mouth and sang in a voice entirely different from the one before, a voice filled with sorrow. Another song ended, and there was yet another round of silence. I recalled our main objective C to publicize Infinite City. Hello everybody. We are Infinite Band, under the jurisdiction of Infinite City. From today onwards, we will start our concert tour in the Sun, Moon and Star Cities. We will also be holding a string of concerts in Infinite City a monthter, so I hope that everyone will be able to attend our huge performance then. Now, let us do a self-introduction. Im the lead singer, the Blood Elf Prince. I revealed a devilish smile. Guitarist, Fairsky. Fairsky cutely stuck out her small pink tongue. Drummer, Ice Phoenix. Phoenixszy smile radiated with charm. I am Guiliastes, performing the guqin. Gui smiled without restraint. Wicked, my instrument is the flute, Wicked coolly finished with a few brief words. Now, looking at the countless number of infatuated eyes below the stage, I had a feeling that this was the calm before the storm. I only could PM everyone, asking, Ugh, should we make a run for it before they regain their senses? Agreed! Threatened by the frightening silence, the opinions of the members of Infinite Band were in sync for once. AHHHHHHH! Another piercing shrill rang out... Sunshine, take out your flying carpet! Looking at the crowd that was crazily pushing towards us, all the members of Infinite Band gave out heartrending cries simultaneously, as if by prior agreement. Hurry and get on! After Inded on the carpet with a flying jump, I extended a hand to pull Gui up. Then the tug-of-war between me and the pile of females below clutching Guis legs began... Your Highness! Save meeee! Gui begged with teary eyes. Women! When ites to snatching handsome guys, their strength is inexhaustible... I, whose body had been half-dragged off the carpet, struggled desperately against them. Wicked, Kenshin, hurry up and help me! Uh... Wicked sounded as though he was willing to help but was unable to do so. I looked at him from the corner of my eye, only to see his face in agony. His upper body was on the flying carpet, but both his hands were grabbing the carpet with a death grip while five pretty girls were hugging the lower half of his body that he couldnt free himself from. Go and die, you pervert, Fairsky impatiently cried out. She kicked off the man who was hugging her thigh, but immediately another pervert clung on. me arrow, me arrow, me Sunshine was also casting me Arrow without pause, helping Fairsky to shoot the perverts off the carpet. Ugh... How scary! Phoenix hid behind the only person who could save her, Kenshin. Even though Kenshins de was already dyed red, the men still climbed up one by one, paying no thought to their lives. Meatbuns super gross Machine Gun Meat Attack! I grabbed Meatbun and aimed under Guis legs, manically shooting out meat that was still raw and dripping blood. After the beautiful girls underneath were all covered in meat, their feeling of disgust finally overcame their determination for snatching handsome guys. They let go of Guis leg one after another, and finally I managed to pull him up onto the carpet. After that, I rushed to go help Wicked. Meat Attaaaack! After forcing back another bunch of girls and rescuing Wicked, I turned around in Fairsky and Phoenixs direction. Heavens zing me, Guimanded his Fire Phoenix to breathe fire at a bunch of perverts, and before long, a pile of charcoal ck perverts dropped down in session from mid-air... Sunshine, hurry up and go! I roared. Alright. After Sunshine gavemands to the flying carpet, our party finally managed to escape. With a pale face, I asked, Is this going to be the lifestyle well be living for the next month? OH GODDDD! Our party let out an inhuman cry. It was only from then on that I realized that the path to bing a singer was such an arduous one... First group reporting, the main door has already been blocked. I repeat, the main door has already been blocked. Definitely dont go out by the main door. How are the other groups situations? I asked, PMing the second and third groups. Wickeds and Guis voices were transmitted over. Second group reporting, the back door has already been upied by the enemy. I repeat, the back door has already been upied by the enemy. Third group reporting as well. The windows have also been jostled open! Fairsky wailed pitifully. The inn room that we just rented today has been captured by fans again! I wanted to cry, but no tears flowed out. If I had known this earlier, I wouldnt have rented it! Why didnt I use the money to eat instead? What should we do? the others asked me. Furrowing my brows, I replied, I guess we can only take out sleeping bags to sleep outside the city... Fourth group reporting, Sunshine replied casually. Outside the city, there are people searching for you guys everywhere. Sleep on the flying carpet then, although its a little crowded, I helplessly replied. A group of people on a flying carpet that isnt very big... I want to sleep beside Prince. Fairsky pouted as she hugged me tightly, refusing to let go. And Phoenix had long since been lying in my arms docilely... I also want to hug Your Highness! Gui, who was being stepped under Wickeds foot, could only grab my calf and struggle with all his might. Atst, Iy down, with my left arm being tightly hugged by Fairsky, and the right side of my body being pressed down by Phoenix. The person grabbing my right calf refusing to let go was Gui, and the person seizing Guis cor, wanting to throw him off the carpet, was Wicked... Sunshine and Kenshiny near us, beside the pile of human bodies that we formed. How cramped! Kenshinmented coldly. Everyone, are you wearing your cloaks? I asked, lowering my voice. The six people behind me all nodded. Looking at the sight, I said with satisfaction, Thats good. Lets go; we still have to teleport to Moon City! Hurry up and go! I already cant stand the feeling of being chased. Fairskys voice came from under one of the cloaks, obviously wanting no dy in leaving. Lower your voice! If we get revealed as the members of Infinite Band, things will be troublesome, Wicked reprimanded. Lets go! I said while I walked towards the teleportation station not too far off. The further I walked, the more I felt that something was wrong. Although there isnt usually ack of customers at the station, it still shouldnt be to the extent of having such a sea of people, right? Our party walked towards the station with feelings of anxiety. Wait a minute. If you want to use the teleportation system, you have to take off your cloak first. Its for security reasons. Arge, burly fellow blocked our path. Take it off? Will I still be able walk away then? The thought of the miserable situation that I might experience if we got discovered as the members of Infinite Band made me unable to restrain myself from replying in a cold tone. What? Is the teleport station operated by your family? Do we need your consent in order to use it? The man scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. Thats not it, he said. Its just that someone employed me to stop yers here, so I have to make sure that none of the people passing by are the ones I have to block. It would be disastrous if I missed them. Block who? I think I probably know the answer to that. The beefy man simpered. It is the recently very famous Infinite Band! As expected...I thought helplessly. I conveniently PMed everyone, asking what we should do. However, every single person replied to me with nothing but silence. Barge through, was Kenshins single sentence. Okay! I shouted enthusiastically, since I couldnt think of any other solutions anyway. With a ram from me, I knocked away the heavily built guy. Taken by surprise, he was butted far away. However, before he was sent flying from the blow, he extended his hand to grab my cloak... AHHHHH!! Its Prince! A terrifying shrill rang out. My forehead perspired furiously. WE. ARE. DOOMED! Ugh, I dont want to eat roasted meat any more. For ten consecutive days, all three meals have been roasted meat! Ill vomit if I have to eat more of it! wept Phoenix as she took a bite from the roasted meat in her hands, finally passing her limits of endurance. *BARF* I stared with cool detachment at Gui who was off to the side, puking so much that it was almost tragic. We dont have any other choice. I also want to eat other kinds of food, but even Sunshine and Kenshin cant go out to buy food anymore. Whenever people see us or anyone in a disguise, theyll rush up as though they were all crazy. Sunshine, who had always been smiling elegantly, revealed a rare glum face. With a sorrowful heart, he said, Thest time I went out to buy food for all of you, I nearly didnt manage toe back! Having something at all to eat is already great, said Wicked coldly. Most importantly, were going to be all out of meat buns soon. After that, what is Meatbun going to eat? I stared, frustrated, at Meatbun who was currently ying the Fly Fly game with his wife, Fire Phoenix. Knead the roasted meat into the shape of a ball, and treat it as a skinless meat bun to feed it? Who was the one who thought of such a rotten idea...? Everyone, hurry and run, Fairsky shouted at the top of her voice while running wildly, escaping from the square where we had just held our concert. Behind her, a long trail of perverts followed. Fairsky,e over here, Sunshine shouted to her from his flying carpet. He flew low in her direction and then extended a hand to pull her up. Phew! I should have everyone now, right? Sunshine asked as he wiped away his sweat, relieved. However, Guis face was pale with fear as he cried out, Wheres my Highness, Prince?! Somewhere in the human pile, I yelled miserably, HELP. ME. AHHHH! Dont pull off my jacket! Give me back my pants! Oh god, Im only left with this piece of clothing! Please dont take off my underwear! [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 5 End] Footnotes Flute: It is actually Xiao, , which is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. Go for more information. Volume 4 Chapter 6 Volume 4 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Second Lifes Spokesperson C tranted by Anglestagium Xiao Lan, I can overlook the fact youve be a tranny. I can even overlook the fact that you have be so handsome. But after all that, you actually went and became a singer... Early in the morning, I was roused unceremoniously from my sleep by my mom. I blearily watched my parents as they sprayed out a mouthful of saliva as they ranted on, inwardly thinking it was lucky that I had been awoken by mom, otherwise I dont know if I could have kept my underwear from those fangirls... Finally, my mother really couldnt stand my dazed, uprehending look anymore. Yanking my ear, she bellowed, Do you know that the entire world is searching for the Blood Elf Prince?! What? I was instantly shocked out of my stupor. Theentire world? Mom, you mean the entire Second Life, right? Not just Second Life, but the real world is also looking for you! Dad said, dropping the bomb on me and clearly relishing in it. Why is the real world looking for me? I asked, perplexed. Mom massaged her forehead, as if she had a headache. Dont you realize that your singing is amazing? Many talent agencies, modelingpanies and even Second Lifes corporation are looking for you to be their spokesperson. My mouth dropped open. Second Lifes corporation? How could that be? Dont they know that Im a tranny? How would I know? Mom retorted crossly. I only know that theyve posted screenshots of you on the home page of Second Lifes official site. Ive even printed them out. I snatched the pictures from my Moms hand. The first picture was a shot of me using my dao to chop down an unknown person, the second was a close-up of my kiss with Phoenix and Fairsky, and the third was the Infinite Bands performance at the za. Every picture had a sensational caption, such as The crme de crme of Second Life C the Blood Elf Prince, Do you want to be like Prince, constantly surrounded by girls?, Have you dreamed of bing world-famous like Prince?, and Theres nothing you cant do, only things you never thought of doing. A world thats 99% realistic C Second Life awaits you! My hands trembled as I looked through the stack of Prince pictures. What happened? I thought. How did things turn out like this?Surely you realized that, with these screenshots posted on the home page of the worlds most popr online game, Second Life, the exposure is even N times higher than the nude photos of female celebrities! I yelled in desperation, What, what should I do? My parents looked at me with solemn faces and said, First, go and cook breakfast. Mom, Dad, thats hardly the point here! A vein popped on my head. I cant rely on them after all... But under the fierce gaze of my parents and my stupid brother, I was nevertheless forced to make breakfast before I went to university. I chewed on my egg on toast as I rode the bus to school and, to my surprise, I discovered that there was a group of news reporters vans outside the university. What exactly is happening? I wondered. My mind was full of questions as I entered the grounds and stepped into the ssroom. My brother, Feng Yang Ming, who was walking next to me, gave a small whistle as he saw the crowd of reporters surrounding Professor Min Gui Wen. With a gloating tone, he said, This time, the professor is in trouble. Excuse me, why did you decide to form a band within Second Life? asked a male reporter who was pointing a microphone at Professor Min Gui Wen. Sorry, Im starting my ss now, so please leave before I call security, Professor Min Gui Wen responded frankly. So handsome... said a nameless female reporter, with two hearts in her eyes. The male reporter unrelentingly asked another question, Do you know the whereabouts of Prince right now? Noment! Professor Min Gui Wen answered icily, his expression darkening. Then... Atst, the security guard uncle rushed over and chased out the crowd of reporters. I sat dazedly on my seat, watching Professor Min Gui Wen, who was obviously having a headache, while listening to the gossip king Gu Yun Fei giving the ss a report on how the whole situation had unfolded. Ever since our Infinite Citys Infinite Band began their concert tour, they have be extremely popr, and a lot of people followed them from Star City all the way to Moon and Sun Cities to watch their performance! Yun had a very proud expression, and he even turned towards Professor Min Gui Wen and called, Isnt that right, Professor? Professor Min Gui Wen revealed a pained expression. Yes, we were chased until we almost went crazy. I never expected that Prince would really be so handsome, said a female student, firmly holding onto the pile of photos I saw this morning. I heard that a lot of talent agencies are looking for Dg, Jing mentioned worriedly. Yun also scratched the side of his ear. Dg really can hide; even Professor was found the next day, but there hasnt been any news about Dg at all. What a pity. If Prince appeared, it would definitely cause a sensation, another female student said disappointedly. Cause a sensation? If I, the only tranny of Second Lifes, were to appear, the sensation caused would probably be as great as the one surrounding Second Lifes release onto the market! I thought helplessly on the side. Thats for sure; Prince is so handsome, and he sings so well. If he were to be a singer, he would be incredibly popr with the whole world! said another female student who was so enchanted that she was buried within the pictures. Thats right; I went on Second Lifes official site and downloaded Princes songs. Theres Its My Life and Dreams Want to Fly. A person held up the CDs. There there are even songs you can download? I was going to faint. Gui! Come out for a minute. Zhuo-gges voice came in from the doorway. I looked up in surprise at his unpleasant expression... and the group of reporters behind him. No matter what, I am a professor, you should have some manners, Gui exasperatedly grumbled. He instructed us to self-study for a while, before walking out. Zhuo-gge met my gaze for a moment *SHIVER* and then stood at the ssroom entrance and said to the reporters, The professor and I do not know of Princes whereabouts, nor of anything rted to the issue of Second Lifes spokesperson. For all matters, please wait until after things have settled down, then Infinite City will release a statement. In regards to Infinite Citys concert, it will continue as nned, Gui added. The group of reporters continued to ask questions incessantly. After a long while, seeing that Zhuo-gge and Gui werent going to say anything else, they all hurried off in swarms saying, Hurry, go back and write the report, otherwise we wont make the evening papers. After all the reporters had finally left, Gui concernedly asked Zhuo-gge, How is Princes situation? He hasnt been found out yet, Zhuo-gge replied without changing expression. Although, I think he should be careful and make sure that he doesnt tell anybody about his real identity, otherwise things will be problematic. Thest sentence was obviously directed at me. ONLINE After I finished ss as if I was sitting on a needled carpet, I virtually ran home, pulled on the game headset, opened the PM channel, and promptly started wailing out Lolidragons name. Lolidragon, what the heck is this Second Lifes spokesperson thing all about?! Lolidragons helpless voice came back, Im sorry, that was the corporation higher-ups decision. I couldnt do anything. What do you mean you couldnt do anything? I demanded. You know Im a tranny, I simply cant be the Second Life spokesperson! Of course you can, youre just going to be a virtual spokesperson. Virtual spokesperson? What on earth is that? I thought, knitting my eyebrows together. The only thing you cant do is appear in real life. Everything else, like photos, advertisements, or even songs, theyre not a problem. Thats why the higher-ups decided to let you be an online and TV spokesperson, exined Lolidragon. You have no need to reveal your true identity. But, but... I tried to fight against it. This will also create a lot of benefits for Infinite City and Infinite Band, said Lolidragon excitedly. Even if its just for the point of building Infinite Citys reputation, there are already many benefits. Did you know that even though Infinite City isnt open yet, there are already tons of people waiting outside of the city? Not to mention the people who want to join the Infinite Citys army! There are so many that we need a strict selection process now. But... I still wanted to protest. Theres another point as well. The photo album we talked about before had difficulties in implementation, and distributing books and CDs inSecond Life used to be an impossible thing. However, because of you, the corporation now has specially developed these new functions. You should know how big of a help this is to Infinite Citys economy, right? Lolidragons final words were just about to shatter my still-protesting heart. I still... Theres also spokespersonpensation; just give me your bank details and the money will be transferred to you, Lolidragon added her final attack. I am very pleased to be Second Lifes spokesperson. Please teach me well, Lolidragon, I said without any hesitation. ... Money! Wonderful, I can finally solve the difficult situation Im facing due to my parents still not earning money. Tonight well all eat Snowke beef hotpot to celebrate! I thought, all smiles. Theres beef to eat. The feeling of being a spokesperson isnt bad at all! While I was still rejoicing about having beef hotpot to eat, four shadows suddenly appeared. They were the people who had gone offline at the same time same ce as mest nightthe members of the Infinite Band. Surrounding me with ill expressions on their faces, they yelled in unison, Prince! What exactly is going on with this spokesperson thing? Uh... I could only repeat exactly what Lolidragon had just said to me. ...In short, I have, without reason, be Second Lifes official spokesperson, I sighed. I really am too ignorant; I didnt know that ying a game could cause problems. See, now Second Life has exined away my ignorance as to the real way to y a 99% realistic fantasy game, I thought dizzily. After listening to my exnation, the members of the Infinite Band all looked at me exasperatedly. They stayed like that for a while. I, wanting to break the serious silence, had no choice but to put on a happy, smiling expression and say, We still have to hold a concert in Sun City, is everybody ready? Can we say no? everybody asked me, pale-faced. My face also fell. I also want to say no, but today we have to finish this concert, and then hurry back to Infinite City, because Lolidragon says we have to make a photo album... What? Photo album? Wicked and Guis expressions both changed, especially Wickeds, whose expression was freezing. Yes, photo album. I helplessly shrugged my shoulders. Dont think that Im the only one who has to make it; all of the Infinite Band members have to. But Prince, its only your photos that will go on the official website, so dont! Why do you have to be the official spokesperson? Therell be even more love rivals! Fairsky shouted willfully. Ay... Phoenix sighed, distressed. Dont be the spokesperson, Prince. Fairsky anxiously gripped my arm. I cant, Ive already told Second Lifes corporation that Ive agreed... More importantly, Ive already taken half the money and ate the hotpot; what else can I do? Dont! Fairsky looked at me with angry eyes. I cant, I have to. I couldnt release my arm from Fairskys grasp, so I could only drag her to the flying carpet with me. Lets go everyone, and finish up thest concert of this tour. I forbid you to be a spokesperson, otherwise I wont perform anymore! In a moment of desperation, Fairsky actually threatened me. This is annoying me to death, I thought as two veins appeared, crossing my forehead. Being chased by countless female wolves, having to be the spokesperson,having to hold concerts, and even having to make a photo album... More importantly, I cant allow anyone to find out my real identity, especially with Jing and Yun continuously interrogating me at school for my current whereabouts in game... The recent events have had me annoyed and vexed and I still have to deal with Fairskys willfulness. I dont have that much time! Stop being annoying. I will definitely be the spokesperson, whether or not you want to perform is up to you! I angrily rebuked her. You, you... Tears welled up in Fairskys eyes, but she stubbornly didnt allow them to fall. Looking on, half of my heart softened, instantly regretting yelling at Fairsky for no reason. Even if Im in a bad mood, I cant take it all out on Fairsky. I was just about to open my mouth and apologize when... Her head hanging, Fairskys tears finally fell. She wiped them on her sleeve, then turned around and ran off... Fairsky! I gave a start and shouted, but she didnt stop. Its way past the scheduled time for the concert, Wicked said, frowning. But what about Fairsky? I anxiously watched as Fairsky turned into some alley. Ill go and find her, said Sunshine. Kenshin and I have been walking around this area a lottely, and were familiar with the roads. I worriedly pondered it for a minute. Ok, Sunshine, you go find Fairsky. Kenshin, you should stay with us; you still have to watch over Phoenixter. Ok, replied both Kenshin and Sunshine. I looked towards the direction Fairsky had run off onest time, filled with boundless self-reproach, hoping that I hadntmitted an irreversible mistake. It felt quite strange performing with one person missing. Even though I sang the best I could, I had a perturbed feeling on my mind, hoping that Sunshine would find Fairsky quickly and also that she wasnt truly angry with me. It was only when we had finished the concert and spotted Fairskys silhouette on the flying carpet Sunshine had brought to rescue us that I let go of the burden on my heart. Fairsky, Im sorry, it was only because I was in a troubled mood that I yelled at you. Please forgive me! Hands together, I apologized towards Fairsky. Hmph! Fairsky pouted and turned away. I helplessly scratched my face. Later we have to take photos, Fairsky, do you want to take them? Unless... You want to leave the band? Hearing that, Fairsky turned back and shouted, Im not leaving! I want to take them. Seeing Fairskys pouting face, I couldnt help but chuckle, and then used a coaxing tone and said, Ok, ok, well take them together. Your Highness, we have arrived at Infinite City. Gui pointed down excitedly from the flying carpet. Wonderful, weve finally arrived home. I happily looked at our home, Infinite City. Home really does have a familiar feeling. Look! Lolidragon is over there shouting and waving at us. I thought, cheerfully and vigorously waving back at Lolidragon. Lolidragons broken voice came to us. Prince, be careful! Were testing a new barrier, donte close... Eh? We were still wondering what Lolidragon meant when... BANG! Lolidragon watched as the people on the flying carpet were each ttened against the barrier, and then slowly slid down the round-shaped shield, as if they were small birds hitting a ss window. She could only mutter to herself, Toote. The Giant Egg Shield, like its name suggests, is shaped like a giant eggshell, and can firmly protect whatever you wish to protect. The area it covers continues to expand as I level, and right now it covers about one fifth of Infinite City. If I dont drink mana potions, I can only hold it for about 10 minutes, but if I have an infinite amount of mana potions to use, then I can hold it for at least two hours. Itll definitely be of a very, very big help in protecting the city. After saying this, Yun embarrassedly scratched the back of his head. Except I never thought that its first experimental target would be you guys, Dg. Next time, exin what your Egg Shield thingy does before I break my nose, okay? I replied with an unpleasant expression. Its a Giant Egg Shield, Yun corrected. Dg, Ive invented new Illusionary Fu, Jing hurriedly took out a pile of fu to show me, as if she was presenting a precious treasure. I asked curiously, Illusionary Fu? What do they do? Jing coughed a few times and began to exin, Illusionary Fu are able to create illusions, as indicated by their name. To use them, firstly, when the exorcist is making the fu, they insert various illusions into it. Then, when you use the fu, whichever illusion was inserted at the time will appear in the area. For example, if I werethinking of a desert at the time, then when I used that fu, the image of a desert would appear. Even though the creations are only untouchable illusions, these fu will definitely be a great help in confusing enemies. Oh? That seems interesting, let me try. I enthusiastically took one to y with. As I reached out my hand and threw out the fu, everybody craned their necks, waiting to see the result. Everybody seems so carefree. Dont any of you have things to do? Yu Lian-ds?os voice suddenly came from behind, in that exceptionally gentle tone scared me so much that goose-bumps appeared all over my skin. T-theres things to do, I will go and do them right now. I turned around and the first thing that entered my sight could only be Yu Lian-ds?os deathly scary shadow smile. Then arent you going to quickly go and do it? Yu Lian-ds?o spoke again, smiling. Y-Yes... I looked left and right, wishing that there would instantly be a job I could do... Jing coughed again. Er, Dg, that is... Dont disturb me; Im looking for something that I can do. Oh, over there seems busy, I think Ill just go over there and help to move the timbers. Seeing Yu Lian-ds?os smile, I picked up my feet and ran to join the ranks of the timber-movers. Dg... Jing looked exasperatedly at me, as I enthusiastically moved the lumber. Prince, what are you doing? Lolidragon, who had just rushed over, looked over with surprise at the timber-shifting me. I put down the timber with an embarrassed expression. Er, Yu Lian-ds?o told me to look for a job to do. Yu Lian? Lolidragons face was one ofplete confusion. Isnt she in the Finance Department office? Just now when I came out, I saw her still in there. How could it be? Isnt Ds?o right th... I pointed to where Yu Lian-ds?o was a moment ago, only to find that she was no longer there. I waspletely confused. What on earth happened? Jing smiled helplessly. Dg, that was the illusion which came out of the Illusionary Fu. Just as I was inserting an illusion into that fu, Yu Lian-ds?o was going around supervising peoples work, so... So you identally inserted that image in, and I coincidentally happened to take it? The corner of my mouth was twitching. Thats not any ordinary luck. Jing smiled at me apologetically. Forget it, forget it. Really, I almost got scared to death by you two clowns, I said as I patted my chest in relief, still shaken from before. Dg is so easily scared, I fear thatter he really will be scared to death, said Jing, smiling radiantly. I gulped, thinking, That sentence seems to hold some sort of hidden message? And its not a very pleasant hidden message either! What do you mean? Military. Parade. Ceremony! Lolidragon said, voice resonating. Huh? I was still confused about what a Military Parade Ceremony was, even though Lolidragon had already impatiently dragged me away. After Lolidragon had pulled me into the room, she pulled a set of shining, light-weight silver armor out of her inventory bag, which looked as if it was meant for me. Why do I have to go to a military parade? I asked, terrified, limbs shaking. Is there some sort of mistake? Me, a girl who doesnt even need to join the army, actually has to go to a military parade? Because everybody wants to see what kind of personality the liege lord has. Lolidragon replied casually as she helped me put on the light-weight, silver armor. Isnt it just this personality? I said,ughing bitterly. Lolidragon shook her head. I have to warn you first: if you bring your normal nonsense personality to the military parade, I promise that the military department will be the first to kill you. Oh, the Finance Department and the City nning Department wont let you get away either, she added, distracted. Now that youve be the spokesperson, your majestic manner has recruited a lot of soldiers for us, so the Military Department is extremely pleased. Moreover, there is a huge crowd of tourists waiting outside the gates and there are so many people waiting in line to buy houses in Infinite City that there are duels for them. The Financial and City nning Departments have been able to heave a huge sigh of relief! Also, you, the spokesperson is very important to Second Life, so if you dare ruin your image at the ceremony, then the amount of people trying to kill you would fill the Pacific Ocean. I made a face and said, True, and if I were to announce my status as a tranny, then the Antic Ocean might as well be filled too. Ok, ok, dont be so depressed. Its only putting on the attitude of the Blood Elf, going on stage and saying a few words. After that theres nothing else, Lolidragon said, patting my back after she had finished fastening up my armor. But Ill get nervous. Crestfallen, I thought, Listening to Lolidragon just then, theres bound to be five thousand soldiers. Five thousand! Where on earth did they alle from? I only became spokesperson a few days ago right? Ay, thinking about five thousand pairs, that is, ten thousand eyes looking at me, how can I not be nervous? Lolidragonughed loudly a few times. Calm down, calm down, you think I still dont understand you? As soon as you get on stage you automatically turn into the fearless Blood Elf. Really? I asked, depressed. Really. Now go! Lolidragon pushed me forcefully. Its not necessary to push me that hard. I grumbled quietly, looking towards the corridor leading to the practice grounds. Usually, you could just casually take a few steps and already be at the end, but today, the corridor seemed like an abnormally difficult, long and dark corridor. And while my footsteps were normally quick and light, now even lifting my feet seemed strenuous. Lets go. Lolidragon patted my shoulder. Prince, howe youre still here? Everybodys waiting for you. Wolf-dg came over with his familiar ugly smile. Prince-gge, you came back! Doll missed you! Doll threw herself at me, giving me a big hug. I returned the hug, smiling. You arent afraid that Ill steal your food? Doll poked her tongue out cutely. Prince, that armor really suits you! Guis eyes were filled with infatuation, and I gave him a whack on the head. Hurry and go, Prince. Yu Lian-ds?o was still smiling, a smile filled with encouragement. Yes, lets go. I gave a rxed smile, brisk footsteps steadily moving towards the dazzling light at the end of the corridor, with my fellow team members from Odd Squad following behind. As soon as I walked out of the corridor, the overpowering sunlight was so bright that I could hardly open my eyes. I rested the back of my hand on my forehead to shade my eyes until they got used to the light, before putting my hand back down and looking out amongst the people. Rose and Broken Sword were smiling radiantly at me, Legs still had a cold demeanor, Lil Strong was carrying hisrge battleaxe, and For Healing Only remained, out of all the priests Id seen, the priest who looked most like a priest. I walked smilingly past Rose Team, after them were the members of Dark Emperor. Ming Huangs arrogance seemed like he still required more discipline, Feng Wu Qing with his irritatingly fake charming air, and Wicked had his usual icy expression, only his eyes showed his concern and anxiousness. Nan Gong Zui, along with Ice Phoenix, White Bird, Kong Kong and the rest of the Righteous des, looked down proudly at the other soldiers as if they were showing off a treasure. At the same time, they were also nervously watching for any signs of dissatisfaction from me. At this point, I finally saw therge practice ground clearly, which was currently packed with people, and directly in front of me was a podium. It was very obviousI had to go on the stage, and then use the manner of the Blood Prince and my status as Infinite Citys liege lord to greet everyone. In an exceptionally calm mood, I slowly stepped up the stairs step by step to the podium. Under everyones expectant gazes, I stood there with a smile that was calm and steady. I am Infinite Citys liege lord, also known as the Blood Elf, Prince. Straight to the point, I identified my status. It really isnt anything extraordinary; it is just my position in Infinite City. Just like how you are the citys soldiers and protectors, I am the liege lord. To me, whether you are a soldier in the army, or a lord in a castle, we are all a part of Infinite City. In other words, we are all Infinite City, and Infinite City represents us. Together, let us expand Infinite City infinitely, and create an evesting presence within Second Life, I finished, sonorous and forceful. Under the glowing, adoring gazes of those beneath the stage, I majestically left the stage, while the military department took over and began to arrange the soldiers into groups, and exin the military operations and training exercises etc. In short, all this had nothing to do with me, and I couldnt understand military organization anyway. I walked off the podium, saw Lolidragon fiercely waving at me, and I had no choice but to follow her... I didnt think that someone like you up on stage, can actually talk like a human, Lolidragon whispered in a low voice in front of me. Hey! What kind of attitude is that? I speak like a normal human easily! I rebutted, rolling my eyes. Oh really? Im hungry also counts as speaking like a human? Lolidragon asked. Slightly guilty, I said, Humans can also get hungry... In any case, where are you taking me? Making. Photo. Album! Another three sonorous and forceful words. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 6 End] Footnotes Snowke beef: A type of high grade beef wherein the marbling of intramuscr fat that looks like snowkes, hence the name. Volume 4 Chapter 7 Volume 4 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Portfolio C tranted by Evangeline First, let me introduce you to the must-have tools for making a portfolio! Number one is this creature I have here. Small, light and portable, this creature can be used both indoors and outdoors! You can even put it in a parcel, so that its convenient to carry around. Lolidragon nodded toward the thing floating in midair that seemed to be a giant eyeball with bat wings, no matter how you looked at it. Seeing that everyone was staring nkly at the eyeball/bat hybrid, Lolidragon coughed twice, to regain our attention. I gave it a name; its called a Photocritter. The Photocritters biggest features are its ability to take photos, its memory capacity of five hundred photos, and its ability to record up to five hours of video. In addition, if you buy extra memory, you gain even more storage capacity. Another point that needs mentioning is this creatures digital rity, which goes up to ten megapixels. Its uses range from taking photos during vacation for souvenirs, to photographing a murder crime scene for evidence! Theres nothing it cant be used for! Lastly, Lolidragon added, Right now, the Photocritter is on sale at all major pet shops! But hurry! There are only five thousand critters in the first batch! Next, the second tool, which Jing created, was discoveredpletely by ident. This is an illusion charm with a 100% quality guarantee! It can portray all kind of illusions, from historical backgrounds to ornamental decorations! Its a real help when ites to making portfolios! Lolidragon said, spluttering saliva as she ranted on. She was clutching a stack of charms. Lolidragon, have you been watching the ETTV shopping channel too muchtely? I asked seriously. I wouldnt buy anything from that channel! she cried, but then blushed and added, But, as you know, Chanel recently changed seasons, so I went and got a job as ETTVs anchorwoman to earn a little something and go shopping. ... Everyone was speechless for a while. I suddenly remembered. After we finish the portfolio, how are we going to distribute it? Im going to take it to Second Lifes official publishing office, and get an estimate on the price. After deciding on the print volume, they will probably send it over in a couple of days. Lolidragon said. We are nning to sell it in the essory store. What? So now my portfolio is an essory? What use could it possibly have? Do we distract our enemies with it? I thought helplessly. Suddenly, an idea flitted through my mind. What about a book store? Open a book store? Is that a good idea? Lolidragon said, hesitating. Thats not a bad idea! Gui suddenly spoke with excitement. After publishing books bes a possibility, there will be lots of yers trying to publish their own works, but not many can be like us and put their books on sale in the essories shop. But, if we open a book shop and allow yers to consign their books, themission we receive would also be a good way to earn money. But will there be any potential customers? Wickedmented cautiously. That will depend on how good the books are. We will have to choose carefully the books to be consigned. After a while, I think some good authors will turn up. Good authors means lots of customers. Actually, most people dont have time to read while they are awake, but they can read books using the sleeping headset! That would be useful for a lot of people! Gui said happily. And since that will add another unique asset to Infinite City, there will be more people joining! Fairsky clutched her fists in excitement. Lolidragon shrugged. Then lets do a book store. Since its part of the construction departments job, Ill leave it to those two leaders to discuss amongst themselves. Gui nodded, eyes gleaming. He turned to Fairsky, whose eyes were also gleaming, and they started chattering about the bookstore. What I meant was, you can talkter, but now, lets start making our portfolio! Lolidragon said with a smile that made everyones hair stand on end. But then she said something that made the hair rise even higher. Okay, then. Take it off. Take it off? Take what off? I asked dumbly. Lolidragons eyes drifted from my face to my chest. That look... I couldnt help but grab my cor tightly. Then, her eyes drifted even further down... I grabbed my belt tightly, thinking, Oh my God, Lolidragon, dont fool around, or else my portfolio might turn into an adult-only sort of thing Can I rest for a bit now? I asked, still woozy. I never thought that making a portfolio would be so hard. It was a test of strength, endurance, and the ability to survive intense pain. The Test of Strength: I had to pose in various positions of unimaginable difficulty for Lolidragon to take shots of. Sometimes I had to stay in a pose for up to half an hour. I suspected that Lolidragon was sketching my portrait instead of taking a photo. The Test of Endurance: Under Lolidragons insistence that I expose the two points, I thought, Fine, and agreed reluctantly. Oh well, a guys two points arent that attractive anyway. But, under the coercion of Wickeds Dont you dare or you are d-e-a-d! look and Guis Your majesty, you cant endure such humiliationrge and teary eyes, my move to take off my clothes froze in mid-motion. Then, I watched on as Lolidragon leading Phoenix and Fairsky going against Wicked and Gui. The two gangs started to argue very loudly about whether I should expose the two points or not, forcing me to be stuck in between taking off and putting on my clothes. Really, exactly to whom do the two points belong to anyways? Finally, I lost my temper. With a dark expression, I roared, Shut up! Five of them turned to re at me in unison. Together, they said, You make the decision then! With five pairs of eyes staring at me, my anger disappearedpletely. I said fearfully, Then what about...what about going half exposed? Taking off your shirt but not exposing the other point? Lolidragon muttered, and then said unwillingly, Fine, that settles it. Never! This one here will still see it! Wicked gestured towards Gui. Thats my line! Princes body should never be seen by you! Gui said furiously, gritting his teeth. So, what do we do now? I asked, scratching my face. This wont work and that wont work. Those guys are even more annoying than the girls... I thought. Shhiikkkk... Suddenly, a weird sound reached my ears. It sounded like...sticky tape? We turned around. There was Phoenix, with two pieces of sticky tape. She was looking at my chest... Afterwards: If anyone ever says that the pain produced from taking sticky tape off an important spot is on par with that of giving birth, I will totally agree! I turned my back on the site of that ghastly photo shoot, looking at Lolidragon with teary eyes. Can I rest now? I begged. You can rest... Lolidragon replied. My eyes lit up. I can finally tour Infinite City! I cant wait to find out what delicious specialty foods my city has! I thought, excited. ...For a brief moment. We are starting rehearsal for the concert tomorrow. Rehearsal for the concert? I repeated stupidly. Yep! Yu Lian is supervising because a lot of money had been spent on the concert, Lolidragon whispered quietly into my ear. Waaaaaaaa! This is hell! I thought, close to tears. Dg, even if we start rehearsing tomorrow and there is no time for you toe out and eat food then, you dont have to eat like that, do you? Yun asked. He looked helplessly at me. I hadnt even spoken a sentence to them before starting my battle with the food. Seeing that I gave no reaction at all, Jing also said helplessly, Dg, if you want to eat something during rehearsal, just PM us and well send it over. Hearing that, I finally set down the chicken leg in my hand, took a drink to wash the food down and said with a little embarrassment, Thanks. Slow down. No ones trying to take the food from you. Wicked grumbled, not too happy. Your Majesty, would you like another order of french fries? Gui happily passed me a napkin to wipe my hands, and Phoenix wiped my mouth with a handkerchief, while Jing and Yun looked on enviously. Hey, where is Fairsky? Yun suddenly asked, confused. And Sunshine? Jing added. Oh, they went on a stroll. I said, waving the subject aside. But I wonder why Kenshin didnt go...Dont harbor any suspicions this guy never leaves my side, its just that hes too quiet. (Even this author didnt know how to tell everyone that he actually was still there. You cant just always say that hes sitting there icily with a poker face, can you?) Wow! Thats rare. Fairsky actually bears to leave your side. Jing said, astonished. She said that she was going to check out the location of our bookstore. I said vaguely as I couldnt help stuffing myself with the fries Gui had just ordered for me. Book store? What book store? Yun asked dumbly. Infinite Bookstore, the one were setting up soon; the first book store in Second Life, Gui told them with sparkling eyes. Geez, no wonder hes a professor.Start talking about books and he goes crazy, I thought as I ate the fries. So, where are we getting the books were going to sell? Jing asked, doubtful. First, we will have our Infinite Band portfolio on sale. Plus, I will write a few books to sell. Then, when we be recognized, well let others consign their books in our bookshop, or even solicit manuscripts, and well help them publish the book. These things arent really hard for me. Guis eyes lit up with the intelligence of 200 IQ points. Really? So... Um... Yun mumbled like there was something embarrassing to ask. I suddenly remembered. Jing and Yun like to write stories. They often chose me as their first reader for their Saddest-Story-in-the-Universe-and-History-of-Mankind tragedies. Well, truthfully, their stories arent bad; its just that the titles are so bad that one cant evenment on them. What kind of titles, you ask? The Saddest-Story-in-the-Universe-and-History-of-Mankind that you just read, of course. Can we consign our books in your store? Jing cried, impatient. Of course! Since you guys are free these few days, take this chance to write it out. I will check it over, publish it, and we should be able to put it up at the opening ceremony. Gui was happy that there was someone here to help to write some books. Yes! Jing and Yun hugged each other in excitement. Right, Jing, Yun, have you bought a house yet? I suddenly remembered that they were choosing a housest time. I wonder how its going? We just bought one. Its a really cute white cottage that evenes with a garden! Yun said happily. Oh, I want to see! I suddenly stood up. Waiter, Im taking away the rest of the food. Sorry, I cant stay any longer, Prince. Gui stood as well, sighing deeply. Yu Lian told me to get back to designing the stage for the concert. There are also the bookshop designs too, and dont forget the books that I need to write. Wow, you sure are busy. I really dont know how much time he spends on our ss material. Ten minutes? Maybe even less... Your Majesty, even though I am not here in person, my heart will always be with you. Gui, withrge teary eyes, kept looking back at me, until he was kicked out by a deeply annoyed me. Since Guis not here, I have to go back to the military department. A lot of unfinished work has umted. Wicked said. So, if Guis here, youd rather not care about the military department?! In that case, I better go back to the finance department; Yu Lian is on the verge of exploding from stress... Phoenix nched horribly. Heh heh, its ok, you can all go back. Whether something or nothing happens, donte and find me again. I waved good-bye happily.Its so rare! Theres actually a day when I can get away from those four and just rx. Ive got to enjoy the peace. Dg, dont look so happy. It makes them really sad. They all had ghost fires floating beside them when they left. Yun was barely suppressing hisughter. I rxed. If they hadnt left soon, Id probably have exploded. Now, lets go and see that house of yours. On the way to the house, Yun suddenly said, Dg, theres a question weve been wanting to ask you...? I stared at him. Yun usually just says whatever he wants. Since when did he start asking for permission? What is it? I asked. Dg, do you know Feng Lan? Jing questioned and my heart skipped a few beats. I stopped. Why did she ask me that? Has she found out? No way! Is it that easy to tell? I thought. I used the calmest voice I could muster at that moment and said Feng Lan? I dont know her. Why do you ask? Just as I thought... Jing mumbled. I sighed in relief. After all, saying that you know yourself sounds pretty weird. Isnt that right, Xiao Lan? Jing added lightly. After my pulse stopped for an entire three seconds, then I covered my face, close to tears. I knew it, they found out. Im finished! This is the worst scenario, to have my secret be discovered by Yun, the super broadcasting station! Once the news leaks out, just think about the fans swarming enough to fill out the Antic and Pacific oceans... Waaaaahhh! Where is my future? Jing patted me on the shoulder. Its ok. I understand your problems, Xiao Lan. Ive already used karate on Yun and warned him that if he told anyone your secret, my next karate moves will be used on a guys most vulnerable spot. So he definitely wont leak the news. Whew! That was close. But how was I discovered? How did you guys find out? I asked. Dont you always call me Dg? It was because you would not tell us your in-game-name; we had to ask your brother and he said that you are a tranny in game, Yun put in. BROTHER, YOU IMBECILE! Dont force me to kill you to defend my honor! I clenched my fist and started thinking about whether adding pesticides or rat poison to dinner would be the faster method. So we thought, you are a tranny yer and you love bishies as much as I do, but you have no interest in a famous hottie like Prince. The only reason we could think of was that you were Prince himself. Also, although your appearance in-game and in real life are extremely different, your basic features are still very simr, so we recognized you immediately. Jing shrugged, unconcerned. But you know, you Feng siblings are so oblivious that it could go down in history. To think that your brother Yang Ming never realized that you were Prince, and he even knew that you were a tranny, Yun said with a face full of admiration. No one could be as good at guessing as you guys are. I mumbled. Well if it werent for the fact that we can guess well, how else could we know about your real identity? And whats with making us call you the Dg here and Dg there?! Jing gave me a knock on my head. Oww... Why are all the women I know so violent? And they all seemed to like hitting my head. I was saying that there was no one that was stupid enough to continue trusting us after so many betrayals from us. So it was you after all, Xiao Lan. No wonder you kept helping us. Yun couldnt help butin. He and Jing had actually been so touched that they swore to follow Prince forever. At this, what else can I do except rub the back of my head andugh stupidly? Thats not the point; the important point is, in that romantic and thrilling love triangle, who are you going to choose? The professor or the senior? Jing stared at me. Dont ask the same questions as my mom, Jing. I dont know! Romantic and thrilling?! Jing, your descriptions are a bit too exaggerated. I helplessly sighed. What are you worrying about? Just date them both. Yun mumbled. Hey! Are you a man? Why are you telling a woman to have two boyfriends?! Jing pulled and shouted in Yuns ear. I asked, as if puzzled. Didnt we already agree that hes not a guy? Xiao Lan! Jing suddenly grabbed me, Lets do an experiment. Experiment? I asked stupidly. Go on a date with both of them in real life! Jings eyes sparkled in an extremely scary way. Eh? [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 7 End] Footnotes This is actually a Chinese pun, Ѫƴ. It sounds like shopping in English, however here it means to spend a lot of money while shopping. Especially at a very expensive store. Volume 4 Chapter 8 Volume 4 Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Dating Diary C tranted by Raylight Professor, you really didnt have to go to all this trouble... In tearless grief, I looked at Professor Min Gui Wen as he sat across from me. Dont worry. So long as I can settle my students problems, a small favor like this isnt any trouble! Guis smile spread across his whole face as he took a sip of his beverage. Jing! You really will be the death of me. I never would have thought that in order to get Professor Min to go on a date with me, Jing would actually weave such an outrageous lie. Even I thought that her story was beyond logic when I heard it. What was even more incredible was that Professor Min actually believed it... The story goes like this: Yesterday after ss Jing pulled me over right in front of Professor Min. Professor, there is a very grave and urgent matter that I hope you can help us with. Jing put on an expression of profound grief and distress. At the time, I wasnt very sure what she was grieved and distressed about. Professor Min, seeing that the matter looked quite serious,forted Jing with his usual gentle smile. Whats the matter? Say it slowly; dont be nervous. Actually, it is Xiao Lans problem. Theres a stalker whos been harassing Xiao Lan. He has been bothering her for over a year, but still he refuses to leave her alone. Jing knitted her eyebrows together, teary-eyed. Is this true? Xiao Lan, are you unable to ept that person? asked Professor Min. That person? Who is that person...? I was thoroughly puzzled and only stared with nk eyes. Jing suddenly shouted loudly, Professor, look! Xiao Lan has been scared out of her mind by that guys frightening harassment. Oh? Professor Min frowned. No wonder Feng Lan has recently been looking a little absentminded in ss and is always running off in a hurry after school. ... I was looking absentminded because I was intimidated by the reporters outside trying to ask you where to find Prince... And if I dont leave in a hurry after school, some reporter with far-too-keen eyes might realize that I look like Prince. Wouldnt I be dead meat if that were to happen? Thats right. Professor, you dont know how scary that guy is. Xiao Lan told him that shed rather die than love him, but it was no use! Even kicking his ass with my karate didnt work. After that, all that we could do was tell him that Xiao Lan already had a perfect man who was handsome, mature, and reliable. However, he says that he refuses to believe it, unless... At this point, Jings face started to show signs of reluctance and embarrassment. Unless what? Professor Min asked, extremely serious. ... Unless he sees that man with his own eyes! Jin sighed. But where could we find someone to help us put on this show? Jing shook her head in distress. I suddenly had a look of epiphany. I finally understand what Jing is trying to do! But, but this lie is too lousy. Anyone with a bit of brain wouldnt fall for it, let alone Professor Min Gui Wen with his IQ of 200! I understand. I will help to put up this show! Professor Min let out a smile. It cant be! Professor Min, where did your IQ of 200 go? I was incredulous as I looked at Professor Mins earnest face. Thats wonderful, Professor! Then tomorrow after school, you can take Xiao Lan out for coffee or go shopping or something. Ill be responsible for bringing that guy over, so that hell finally believe Xiao Lans words! Jing happily eximed. Okay. Professor Mins face still held the same gentle smile. Thus exins how Professor Min and I happened to be sitting in this open-air caf drinking coffee for no apparent reason. I continued to have doubts as to how Professor Min could have fallen for Jings story. Student Feng Lan, why hasnt that persone yet? Professor Min wore a smile on his face. I, I dont know either... That person had better exist! I cursed Jing, whose current whereabouts were unknown, behind her back. Professor Mins face suddenly became serious and he sighed. Student Feng Lan, I dont think that person ising, is he? Or rather, that person doesnt even exist. You knew? I said in surprise. Since he knew the truth, why would he still go out with me? Professor Min put on a forced smile. Ever since I started teaching, I have heard all sorts of reasons for asking me out. However, the reason that you two came up with was the most exaggerated. Hearing this, I could only smile foolishly. That makes more sense! Student Feng Lan, I want to tell you that I already have someone in my heart, so... Professor Min abruptly showed an awkward expression. So Im afraid I cant ept your feelings. I sat there stunned for some time before I realized that he thought the reason I invited him out was to confess my feelings for him. Student Feng Lan, dont be too upset. I truly have someone in my heart. Its not that youre not good enough... Professor Min probably saw my dumbfounded look and started panicking as he tried to exin with everything he had. Pfft! I couldnt help butugh. Its not my fault. When Professor Min is flustered, he suddenly has Guis foolish look. Seeing Professors refined and serious appearance, wearing sses and a white dress shirt, but revealing a look of foolishness is just too funny. Why are youughing now? Women nowadays are so hard to understand, Gui muttered to himself. Is Professors crush Prince? I suddenly wanted to hear Professor Min say it out loud in real life, as himself. Yes, its Prince. Although he wanted to feign calmness, Guis face still reddened slightly and he looked embarrassed. After a round of silence, I suddenly blurted out, Wont you regret it? Prince is a man. When he heard my question, Guis expression suddenly changed into one of profundity. Regret...? Prince is like a rose with thorns. If at first I had known about its thorns, then perhaps I would not have picked it up. However, I have already picked the rose up, smelled its fragrance and seen its beauty. If I put it down now, the suffering borne by my heart would be more painful than the pain of my bleeding hand, torn open by the thorns. Therefore, I cannot put it down. After a good while, Guis intense gaze faded away and he looked at me with a red face. Sorry, that must have sounded strange, he said. Smiling, I shook my head and then said solemnly, Professor, promise me one thing, then we can end it here today. What is it? Gui was noticeably trembling in fear. With gleaming eyes, I pointed at the menu and said, Would you please treat me to spaghetti with ms in white wine sauce and borscht? Huh? Thus, after eating spaghetti with ms in white wine sauce and borscht to my hearts content, Professor Min bewilderedly paid the bill, and my date with Professor Min came to a satisfactory conclusion. That night, Jing and Yun excitedly dragged me out. Where are we going? I asked uncertainly. What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Its to meet your next date, of course, Jing barked crossly. Oh... Over there! Jing hid behind amp-post, her finger pointing at Zhuo-gege, who was standing some distance away. Xiao Lan, I told Zhuo Ling Bin that you really wanted to visit the night market, but I didnt have time to apany you so I asked him to go with you in my ce. Understood? Understood. Then hurry up and go! Remember topare the two prospects. Yun suddenly pushed me out from behind themp-post. I had no choice but to walk towards Zhuo-gege. Youre here, Xiao Lan. Zhuo-gege smiled at me. Yeah. I nodded my head. Where do you want to shop first? Or do you want to eat something first? Zhuo-gege asked very considerately. Eat. I never had any intention to shop around, so I can only say eat. Its really not because Im a glutton! By the end of our stroll, I was holding fried chicken in my left hand, red tea in my right hand, and I was still chewing the french fries that I had just stuffed into my mouth... Zhuo-gege was even helping me hold the chicken kebabs and liquor escargots. Do you want anything else to eat, Xiao Lan? Zhuo-gege asked attentively. I shook my head, pointing to a park bench not far away. Lets just go sit down there and take our time eating. Okay. While I worked on the food, I thought of my mothers words. She said Zhuo-gege likes me? Hmmm... I have to ask him. Thinking of this, I absent-mindedly opened my mouth to ask, Zhuo-gege, do you like me? Zhuo-geges body froze rather noticeably. He slowly turned his head to face me, his eyes filled with the uncertainty of whether to feel happy or helpless. He was silent for a long time. Finally he only said, Yeah, I have liked you for eight years. Eight years? My heart skipped a beat. Has he really liked me for such a long time? Liked me for eight years? Am I worth it? Of course, Zhuo-gege replied without hesitation. But, I dont know whether I like you or not... I cant decide. Seeing that Zhuo-geges mood was clearly a little downcast, I felt a bit at a loss of what to do. Isnt this extremely unfair for Zhuo-gege? Eight years... Thats such a heavy burden that just hearing about it makes me gasp for breath. Never mind, I will wait for you. Zhuo-gege replied in another simple sentence. I hesitated a little. You...dont regret it? Maybe, maybe I... Zhuo-gege stood up with his back facing me, using a dreamy tone that I had never heard him using before. The sunflower always faces the sun without regret orint. In the face of wind or rain, it always awaits the suns warm smile. Although the time spent waiting for the sun is always so painful, the sunflower has never regretted and will never regret it. Seeing Zhuo-geges broad and lonely figure, I abruptly realized that his ears were as red as a thoroughly ripe tomato. Sunflower, huh? I quietly chewed on my food, not even noticing the taste inside my mouth. What do you think of yesterdays dates? asked Jing and Yun the next day, their eyes opened wide in excitement. Quite good. I scratched my cheek. So how are the prospects on both sides? Yun was itching to know. Hmm... On one partys side, although he only paid once, the price for that one time was quite significant, and it left me with an endless aftertaste. On the other partys side, he paid continuously. Although the price he paid each time was small, and even though the taste was inferior to the former, thebined total was still remarkable, I said in ordance with the facts. What does that mean? Yun asked in puzzlement. Smacking Yun on the head, Jing said, Dummy, cant you even understand a metaphor? The meaning is this: although Professor Min loved her for a shorter time, he still fell in love with her even though he thought that Xiao Lan was a guy. This sacrifice is of course very impressive. In addition, Professors love is as passionate as fire. Thus, it definitely leaves a lingering aftertaste. On the contrary, Zhuo Ling Bins love is as gentle as water. However, its also like a slow and steady stream. His continuous sacrifices arent as impressive as the sacrifice made by the Professor, but when we take into ount the total time that he had loved Xiao Lan, the sacrifice he made isnt any less significant than Professors. Do you understand? I get it now, Yun realized with suddenprehension. Yes. Isnt that right, Xiao Lan? Jing asked proudly, showing off. No... I was referring to the food. I scratched my head. Food? Jing and Yun stared at me with eyes wide open. I nodded my head as if that were the most natural exnation. Yeah, although Gui only treated me to spaghetti with ms in white wine sauce and borsht, the price of the meal was over eight hundred dors. It was really expensive, and the spaghetti was so delicious that I keep remembering its aftertaste. As for the night market snacks that Zhuo-gege treated me to, although they werent as delicious as the spaghetti, there was a great variety. I really ate to my hearts content, so the total cost might not be less than that of Guis treat. ... For reasons unbeknownst to me, the two of them began foaming at the mouth. Then, they red at me with wide, white eyes. Finally, Jing concluded, Whoever falls in love with you will be cursed for eight generations. Achoo! Min Gui Wen and Zhuo Lin Bin simultaneously sneezed in two different locations. Is someone cursing me? The two thought at the same time. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 8 End] Footnotes Spaghetti with ms in white wine sauce: This is what it looks like: /2008-10-09/1031423_b.jpg. And here the recipe for anyone who is interested (and can cook): /recipes/giada-deurentiis/spaghetti-with-ms-recipe/index.html. Borscht: A soup of Ukrainian origin that is popr in many Eastern and Central European countries. It is usually made with beetroot and/or tomatoes, which give it a reddish-purple color. For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borscht. Night Market: Also known as night bazaars, these are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. Eight hundred dors: This is in New Taiwan Dors, not US dors. 800 TWD is equal to approximately 26 USD (as of December 2010). Volume 4 Chapter 9 Volume 4 Chapter 9 Chapter 9: The Concert C tranted by Evangeline and Amgine Online Prince, hurry up and get over here! The concert hall has finished being constructed. I heard Yu Lian-dsaos excited and slightly distressed voice just as I came online. Really? Ille take a look. I wonder what the hall looks like. It ought to be pretty luxurious; after all, we did spend a fortune on it. I thought to myself as I picked up my pace and dashed to the site. I was following Yu Lian-dsaos directions, which led me just to the left of the castle. Everyone was waiting for me when I arrived. Barely containing my excitement, I walked closer, wishing to examine carefully the concert hall where I would be performing. I-Impossible... I stammered with my jaw dropped. Heavens! This looks like something that came straight out of our textbooks... An ancient Roman coliseum?! Hehe, wee to Infinite Citys No, it should be Second Lifes, first concert hall: Infinite Rhapsody! Yu Lian greeted with augh. This is awesome! I said. With excitement spreading across my face, I let my eyes frantically take in the grandeur of the architecture. It was circr in shape and stood around twenty stories high. The primitive engravings on the ash-colored walls gave a rather ancient look. I walked closer to get a better view and saw that the engravings consisted of simple strokes depicting the various races holding different kinds of instruments. I ran my fingers across the engravings, unable to keep my hands off them. The theme of the engravings here is music, Yu Lian-dsao exined, The other sides showbat, nature, and all kinds of handicrafts. Prince! Dont just stand at the doorway, getting dazzled by only the exterior. Come and take a look inside! Wolf-dg said as he walked out from the door. He hurriedly dragged me through the massive double-arched passage, which wasrge enough for several dozen people to walk through at once. Stepping through the door, I stared in excitement at the incredibly magnificent scene before me. As I stood in the center of the arena, looking up and around at the rows upon rows of seats that seemed to stretch into the clouds, I impulsively blurted out, Is this really where I will be performing? Thats right, Lolidragon replied as she walked towards me, smiling sweetly. How is it? Is the ce good enough for Your Highness to perform in? Its more than enough! I answered, blushing. Its ridiculously spacious! Itd be an aplishment if the audience could even fill up one tenth of the space here. Prince-gege is mistaken. This ce is going to be packed to capacity, Doll refuted as she skipped over. Doll has sore hands from selling too many concert tickets this past week. Thats right! Yu Lian-dsao said, nodding. If it werent for the earnings from selling those tickets, we wouldnt have had enough funds to build this hall. I told you guys that Prince would draw out arge crowd,ughed Wolf-dg as he pped me on the back energetically. Though I will admit that I didnt predict that youd be Second Lifes spokesperson, Prince. I didnt think that would happen either... I shrugged helplessly. In any case, Prince, just settle down and be one of the highlights of Infinite City, Yu Lianughed heartily. An uneasy feeling formed in the bottom of my heart. Dont tell me theres something else theyre going to make me do? As I was still thinking this, Yu Lian continued. I heard the Construction Department is nning on building two bookstores. Prince, after the concert is over and the bookstores are built, you can conveniently hold an autograph session as well. Oh, sure. I sighed in relief upon hearing that it was just about an autograph session. I turned towards the audience seating again and muttered with excitement, plus a hint of nervousness, So this ce is going to be jam-packed with people, eh... Prince! Prince! Listening to the deafening roar of the crowding from outside, I felt tremendously nervous. I frantically did some breathing exercises. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out... Ugh, still feeling pretty nervous. I looked helplessly at my fellow band members. Gui was chattering like a parakeet, trying to calm me down. Dont be nervous, Your Highness. Just pretend that the studentser, no, the fansare rocks, and youll be fine. Just perform like you normally do and itll be okay. Gui looked at my pale face worriedly. I rolled my eyes in response. Dont pretend that I didnt hear that bit about students. So were nothing but rocks to you eh, Professor?! Just ignore them. Wicked frowned slightly and patted me on the back in an attempt to calm my erratic breathing. What are you afraid of? Its just a bunch of people, thats all. Fairsky threw a haughty nce towards the crowd that consisted of as many people as there were grains of sand on a beach. Im a little nervous too. Phoenixs face was just as pale as mine. Finally, someone who is normal like me, I thought with satisfaction. Lets get this show on the road! Everyone still remembers the way we make our entrance as rehearsed? Lolidragon poked out her head suddenly, smiling a Mona Lisa-like smile at my paleplexion. I closed my eyes once more and breathed in deeply. When my eyes snapped open, only tranquility was left on my face. Lets do this. He was one of Second Lifes professional yers, but he had never thought that it would actually be possible to hold a concert in an online game. So, when he heard that Infinite City was nning to hold a concert, starring none other than the recently popr Infinite Band, he decided to set out for Infinite City to broaden his horizons. Damn, I had to wait five whole hours in queue before I could buy the ticket! Is this band really all that great? he muttered to himself. He was feeling peeved by the long wait, yet he was also d that he decided toe and witness such an epic event. How else could he have fulfilled his curiosity if he were to miss it? There sure are a lot of attractions worth visiting in Infinite City. Seeing the crescent shaped fountain in the Central za alone makes up for the price of the ticket. Moreover, the actual city itself is so opulent and majestic! I wonder how much it took to finance its construction. He admired the streets that were even wider and neater than those of the pre-programmed Sun, Star and Moon cities. The shops and markets beside the streets were all beautiful and unique in their own special way. He wondered how much it would cost to rent a shop and began calcting in his head. But nothing couldpare to the shock that the residential area gave him. Is... is this still part of a game? He gaped, wide eyed and dumbstruck, at street after street of lovely gardened mansions, all so beautiful that it was hard to even take your eyes off them. He scanned each one greedily. After browsing and coveting thest of the mansions, he heaved a long sigh and said, I should get one of these and sell off the house I have in Moon City. Once everyone discovers how lovely these houses are, the real estate demand in the pre-programmed cities will most likely slump. The next day, he hurried to the concert venue at the crack of dawn, hoping to get a good seat, but he miscalcted. There was already a huge line of people in front of him. How long have you been waiting here?! he asked the ones in front of him in shock. We came here after dinner yesterday. The people near the end of the line said. We pitched our tents here right after we bought the tickets two days ago, a group of girls in the middle replied. Ha! Thats nothing! Im telling you, I watched as they built Infinite Rhapsody, brick by brick! The man who was first in the line proudly boasted. He was leftpletely speechless. With enough curiosity to kill a cat, he wondered impatiently exactly how strong the allure of Infinite Band was and what Prince, Second Lifes rumored spokesperson, was using to draw out all these fans. Prince! Prince! The girls next to him were cheering so loudly that he felt like his eardrums were on the verge of rupturing. He couldnt help but let out a sigh, wondering why he had allowed himself to be drawn into such pandemonium. It really is way too crowded, noisy, and tiresome, he thought while massaging his exhausted body. All he could do now was hope that this Infinite Band was talented enough to not make him leave disappointed. All of a sudden, snow began falling from the sky. Startled, he examined the snowkes as they drifted down toward him. Even the girls who had been screaming next to him just a moment before fell silent, bedazzled by the beautiful falling snow. This is probably the work of a mage, he thought to himself. Five pirs of ice suddenly solidified, starting from the sky to the ground. As everyone was still looking up in surprise, five blurry individuals came sliding down, one from the top of each pir. Just as they were all about to reach the ground, the ice pirs suddenly shattered into countless tiny crystals, sprinkling themselves throughout the entire coliseum. The ce waspletely covered in a dazzling radiance, proiming the arrival of these five exceptional people. So this is Infinite Band? He could clearly see the five people now, and indeed each of them had their own type of charisma. There was the proud and aloof flutist, the handsome and bewitching guqin yer, the sexy and sassy female guitarist, the mature yet charming female drummer, andstly the one wearing a blood tiara, the indescribably gorgeous lead singer wearing a faint and coy smile on his face. Is that...Prince? Prince gave a small bewitching smile, lightly raised a finger to his lips and made a small shhh-ing sound, and spoke in aid back yet mesmerizing voice. No need to say anything more, so lets just start with a song. This life, this love, this moment squandered away As I exhaust my color onto your skies Your desires, your words, your every demand Actually brings me happiness all because you are My source of joy, my source of pain Adapted from: Swallowtail Butterfly Lyrics and song by: Ah Xin, MayDay How should he describe his emotions upon hearing the sound of Prince singing? The voice was resounding and emotionally stirring, and yet it had a hint of trembling, like a butterfly humming without regret as it flutters into a fire. Moreover, the intense beat of the drums and the hearty vibrations of the guitar made his heart pound along wildly to the rhythm of the music, almost to the point of bursting apart. After that intense experience, the first song was finally over and everyone, including him, was leftpletely speechless. But the craze was still shining through their eyes and drops of sweat fell as they gazed up towards the Infinite Band members onstage. Did you guys enjoy it? Prince suddenlyughed without restraint, augh infectious enough to liberate the tense feelings in the hearts of everyone in the crowd. Yes! You were awesome! someone shouted before anyone else could react, leading the entire stadium to then be filled with cheers and roars. He let his own voice join in the rumbles of the masses too. In that case... Prince closed his eyes, as if pondering something. The fans in the audience, afraid to disturb his train of thought, quieted down one by one... Prince slowly opened his eyes again, eyes that were filled with sentiment as he spoke in a gentle voice, as if whispering sweet nothings across a bed. Love is always such a dilemma. Should you choose the one who loves you, or the one whom you love? The sound of the flute, hopelessly sorrowful, yet with an inkling of sweetness, suddenly reverberated throughout Infinite Rhapsody. The guqin then joined in, with an airy and flowing melody that entuated the flutes lonely tune. Finally, Princes voice emerged, low and warm, like the murmurs of a lover,pletely different from the intense and resounding sound from the previous song... In this manner, he was continually entranced by Princes voice, from the first, second...fifth...to the tenth song, but he still couldnt get enough, and craved more. The next song will be thest one for today and is my favorite one of all: Its My Life. Could everyone repeat with me loudly, Its My Life? Princes words brought along regret and happiness at the same time. ...Its my life! As Prince sang out the final stanza, the entire crowd fell into an unprecedented andplete silence, where only the sound of heartbeats could be heard throughout the arena. Die, Prince! a cold voice rang out without warning, and only a sh of silver could be seen as everyone looked up. On the stage, Prince quickly staggered back. Youre hurt, Prince! From the stands, he could see the guqin yer fearfully trying to step forward to take a closer look at Princes left arm, which was drenched in blood. A female swordmaster was ring angrily at Prince from the opposite side. Prince gave a wave with his hand, paying no attention to his injured left arm. He calmly said, If I recall correctly, I dont actually know you, so why do you want to assassinate me and ruin my concert? As he listened from offstage, he began to tremble unconsciously. Though Princes tone was indifferent, an unquestionable thought was formed in his heartPrince is angry. Your lover took away my beloved from me, so I am here to kill you and make that bastard feel the pain of losing a loved one. The female swordmasters eyes burned like a raging inferno. Prince blinked conspicuously, and then asked in total confusion, My lover? Are you referring to a guy or a girl? The female swordmasters rage was enough to burn through the nineyers of heaven. Of course hes a guy! Watching from the crowd, he didnt feel that the answer was obvious at all. He analyzed the situation, puzzled. How strange. How could it be a guy? A guy stole away your lover? What gender is your lover, then? Prince, however, did not seem to be the least bit surprised. He just scratched his head, gestured towards the guqin yer and the flutist, asking, Which one is it? Guileastes, do you still remember me, sonny? bellowed the female swordmaster. Gui, the guqin yer who was being called out, shook his head, clueless. Who are you? The female swordmaster grinded her teeth and roared again, How dare you freaking forget about me?! Bastard, did you forget about Lovely Consort as well?! The color of the guqin yers face suddenly changed. He then asked with quite a bit of hesitation, Who are you to her? Sonny, you bastard! Im Lovely Consorts husband. You have some nerve, forgetting about me. The female swordmaster looked angry enough to erupt anytime. Lovely Consorts husband? You are XiMen Feng? the guqin yer asked incredulously. Thats right, sonny. The female (?) swordmaster replied with a fiendish visage, a difficult feat, considering her elegant and exquisite face. How... how did you be like this? the guqin yer asked, his face pale with horror. It was all your fault to begin with! And whats with all this damn chit-chat? Its time for me to ughter your lover, this Prince fellow, XiMen Feng shouted. Then, he suddenly drew forth a sword to attack Prince. The following scene would be etched into his memory forever as he watched from the sidelines. That swordmaster called XiMen Feng was indeed strong C probably around level seventy ording to his own estimates. Yet, she couldnt do anything against thepletely unarmed Prince. Prince effortlessly dodged XiMen Fengs greatsword, and even analyzed her up and down with great interest. Prince finally couldnt hold back any longer and asked, You keep calling out sonny like youre some old man, and you say that youre Lovely Consorts husband, but you clearly look like a girl. So really, are you a guy or a girl? The female swordmaster didnt reply, but vigorously continued to direct attacks towards Prince until her cheeks were flushed red with rage. She yelled loudly, Bastard, are you even a man? All you do is dodge. Dont tell me youre expecting me to stand still obediently for you to hack at, Prince responded with a chuckle, amused. Exactly! XiMen Feng bellowed with sword raised in preparation for another attack on Prince. This time, Prince actually did stand still, not budging from his original spot. Seeing Prince about to get his blood sttered all over the stage, everyone cried out in rm... However, Prince suddenly gave a swift kick, sending the swordmasters de high into the air. Next, he saw Prince actually using a roundhouse kick to send XiMen Feng out of the arena and then casually catching the sword as it fell from the sky. Prince paid no heed to the female swordmaster who was coughing up blood furiously on the ground, her face full of hatred. He leisurely turned to face the audience and apologized with a faint smile. Im sorry for this interruption to the concert. I hope nobody minds. In any case, this marks the close to todays concert. I hope everyone will continue to support Infinite Band by buying a copy of our uing portfolio at Infinite Citys bookstore, which should be opening very soon. The concert drew to a close, but he was still thinking about all that had happened as he walked through the wide streets of Infinite City. He reminisced about Infinite Bands extraordinary performance and the even more astonishing battle skills disyed by Prince. He always thought Prince became a spokesperson only through the virtue of his face. Who knew that his disy of strength could be so exciting to watch? He couldnt help but mutter, It really wouldnt be a bad idea at all to be a citizen of Infinite City. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 9 End] Footnotes Sonny: In Chinese, its actually the fencer referring to himself as ӡ, lit. old man/father, so hes saying he is a generation higher, and thus deserving of respect. Basically an insult. Kind of like how white people called ck men boy during the Jim Crow days. This insult is generally used by men only. There is a woman alternative , lit olddy/mother. XiMen Feng: The manhua calls him Western Wind, but were going with XiMen Feng since Xi Men doesnt actually mean western; its just a surname. (?): Yes, this was in the original and is therefore being left as is. Volume 4 Chapter 10 Volume 4 Chapter 10 Chapter 10: XiMen Feng, Someone in the Same Situation as Me? C tranted by Erihppas With his face pulled down into a troubled frown, Gui spoke in a deeply apologetic tone, Im truly sorry, everyone. My personal affairs have caused the concert to be interrupted. It doesnt matter; it wasnt that big of a deal anyway. But what is the truth about the situation between you and XiMen Feng? I replied as Wolf-dg healed the wound on my arm. He robbed me of my lover, dont you FREAKIN understand?! XiMen Feng, who was tied up tightly off to the side, roared suddenly. Besides my Prince, youve stolen someone elses man as well? Fairsky looked at Gui in disbelief. Guis face flushed bright red, and he roared back with clenched fists, I did not, and Prince is not yours either! Wicked coldly asked, Then why would this girl make such an usation? Hearing Wickeds words, Gui deted like a punctured balloon. He replied, as if tormented by a splitting migraine, I dont understand either, but since she said that shes XiMen Feng, and even mentioned Lovely Consort... So I guess it must be rted to that incident. Before joining Odd Squad, I had teamed up with a couple, namely XiMen Feng and Lovely Consort. However, Lovely Consortter confessed that she had fallen in love with me. In order to avoid Lovely Consorts constant badgering and XiMen Fengs onught, I had no choice but to flee. Bastard, its all because of you that Lovely Consort had a change of heart, XiMen Feng was so angry that the veins on her head were bulging out, a sight unbefitting of her elegant face. Uh... sorry, I have a question. Looking at XiMen Fengs noticeably busty chest, I hesitantly spoke up. You... are a girl, right? And Lovely Consort, it sounds like shes a girl too, right? Dont get me wrong... I have nothing against homosexuals. Youre the damn homo! Im a guy, sonny! XiMen Feng red at me fiercely. A guy? Could this XiMen Feng be like Ming Huang, a male who looks like a female? I was a bit suspicious. But that cant be; Ming Huangs chest is as t as an iron board and XiMen Fengs chest... Hmph, its two sizesrger than mine as a girl. How could this be a guy? I tilted my head, doubtfully studying XiMen Fengs pair of meat jugs. Dont tell me these are fake? I absent-mindedly ced my palms on the two blobs of flesh. Mmm, theyre soft. I squeezed them twice. Theyre quite bouncy too. Strange, they have to be real! P-Prince, Your Highness...! Guis eyes bulged out, fixated on me...well, on my hands. Phoenix and Fairsky were also staring at my hands with flushed faces. I wasnt sure whether or not I was seeing things, but it seemed like both of them were swallowing their saliva and looking at my hands with expressions of desire. Get your filthy hands off me, sonny! XiMen Feng, who had froze up in shock, finally snapped. XiMen Fengs eyes were staring at my hands so hard that they looked ready to jump out of their sockets. Flustered, I withdrew my hand to avoid the possibility of her putting her neck on the line to bite off my hand. Youre obviously a girl, I pointed out the truth without any reservations. Everyone nodded. I had already so brazenly grabbed her for confirmation, so could there still be any room for error? If it werent for that bastard Guileastes, I wouldnt have fallen to this state! XiMen Feng bellowed angrily. What do you mean? I scratched my head, still unable to make heads or tails of the situation. Dont tell me Gui can even perform a sex-change operation? Acting like he owned the ce, Boss XiMen Feng sat down without any courtesy. With his legs crossed, he snorted a little, and began telling his tale. Damn it, after I found out Lovely Consort had a change of heart, I vowed to PK that punk Guileastes until he returned to level one. Who would have guessed that the punk would preemptively escape, forcing me to hunt him down for many miles. At that, Gui smiled helplessly. Luckily, that punk Guileastes was so conspicuous that you could find his whereabouts just by asking around casually. I pursued him all the way to a cliff and I found a piece of that bastards clothing by the edge. Surely, that bastard must have hid under the cliff to hide from me! Hmph, you think Id just give up like that, sonny? I lowered a rope on the spot and continued the chase. XiMen Feng seemed particrly proud of his own perseverance. My gaze shifted to Gui. He doesnt seemed like one that would climb down a cliff just to avoid someone; a bards stamina isnt that great, and he could very well lose his grip halfway and fall to his death. Presently, Gui had assumed a resigned expression and he wordlessly mouthed the words: diversion tactic. That exins it. I scratched my head. Looks like Gui also realized that XiMen Feng is not one to look before he leaps. Who would have thought that instead of finding that punk, Id encounter some sort of hidden quest instead? XiMen Feng made a strange face. That damn mythical beast even went as far as to say that I would receive a random divine punishment if I couldnt defeat it. There was no way in hell that I could defeat that freak of a monster whose hide was as thick as a steel wall, so I had to receive its divine punishment. Who would have imagined that the random divine punishment would turn me into a girl! XiMen Fengined loudly. At that, Lolidragons, Wickeds and my own expression changed slightly. Never would we have thought that I wasnt the only tranny in Second Life!To think that I have arade here! The only difference is that Im a woman who became a man, and hes a man who became a woman. I wonder who is more unfortunate? After a while, as both of us were in the same boat, I half-heartedly opened my mouth tofort XiMen Feng. Err, at least you still look quite pretty. Bullshit, its darn troublesome! XiMen Feng roared loudly. Troublesome? I thought its alright. At least the game doesnt simte womens monthly problem... I thought. Are you looking down on women? Lolidragon snorted coldly. Women mean nothing. XiMen Feng slowly stood up, and walked towards the window as his legs were untied, allowing the final rays of the sunset bathe his body. The trouble I mentioned aint gotta do with women, but... As the sun set, night suddenly descended outside, and XiMen Fengs body also began to change: her body slowly grew taller and brawnier, her long hairstyle became a buzz cut, the curves of her chest slowly ttened down, until finally, she became a he. We gaped in surprise at the inconceivable transformation, unable to snap out of it for quite a while, until atst, I let out a breath and said, That sure is faster than a sex change operation. XiMen Feng, what exactly is going on here? Gui asked in bewilderment. Its all that mythical beasts fault. XiMen Feng spoke in a rough, manly voice that suited his crudenguage. He impatiently creased his brow. I didnt want to be a woman, so the result of our negotiation was that Id be a woman in the morning, and transform back into a man when night falls. That sure is troublesome, I said, resisting with difficulty the urge to smile. No shit! Oi, untie me quickly. The rope is freakin tight, XiMen Feng had an expression of difort. Gui looked at me with a bit of hesitation. After I shrugged, indicating that it didnt matter, Gui turned to face XiMen Feng again. Before I untie you, you must first promise that you will never harm Prince. XiMen Feng scoffed. No can do. Even if I dont fight him for the sake of revenge, Id still like to challenge him, sonny. This pretty boy got some skills. I burst into loudughter. Why dont you just join Infinite City? Then youd be able to challenge me whenever you want. Prince, thats not a good idea. What if he hurts you? Gui had concern written all over his face. I replied without any fear, Itll be fine. I havent fought any monsters for some time now and Im feeling rusty. At least now Ill have someone to spar with. If I get injured, Ill just have to find Wolf-dg for healing and if I die, it would just mean that I have to practice harder. But, I confidently challenged XiMen Feng, I have no intention of losing. XiMen Fengs eyes lit up. Ha! Looks like pretty boy got some guts! Stop calling me pretty boy, or Ill start calling you hot babe, I said to XiMen Feng in a semi-threatening manner. You wouldnt dare! XiMen Feng roared furiously. Of course I dare to, XiMen you hot babe with C-sized cups, I unsheathed ck Dao and cut open the rope that bound XiMen Feng with one sh. XiMen Fengs eyes shone with excitement as he brandished his sword, gazing at me like a greedy tiger. I could see that he was also a lover ofbat. Dont disappoint me, XiMen Feng. I held up ck Dao, eyes sparkling with the excitement of returning to battle. XiMen Feng immediately charged forward without thinking. I shook my head. XiMen Feng may like fighting, but he doesnt like to use his brain to fight. I shifted aside my body slightly, dodging XiMen Fengs iing thrust while simultaneously giving him a push, forcing him to almost fall t on his back. Damnit! XiMen Feng growled loudly. Dissatisfied by his loss, he charged towards me again. Seeing that he still hadnt understood the point, I raised my eyebrows slightly. It seems I will have to let his body remember the lesson instead. I found an opening, grabbed a hold of XiMen Fengs wrist that was holding his sword, and fiercelynded a kick to his stomach with my right foot. He painfully gritted his teeth while I snatched away his sword, smiling faintly. Let the massacre begin! I used all four limbs, plus both sword and sheathe as lethal weapons... Head buttbo! Cross cutter! I even kicked my boots off toward him as I shouted repeatedly, Lets see if you dare to interrupt my concert ever again! Whew! That fight felt so liberating, I said as I happily put my ck Dao away, cracked my neck and did some stretches. Alright! Time to eat. Before I left, I didnt forget to turn around, gesture at the lump of bloody flesh on the ground, and give instructions to Wicked, who was in charge of the military department. Remember to recruit XiMen Feng into the army. His level and martial arts skill arent bad at all, and he can even freely use sex appeal as a tactic. It would be difficult to recruit even a single person with this kind of talent in ten years. Yes, Wicked said as he gazed at XiMen Feng with furrowed brows, probably plotting to find the most screwed up, overworked unit for him to join. Alright, let us all head to the Infinite Restaurant to eat! I led the group joyfully, preparing to go to my most beloved Infinite Restaurant for a free meal... Hehehe, not having to pay for meals at the Infinite Restaurant has proven to be the biggest perk since I became the liege lord. Ive already made ns with Sunshine to try the foods from street vendors, so I wont being along, Fairsky said with a bit of hesitation. Oh, I replied while biting my thumb. Fairsky and Sunshine seemed to be getting closer these days. Have they be good friends? Thats not a bad thing... At least it keeps Fairsky happy. Alright, lets go eat! Just as I was about to raise my legs and walk in front, two hands suddenly rested on my shoulder. Prince, the bookshop is almost ready and the autograph session for the portfolio is next week. Please remember to practice making your signature look neater. I turned around to see Yu Lian-ds?o smiling at me. She then turned towards Gui and asked, How are the booksing along? Gui nodded and answered, I have two books that are ready to be published, plus the one that Jing and Yun gave me. So there are a total of three books that can be disyed on the day of the grand opening. Prince, the construction of Infinite Rhapsody has caused Infinite Citys budget to be in the red again, Yu Lian-ds?os smile was bright beyondparison. Well have to organize more concerts and sell more portfolios in order to earn some cash, so please work hard on singing and selling your portfolios, do you understand? Understood... I swallowed stiffly, and my head felt numb from thinking about what I had to do. The days that followed were a living nightmare. Within two weeks, Infinite Band had performed five concerts. Moreover, in order to attract audiences, every concert featured new stunts, such as jumping through hoops of fire to appear on stage and descending onto the stage dressed up as angels. (That was when I finally realized why angels in paintings are always depicted standing up, straight as an arrow with only their arms stretching out slightly... Its obvious! If youre carrying a pair of wings weighing over thirty kilograms on your back, what can you do besides stand up straight?!) What was even stranger was the fans seemed to really like the minor interruption that XiMen Feng stirred up during the first concert. Thus, in every subsequent concert, XiMen Feng, under the smiling supervision of Yu Lian-ds?o, was forced to challenge me in front of the audience. Then Id have to start kicking his ass. The harder he got his ass kicked, the happier the fans would be. Sigh, it must have been hard on you, hot babe XiMen Feng. (XiMen Feng furiously roars: Im a guy, damn it!) Next, the bookstores were finally done being constructed thanks to all the hard work from Gui, Fairsky, and the others. They built two bookstores. One was in the middle of downtown and the other wasbined with a caf, built on thekeside with a nice atmosphere and great lighting, specifically designed to be a couples-trap. Therefore, my signature, which I had spent many days practicing, would finally be put to good use. On the day of the autograph session, there was a surging sea of people... Wait, what? That phrase is too ordinaryits not my style? Alright then, that horrendous autograph session was swamped with so many people that it seemed as if Jolin Tsai, Jay Chou, Andy Lau plus Stephanie all appeared together in Ximending. In short, people of all ages and genders huddled together in one massive crowd. There were men, women, and lechers, with ages ranging from five to fifty. Thank goodness we have the flying carpet! I dont think we could enter the bookstore otherwise. I released a sigh, looking down at the horrifyingly jam-packed crowd. Sunshine,nd on that makeshift stage, Gui said as he gestured at a very small stage,plete with tables and chairs, surrounded by soldiers led by Nan Gong Zui for security purposes, to prevent the fans from running onto the stage. Sure. Sunshine obediently directed his flying carpet tond slowly on the stage. I jumped off the flying carpet first, smiling slightly at the screaming female fans below the stage. Then I walked to a pre-arranged table and sat in the chair. The autograph session shall now begin, I said as I exhaled deeply, picking up the pen prepared by the workers as I readied myself for the possibility that I might have to sign until my arm fell off. Thank you for your support., Handshakes are fine., Uh, kisses are not eptable!, and Zui! Hurry and drag this fan off the stage! were my variousments as I signed. I gave out autographs while answering each and every fans questions with a gentle smile. From time to time, there would be fans who wanted to kiss me, and some of them were so unwilling to be rejected that they would just forcefully throw themselves at me. Only after Nan Gong Zui dragged them away could I continue signing autographs. This cycle continued to be y out: sign, answer, be offered a kiss, be forced a kiss, and watch them get taken away... Out of the corner of my eyes, I would asionally sneak a peek toward the other members of Infinite Band. Guis situation was no different than mine, except that as a bard with not much strength, he had already been kissed forcibly on his cheeks by wolves several times... Gui was currently holding back tears of grief as he continued signing and was even using XiMen Feng, who was previously enjoying a break, as his shield. The jealous fangirls had already used their wolf ws to scratch several bloody crosses on poor XiMen Feng the hot babe, and he wasnt even allowed to retaliate. (As Yu Lian-ds?o would say, the paying customer is king, so no matter what the fans do, they are always right.) In contrast, Wicked was in a much better situation. Being a warrior and with his aloof face, hardly any fangirls dared to approach him wantonly with their mouths. Instead, they gazed at him in a tender, yearning manner, as though ready to swallow him up if the opportunity came. Since Phoenix and Fairsky were both girls, allowing the male fans to do as they pleased with them was obviously out of the question. The duo was surrounded by so many Infinite City warriors that I could barely even see their silhouettes... What kind of attitude is this? Why is Zui the only warrior protecting me? A bunch of lechers whod forget about their liege lord at the sight of women... The autograph session went on like this until even XiMen Feng the hot babe had became XiMen Feng with the buzz cut. We continued signing autographs, except now it wasnt just Gui, but everyone in the group who were holding back tears as they signed. If there werent any fans looking at me, there was a very good chance that I would have cried out loud. I nced at my right hand mournfully, which was shaking uncontrobly as though as I had a stroke, while keeping count in my mind how many people were still lined up. Thest one... I finished giving out my final signature, feeling deeply moved. Luckily, it was a dude and it was quite obvious from the way he kept looking back towards Fairsky and Phoenix that he wasnt the slightest bit interested in me. What a perfect ending. I felt touched beyond words. Sure enough, just as I finished signing, he immediately ran towards the duo, and ended up sliding into a half-kneeling position on the floor. A colossal bouquet of red roses appeared out of nowhere in his left hand and an enormous ring with a diamond the size of a baseball appeared unexpectedly in his right hand. O dearest Lady Fairsky, my love for you flows ceaselessly like the Yellow River, stretches on infinitely like the white clouds above, and crashes wave after wave like the ocean tide... Such nauseating drivel gushed forth endlessly from this animals mouth, and the sounds of people puking all around flowed ceaselessly like the Yellow River as well. ...So, beloved Lady Fairsky, please marry me! Sorry, I have to tell everyone, theres already someone that Im in love with, Fairsky announced straightly, not even sparing a nce at the mongrel onstage, and then bowed towards her fans below the stage to express her apologies. Who is it? Who is the one that dares to steal away my woman without regard for his own life? Below the stage, Fairskys fans began to riot. I sighed helplessly. I probably have the most enemies in the world. Then, Fairsky inhaled deeply and raised her head to gaze at the sky towards Sunshine, who was sitting on the flying carpet. He is the one that I like. Ehh? Including mine and Sunshines, there were five ehh sounds. Fairsky gazed at the astonished Sunshine with her cheeks flushed red. After a long while, she turned and bowed to me. Sorry Prince, but I realized that I have fallen in love with Sunshine, so I cant have feelings for you anymore. T-this... I stuttered awkwardly for quite a while, but couldnt seem to squeeze out even half a sentence. Oh, why does my head hurt more nowpared to the time Fairsky tried to force me to marry her? Fairsky, if you had a change of heart and fell in love with someone else I would be 120% supportive, but couldnt you pick a more normal partner? First you fall for a tranny like me, and now you pick him? You might as well continue loving me because that would be just homosexual, but youre now in love with an NPC! What would that be called? Even bestiality is better than falling in love with a NPC. At least a beast has a physical body, but NPCs... Dont tell me you would insist and say, Thats right; Im in love with several lines ofputer code.? Sunshine, dont you like me? Fairsky asked in a calm tone as she gazed at Sunshine earnestly, sounding fully confident. I... I... Sunshine knitted his eyebrows tightly; he was clearly at a loss. You really like Fairsky as well? I paled in shock. Sunshine is an NPC. Even though he has gained self-awareness, he is still different from an ordinary human being. For example, he does not know how to tell a lie, so he cannotfort people with white lies. If he didnt have feelings for Fairsky, he would have said so directly, and yet he could not seem to speak? Does that mean...? Sunshine turned towards me, confusion written in his eyes. Prince, this is not a good ce for an interrogation! Gui pulled me away, gesturing at the audience below the stage. Youre right. I could only forcibly suppress my anxiety, reassuming the appearance of the Blood Elf Prince. I put on a polite smile and said with a charming tone, The autograph session shall end here for today. Infinite Band shall work harder in the future, and we hope that you would continue to support us. Thank you. The seconds I waited as the crowd dispersed felt like years. Then, I immediately dragged Fairsky and Sunshine away with me. Where to go?I hesitated for a moment. Right, to Jing and Yuns house. After making up my mind, I swiftly PMed Jing and Yun, telling them to wait for me at their home. Just as I started walking, I suddenly stopped and turned to face the other Infinite Band members that were following close behind. I said in a highly threatening tone, No one is allowed toe along, you hear? The trio behind me froze conspicuously. Seeing my stern expression, they all nodded in unison. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 10 End] Footnotes Unable to make heads or tails of the situation: Here, Yu Wo uses ɰͷԡ, (zhng b m bu zho tu no) which is the shortened/ng version of a Chinese idiom, ɶգͷԡ (zhng r jn gng m bu zho tu no). In some Chinese idioms, the first phrase is a description for a riddle, while the following phrase offers the exnation. In this case, the first phrase ɶ (zhng r jn gng) means Twelve foot tall Monk (Also known as Vajrapani), the following phrase ͷ (m bu zho tu no) means cant touch his head. Literally, it means the monk is so tall that you cant touch his head. The whole idiom basically means something that is so surprising or bizarre that one wouldnt know what to do immediately. It best describes the confusion/questions one usually has in the middle of a thought process (i.e. Imagine youre in the middle of solving a murder case, how could the murder ur when the room is locked from the inside? is such confusion). Yu Wo, however, exaggerates the idiom by saying that the monk (problem) is eighteen feet tall, and thus Prince could not reach its head (understand). [Credit to Erihppas] Boss: ϴ usually means boss. Prince was just jokingly calling XiMen Feng that because he acts like he can just do whatever he wants, as if he owned the ce. [Credit to Erihppas] PK: Gamer term for yer Kill in this case, though PK can also refer to general yer vs yerbat. Jolin Tsai (, Ci Yln): A Golden Melody awardCwinning Taiwanese Mandopop singer. She is extremely popr in not only Taiwan and China, but has also seen great sess in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mysia, as well as having a strong fanbase in the United States. (For more information, please refer to ) Jay Chou (ܽ܂, Zhu Jiln): A Taiwanese musician, singer, music and film producer, actor, and director. He is known forposing all his own songs and songs for other singers. His music has gained recognition throughout Asia and his career now extends into directing, acting, and running his own recordpany, JVR Music. (For more information, please refer to) Andy Lau (A, Li Dhu): A Hong Kong Cantopop singer, film actor, and producer. He has been one of Hong Kongs mostmercially sessful film actors since the mid-1980s while maintaining a sessful singing career at the same time. In the 1990s he was branded by the media as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop (Ĵ) with Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, and Leon Lai. (For more information, please refer to ) Stephanie (Ǿ, Xio Qing): Famous in Taiwan as a model and actress. She was extremely popr in thete 1990s and early 2000s and was branded by the media as Taiwans Number One Most Beautiful Woman. (For more information, please refer to) Ximending (, X? mn? ding,? also known as HsiMenDing): A well-known neighborhood and shopping district in Taipei that isrgest pedestrian zone in Taiwan. It is located in the northeastern part of Wanhua District and is also the most important consumer district in the west side of Taipei. It is the source of Taiwans fashion, subculture, and Japanese culture. Sounding fully confident: Here Yu Wo uses the idiom г (xing yu chng zh), literally having had the images of the bamboo ready in ones bosom. It ister used to refer to making extensive preparation before doing something, and having full confidence in the final sess. It also indicates that someone can remainposed no matter what happens. Refer to this website for the story the idiom originated from: . Volume 4 Chapter 11 Volume 4 Chapter 11 Chapter 11: The Great Patch C tranted by Starie After I had dragged Fairsky, Sunshine, Jing, and Yun into the room urgently, I rested my hands on Fairskys shoulders and said very solemnly, Fairsky, you cannot love Sunshine. I ignored Jing and Yun for the time being as they stood on the sidelines. Upon hearing my words, they were so surprised that their eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their heads. Fairsky opened her mouth and then closed it again, before finally managing to spit out a single word: Why? I knitted my eyebrows tightly, looking at Sunshine and wondering whether or not to reveal the fact that he was an NPC. In response Sunshine knitted his eyebrows in the same way. Allow me to exin, Prince, Sunshine said in a pained voice. Then tell me, why cant I love you? Fairsky asked with a trembling voice. I refuse to believe...I definitely refuse to believe that you dont have any feelings for me. After all, weve gotten along so well these past few days, havent we? Gotten along really well? When did this happen? I thought, frowning. No wonder the chances of us seeing Fairsky around Dg have been lower recently. She was actually off falling in love with someone else, Yun muttered to himself before the two females, Jing and I, quickly covered his mouth. But I have no way to love you. I cant possibly love you, I... Sunshine hadnt even finished his sentence when he was suddenly forcefully kissed by Fairsky. He was so shocked that his arms waved frantically, trying with all his might to push Fairsky away. But the games cruelty was in y here C a mages strength cannotpare to a thiefs. Meanwhile we, the three outsiders, stared open-mouthed at Sunshine as he was forcefully kissed without any guilt in our consciences. Then the scene which often appears in romance novels simply unfolded before our eyes: The person being forcefully kissed (usually the female lead, but in our situation it happened to be the opposite) begins by struggling for a while, but when they cant pull away, they helplessly allow themselves to be kissed, until finally they even begin to tightly embrace the person who is forcefully kissing them... Now Jing, Yun, and I stared dazedly at Sunshine and Fairsky hugging and French kissing each other, the two looking deeply intoxicated. Such deep feelings, how moving! Jing took out a handkerchief and began wiping questionably genuine tears away from the corners of her eyes. Yun patted my shoulder, winked and said, Dg, its not as if you need Fairsky, so why dont you just give her to Sunshine? Dont need, my foot. Thats not the point; the point is that Sunshine isnt even human! I yelled loudly. These two best friends of mine hadnt even grasped the circumstances! As I finished yelling, I noticed that Jing and Yun were staring directly behind me while wearing exceedingly awkward expressions. I turned around and saw that Fairsky had finally broken off that long make out session while I was speaking and was now standing behind me, visibly fuming. *SLAP* I was hit across the face with a force so great that I nearly sprained my neck. I misjudged you, Prince. Even if I dont like you any more, you shouldnt insult Sunshine and say that he isnt human. Fairsky held back tears, her disappointed gaze fixed upon me. This is a huge misunderstanding. I wasnt insulting him, I was only pointing out the truth, I thought, rubbing the painful area of my cheek. Fairsky, Prince is telling the truth, I really am not human, Sunshine said with great difficulty. Sunshine, why are you insulting yourself as well?! Fairskys expression changed to extreme disapproval as she shouted at Sunshine. Sunshine held Fairskys shoulders tightly and, with a level of agitation I had never seen before, said, Im not insulting myself, Fairsky. I am not of the human race: I am only a self-aware NPC. Fairsky froze for a long time. Then, with a tone of tremendous disbelief, she faintly said, What did you say? I am an NPC, Sunshine repeated, sounding pained. Thats impossible. Thats utterly impossible. How can you be an NPC? Youre lying to me! Fairsky yelled. Even if you dont like me, you dont have to lie to me like this! Fairsky, this is the truth. Sunshine and Kenshin are both my humanoid pets. The difference between them and regr NPCs is that theyve achieved self-awareness. I sternly shattered Fairskysst shred of hope. Short term suffering...is better than long-term suffering, right? How can this be...? Fairsky kneeled weakly on the ground, her tears falling like a broken string of pearls and her choking sobs heartbreaking to hear. Aside from allowing Fairsky to cry to her hearts content, there was nothing else we could do, so we stood dumbly off to the side. Fairsky... Sunshine knelt down next to her with a dismayed expression and Fairsky buried herself in his chest, crying her heart out. Im sorry. I didnt mean to intentionally hide it from you. Sunshine embraced Fairsky dearly, his eyes filled with infinite regret. Its your fault! Its all your fault for deceiving me! Fairsky began to violently and uncontrobly pound her fists against Sunshines chest, howling in sorrow. How can this be?! I even thought that I had finally found my true love! You big liar, why were you being so nice to me? So nice to the point that I couldnt help but fall in love with you, and only then do you tell me that youre an NPC! How do you expect me to ept all this?! Im sorry, I shouldnt have tricked you. Sunshine could only apologize profusely, his haggard expression a startling sight to behold. Seeing this pair, one crying like a waterfall and the other continuously ming himself, I felt pity towards them, and couldnt help but open my mouth tofort Fairsky. Fairsky, its not like Sunshine was doing it on purpose. Even though hes an NPC, Im sure his feelings for you are real and that he really wasnt deliberately trying to hide it from you. So theres no need to me him anymore. Beyond all expectations, Sunshine unyieldingly replied, No, this is precisely my fault. No matter what, I shouldnt have allowed Fairsky to get her feelings hurt. As Sunshine finished speaking, the sound of Fairskys sobs suddenly faded. She lifted her head with a captivated expression and the look in her eyes...was one that made my hair stand on end, as it had the sort of determination shown when putting ones life on the line. Sunshine, when all is said and done, do you love me or not? Sunshine gave a beautiful, mournful smile. (The description is strange, but believe me, there are no words more suitable.) Is it possible for me to love somebody? Fairsky, I am only a sequence of numbers, aputer program. I dont understand love, nor do I know whether or not I can love someone. Fairsky looked directly at Sunshine. Do you like being together with me? Sunshine stiffened slightly, and then nodded his head. Aside from me, is there anyone else whom you have the same feelings for? Sunshine firmly shook his head. Then, ignoring everything else, would you be willing to stay with me forever? Fairskys expression was one of extreme yearning. Sunshine considered this very seriously, and as I said before, he cannot tell lies, so he earnestly replied, I am willing. In fact, its one of my greatest desires to be able to spend an eternity with you, Fairsky. This is bad! My internal rm began ringing incessantly. Then I am willing as well, Fairsky said with a resolute expression. I dont care if youre a human or not. To me, you have more emotions than a human. I dont care whether or not you understand love. If you dont, then I will help you to understand it. But Fairsky, I dont have forever, and there is no way for me to stay with you forever. Sunshine had a happy but worried expression. After all, he was living a life that wasnt really a life, merely bound to a game system. People say its ok that we dont have forever, its more than enough that we have this time together. Regardless of what the future might be like, right now I just want to be with you! Do you understand? Fairsky asked. I understand. Sunshines smile was as radiant as his namesake. Uwaah, what a speech! Just live in the present. Its so moving! Jing held a handkerchief and was desperately blowing her nose. Ay, this is just fate, Dg, so dont rain on their parade any longer! Yun patted my shoulder once again. Hearing those two spouting nonsense, Sunshine and Fairsky spun around, looking at me with frightened yet longing expressions. It was the type of expression made by a daughter who is scared that her evil stepmother wont let her marry the person she loves... Hey, dont get me wrong, do you really think Im that cruel? I was also moved and so after robbing Jings handkerchief and blowing my nose with it, I said in a sobbing voice, Since neither of you have any objections, do as you please. Thats wonderful, Sunshine! Fairsky grabbed Sunshine, and then hugged and spun him around in circles, before once again forcefully kissing him. Fairsky, show some reservation... If not, at least consider the fact that there are three singles watching right over here. This kind of lovey-dovey disy will only make us die of envy. Prince, what on earth happened? Lolidragons voice suddenly came up on the PM channel, giving me a huge fright. I just heard a very strange rumor. Youre talking about Fairsky being in love with Sunshine, right? I replied helplessly, watching the happily spinning and kissing couple. So its true? Lolidragon sounded dumbfounded, as though she had just heard that her Chanel brand products were fake. Have you told her that Sunshine is an NPC? I told her, but after she finished crying, she said she didnt care and the two of them are currently reveling in the celebration of their love. Celebration, my foot! Lolidragon abruptly bellowed, almost deafening me. This situation is very serious! Think about it; even if Second Lifecould exist forever, the news that Sunshine is self-aware can get out at any time. If Sunshine then gets erased, what would Fairsky do? But those two said they dont care about what happens in the future and just want to live in the present... I frowned, thinking, Even if they did say that, if Sunshine were to disappear then Fairsky would definitely be very heartbroken, wouldnt she? And also, no matter how self-aware Sunshine may be, he is still only a sequence of numbers. Perhaps he simply cannot understand the meaning of love. Lolidragons tone grew progressively worse. I considered this calmly. I think he understands. How would you know? I interrupted Lolidragon and said with conviction, Fairsky is very sincere about this, and I think that if Sunshine doesnt understand what love is, theres no way that he could have made Fairsky fall in love with him this seriously. Theres nothing we can do about it. Lolidragon was silent for a while, before slowly saying, No matter what, this situation is bound to end up in tragedy, Prince. Maybe a miracle will happen. I gave a spective look at the couple drunk with happiness, although even I was not putting much faith in the chances of such a miracle happening. Okay then, well leave Fairskys situation alone for now. After all, we dont have any other ideas. It seems as if Lolidragon has more she wants to say? Lolidragon took a deep breath before continuing. Prince, I have something important to tell you: Second Life is going to have a great patch. A...great...patch? I repeated as I froze. A patch? I havent even yed through the game thoroughly and its already going to have an update patch? Yeah, and the biggest change is that the three pre-programmed cities, Sun, Star, and Moon, are going to be opened for yer invasion, Lolidragon said excitedly, Right now everyone is discussing which city theyll invade first, and they all agreed that they will wait for the liege lords decision. Prince, can we capture Star City? I love the European feel of Star City! Were going to invade cities? My expression changed slightly. Infinite City has only just finished construction and we already have to invade more cities? Seems like I really have a life of hard work; I cant even rest for half a moment. Yes, Infinite Citys Liege Lord, and this time you better not sneakily disappear again, Lolidragon replied mockingly. I shrugged. As long as Nan Gong Zui doesnt ask me to go drinking again, I think I can obediently stay in Infinite City this time. [? Prince Volume 4 Chapter 11 End] Footnotes ...say that he isnt human: (b sh rn), literally Not human. This is amon insult in Chinese that means the person doesnt have any human conscience anymore, or that the person is an animal. The description is strange, but believe me, there are no words more suitable.: This a real sentence from Yu Wo. The description is strange in Chinese because it is usually used to describe a female smile. Volume 4 Chapter 11.5 Volume 4 Chapter 11.5 Extra Chapter: The Sun should Shine in the Fair Sky Stop being annoying. I will definitely be the spokesperson, but whether or not you want to perform is up to you! Prince angrily rebuked. Even after she had run away, she could still vividly see Princes impatient face as he scolded her. Prince really stepped over the line this time. I like him so much, but how can he be such a yboy? And he even epts both males and females! Fairsky cursed as she cried. The strong words that Prince had used had really hurt her. I ran away so long ago... Why hasnt anyone chased after me yet? Fairsky wondered, looking over her shoulder as she ran. Dont tell me that they really dont want me anymore? Thats bad! Fairsky started to run back anxiously. Pow! She crashed into someone else as she ran around a corner. Hey! Dont you know that you should open your eyes and look around when you are walking? Fairsky scolded angrily as she massaged her red and painfully swollen forehead. Fairsky, its me, Sunshine, the man shed crashed into said. As a physically weak mage, Sunshine had sustained far greater damage than Fairsky, and was in a state of dizziness. If it werent for Fairskys familiar loud voice, he wouldnt have even realized it was her who he had crashed into. Fairsky finally saw that the dying person lying on the ground was one of her own teammates. Sunshine? Why are you here? Fairsky asked. I came to find you. Sunshine replied as he slowly got back to his feet. So only you came to get me... I dont want to go back, Fairsky said while childishly refusing to get up from the ground. When she thought about how everyone didnt care about her, her heart filled with resentment and her eyes started to moisten. We were really overdue for the start of our concert, so everyone had to go perform first, Sunshine exined gently. I dont care. I wont go back. No one likes me anyway. As Fairsky spoke, tears started to fall from her eyes. Thats right; Prince has always disliked me for being unreasonable, while Phoenix, Wicked, and Gui are my love rivals. There are people who like you. Like me; I like you very much, Sunshine said, smiling. He had always thought that this girl who liked to shout and voice her opinions loudly was interesting. She always speaks her mind and expresses her feelings honestly, not like others whothink one thing and say another. Those people really give me a headache. Hearing such a straightforward answer from Sunshine, even an outspoken girl like Fairsky couldnt help but blush and say, You are lying! Im so udylike! I dont know where to draw the line when I speak, Im not as pretty as Lolidragon or Phoenix, and Im always being unreasonable...! As she listed out her shorings, Fairsky realized that she really did have many faults and began to sob. No wonder no one likes me. But if they want me to be gentle like Phoenix, or charming and beautiful like Lolidragon, I cant do that either. Is it my fate to never have a ce in Princes heart? Sunshine couldnt help butugh as he watched Fairsky ignoring him and sinking into depression by herself. Shes really a cute girl, he thought. But you are honest, not like others who always hide their real feelings, he said. Really...? Fairsky asked doubtfully in a quiet voice. But everyone else said I was being unreasonable like this. You are unreasonable. If you werent unreasonable, you wouldnt be you, Sunshine replied with a smile. What? I am not unreasonable! Fairskys temper red up again. Well its true. If Wicked wasnt always serious, he wouldnt be Wicked. If Gui stopped being weird, he wouldnt be Gui either. Furthermore, there is Kenshin. Sunshineughed aloud. If one day Kenshin suddenly became a chatterbox, I probably would think he had gone crazy. Sunshine continued gently, This is why your honesty is the most appealing part about you, Fairsky. Dont force yourself to be gentle, because you would lose your shine if you did that. Really? Being spoken of by Sunshine like that, Fairsky blushed uncharacteristically. Yes! Sunshine nodded with conviction. Fairsky stood up with a pouting mouth and said reluctantly, Ok then, lets go back. Ok. Sunshine smiled again while taking out his flying carpet, preparing for the rescue operation that the band would need. If they werete, those four people might even have all their clothes torn off, likest time, when Prince nearly suffered such a fate... You are such a weird person, always smiling. Whats so funny? Fairsky continued to nag even as she got on the flying carpet. Sunshine answered her with augh, Since there is nothing to be sad about, of course I will smile. What a weird person, Fairsky mumbled, and yet she liked Sunshines warm smile a lot. Fairsky was prepared to take a walk in the city in order to find a suitable site for building the bookshop. But Prince, being a glutton, was never going to abandon his food in favor of apanying her for a walk in the city. Fairskyined quietly to herself, I wonder why Prince loves to eat so much... Gui asked me to go look by myself. Hmph, as if no one knows he just wanted to stay by Princes side a moment more. Fairsky pouted, reluctantly preparing to find a site alone. Hearing Fairskys sulking mumble, Sunshineughed and said, Why dont I go with you? At Sunshines words, Fairskys intive eyes immediately became pleading. Are you really willing to go with me? she asked. Of course I am. Kenshin, do you want to go as well? After Sunshine answered Fairsky, he turned to look at Kenshin, who was being cold and quiet as usual. Kenshin shook his head. No. Is that so? Then lets go, Fairsky. Sunshine looked at Fairsky with a smile, while thetters heart suddenly began to beat faster for no apparent reason. Sunshine, where do you think the best ce to build the bookstore would be? Fairsky asked while hugging Sunshines arm happily. Should we build the bookstore in somewhere remote for the quiet, tranquil atmosphere, or in the downtown area where there is a lot of traffic? Cant we build at both sites? Sunshine asked, puzzled. Build at both sites? Fairsky repeated while her innate business mind started to race. He has a point. Both bookstores target different people. We can build a normal bookshop in the downtown area first, and then when the first bookshop bes popr, we can build another bookshop and cafbination at somewhere quiet. Sunshine, you are too clever. After deciding on the sites, Fairsky was so happy that she forgot herself and she hugged and kissed Sunshine. Is that so? Sunshine was totally mystified, but he still touched the cheek that had been kissed while smiling foolishly. Honestly, Infinite City is getting busier with each passing moment. It will definitely be a sessful city, Fairskymented as she cheerfully watched the people around her walking on the streets that she had designed together with Gui, praising the beauty of Infinite City. She felt touched that this peaceful time had arrived after all the hardships she had gone through. Lets go and take a walk in the city square! Fairsky suggested. The fountain in the city square is very beautiful. When I saw the design drawn by Gui, I swore to myself I would definitely go and take a look at it once it was built. Although Gui is a weird guy, a gay, and shamelessly tries to fight over Prince with me...his talent is the real thing. Sure, I want to take a look too, Sunshine answered. Wow! There are so many people here! Fairsky gasped in surprise at the sea of people. Of course. This is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Infinite City after allthe Wishing Fountain of Love, Passerby A suddenly said from beside them. The Wishing Fountain of Love? Both Fairsky and Sunshine were stunned. Since when did it have a name like that? Yes. Rumor has it that if a couple throws coins into the fountain and the fountain sprays water, they will be granted eternal love. Thats why everyone is queuing up to throw coins, Passerby A exined. Is there such a thing? Fairsky asked in puzzlement. This rumor was spread by Yu Lian, Sunshine remembered. He whispered gently in Fairskys ear, She said that this is a good way to earn money as people in love always have a lower IQ. Oh, I see. But now we cant see what the fountain looks like, Fairsky said while eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of the fountain from afar. Since we dont have other important things to do, why dont we queue up to see the fountain too? Fairsky suggested. Sure, Sunshine dly agreed. He always liked to stay in ces where people gathered, to observe them. After waiting for an extremely long timeuntil the sky had grown dark and the light of the stars shone upon the groundFairsky and Sunshine finally saw the fountain. Despite thete hour, the two were actually lucky because the fountains entire beauty could only be revealed at night. So beautiful! Fairsky couldnt help but exim as she finally fulfilled her wish to stand beside the fountain. The fountain itself was shaped like a crescent moon and was made of a fully transparent material that had a silvery, sparkling powder encased in it. The silvery sparkling powder looked like stars hiding inside the fountain, winking at people who passed by. Over the top of the central water column was a gentle yellow sun, which bathed the city square in its soft, gentle light, giving the whole city square a romantic atmosphere. It was no wonder that couples in love would have lower IQs here. Lets throw coins too. Seeing other couples doing so, Sunshine couldnt help but want to dig out some coins as well. Alright. The money is going back to Infinite City anyway, Fairsky said as she failed to suppress herughter. Even if we dont throw the coins, they will eventually get robbed by Yu Lian anyway. We should throw one together. Everyone else is doing it like this, Sunshine noted while taking Fairskys hands and cing a coin in the middle of their cupped palms. He didnt notice Fairskys blushing red face as they did this. On the other hand, even if he did notice Fairskys red face, he probably wouldnt understand what was happening anyway. Throw! both of them shouted together. As the coin touched the surface of the water, a water column unexpectedly started to spray, and the lovely water dance was activated. While the graceful streams of water danced in the fountain, surrounding people gave them looks of blessing or envy. Fairsky and Sunshine both looked helplessly at each other with red faces and embarrassed expressions. All of it was a coincidence! Wasnt it? Sunshine, what would you do if you loved a person very much, but that person didnt love you? Fairsky asked while licking the Tanghulushe had just bought. Sunshine was happily eating ice cream at her side. After some thought, Sunshine answered, I have never loved a person before, so I dont know what Id do. Youve never been in love before? Fairsky asked, astonished. Impossible! Sunshine, who looks like hes twenty-years-old or older, has never loved anyone before? I dont think so. What kind of feeling is love? Sunshine asked in bewilderment. He couldnt help it. After all, it had been only half a year since he had gained self-awareness. Furthermore, he had never been outside of Demon Cave until two months ago. He couldnt have understood what love is in such a short time. However, Fairsky was startled too. What is love? She answered with slight hesitation, If you love someone very much, you think of that person all the time, you want to stay by that persons side, and when you are at that persons side, youre very happy... I see. So Fairsky must like staying with Prince a lot? When youre together with Prince, youre very happy? Sunshine asked Fairsky in response. Fairsky was totally stunned. Am I really happy? When she thought back, it seemed like she was always angry over Princes attitude toward her, and she had to be the love rival of Phoenix, whom she actually got along with. It seemed that...she wasnt happy at all? Fairsky? Sunshine asked, looking at her uncertainly after not hearing an answer for a long time. Unexpectedly, he found that there were tears flowing down Fairskys cheeks. He couldnt refrain from reaching out and wiping the tears off her face with his hand, asking, What is the matter? Why are you crying? I...I suddenly realized that when Im with Prince, Im not happy at all, Fairsky replied in a choked voice. Isnt everything fine then if you dont stay with Prince? Sunshine asked her, slightly puzzled as to why she continued to do something that didnt make her happy. But...but... Fairsky was reluctant. I have chased after Prince for so long. If I give up now, it would be such a pity. Moreover, Fairsky, you neverugh when you are at Princes side! I think you are more beautiful when you areughing! Sunshine said with a brilliant smile. Just like this. Really? Im prettier like this? Fairsky asked while she unconsciously started to smile too. Yes, Sunshine said with conviction. Fairsky continued to smile and said, somewhat touched, Sunshine, Im always very happy being with you! Are you happy too when you go out together with me? Im very happy, Sunshine answered without even faltering, and then he seemed to abruptly realize something. Oh! I like to stay with Fairsky a lot, and I cant wait for every date with Fairsky. Am I in love with Fairsky then? What nonsense are you saying?! Fairsky eximed with apletely red face. Sunshine always says whatever he wants without some consideration beforehand! Hes even gutsier than me! It isnt love? Sunshine asked, slightly disappointed, as he had thought he had finally understood what love is. Both of them walked in silence for some time, until Fairsky couldnt take it anymore and asked, Do you really, really like being with me? I like it very much, Sunshine said, nodding firmly. When she saw that Sunshine answered her question without even a slight wavering, Fairsky blushed so deeply that even her ears turned red. She asked in a stuttering voice, T-then do you have any other person whom you like more than me? Sunshine thought hard and answered, I like Prince very much too, as he is also easy to get along with... He likes Prince? Is he a gay too? Fairsky heart started to sink... But, I like being with Fairsky more, because its easier to guess what you are thinking about than Prince, since you express everything on your face, Sunshine exined with a smile. Hahaha, Fairskys ever-changing expression always makes me feel likeughing. I do not! Fairsky denied loudly. I totally dont express all my emotion on my face. Dont you? Sunshine couldnt help butugh out loud. Then who is this person whos pouting right now? Stupid, of course I dont, Fairsky answered. She was so embarrassed that she became angry and pped Sunshines back forcefully. Ouch, thats painful! Dont hit me; Im only saying the truth, Sunshine said,ughing loudly as he dodged Fairskys deadly ps. As she watched Sunshine protect his back with both of his hands while retreating backwards and watching her cautiously, Fairsky couldnt help but chase him while yelling, Dont run, let me hit you! Ive caught you! Fairsky ruthlessly pounced on Sunshine as though as she was a hungry tiger pouncing onto amb, knocking Sunshine on to the ground. Looking at Sunshines brilliant smile, Fairsky couldnt refrain from smiling too. She buried her face into Sunshines chest and repeated firmly, Ive caught you. Ive caught you too, Sunshine said, as he hugged Fairsky back and ruffled her hair happily. [? Prince Volume 4 Extra Chapter End] Footnotes: Tanghulu: A traditional winter snack. Please refer to for more information. Volume 5 Chapter 1 Volume 5 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: The Title of the Undefeatable King C tranted by Evangeline Fairsky, have your feelings really changed? Gee, I never realized that Sunshine was such a charmer. He had Fairsky in his grasp before we even noticed. As soon as we returned to Infinite City, everyone gathered around us and bombarded Fairsky and Sunshine with questions. The embarrassed and cornered couple had no choice but to answer the rush of interrogations. Everyones faces were grinning with their blessings for Sunshine and Fairsky. Only Lolidragon, who knew the whole story, wasnt grinning. I spied her sighing from the corner of my eye. In any case, we wish the two of you all the best! Everyoneughed joyously. Th-thanks everyone, Fairsky stammered. Okay, thats enough. Stop embarrassing Fairsky and Sunshine, everyone. Nowe and listen to Lolidragons exnation of thetest patch for Second Life. Wolf-dg grinned and beckoned to us. Everyone quieted down and looked at Lolidragon, and so she started to exin the details of the patch. The main focus of this new patch is making Second Life more realistic. Somemon aspects of everyday life that werent necessary before are now required. For example, previously in the game, you didnt have to shower or bathe because your body would never get dirty, but after the patch is installed, if you didnt shower after a day of fighting, the stench would be unbearable. Take a bath? I suddenly remembered, Even though I am a guy, I have never seen my manhood before. If we have to start taking baths, wouldnt I have to look at it? Ahem... I never thought that the first time I would see one of those things (not including the incident where I collected the dragon ones for gold), would be on myself. Whoa, I cant even begin to exin my emotions... Prince, if you are afraid to wash that part of your body, I can help you! Just rx and spread your legs... Lolidragons sarcastic remarks drifted over the PM channel. Hey! Spread my legs?! I thought, Are you delivering a baby? I couldnt stop myself from rolling my eyes at Lolidragon. But you still have to go to the toilet by yourself, Lolidragon muttered to no one in particr. What? I need to go to the toilet too? My mind went nk for a moment. So I would have to experience using my XXX when I go to the toilet as well? Second, except for the ones involved in training, the NPC poption is going to be decreased. For instance, the NPC shopkeepers in the Sun, Moon and Star cities will disappear eventually and be reced by real yers. When she saw that I was still mulling over the previous topic, Lolidragon giggled to herself and then continued her exnation. After she had finished her sentence, Yu Lian-ds?o frowned. Although it wouldnt cost any more money to hire yers over NPCs, they will be harder to manage. Yu Lian-ds?o muttered, wondering to herself whether the patch was good or bad news. Finally, Lolidragon uttered the most important part of the exnation. I think the most important change in the patch is that Sun, Moon and Star City will be open for conquering by yers. So, the rumors are true. Wolf-dg grinned. What does everyone have in mind? Thats obvious! Of course we should go and conquer them! A spark danced in White Birds eyes, as if she had been waiting for this moment all her life. Conquer the three cities; unite the Central Continent! Nan Gong Zui tossed down the eight words strongly. The determination and passion which shone clearly in his eyes had infected the others as well, causing everyones heartbeats to speed up with joy and excitement. Ugh! Another war? Looks like my dream of getting some rest isnt possible anymore...Sob! Why am I so unlucky?! I had justpleted my work and then another pile of tasks appeared. Im going to die from overwork! I listened morosely to everyone else discussing how to take down the cities. Thankfully everyone knows that I am a military idiot, so it makes no difference whether or not I listen to the discussion... But, as the Liege Lord, I cant just go and take a nap, right? Though I really do want to.... The first thing we should do is to decide on a n of attack. With the three cities open for conquering, there are probably a lot of other yers who are nning to take them down too, but we have a very significant advantage over them C Infinite Citys military is making very quick progress these days. This is all thanks to the Infinite Band, and especially to our lord. White Bird bowed to me graciously, which shocked me enough to make me sit upright and nod my head slightly in return. This is weird; it gives me the creeps every time I see White Birds respectful attitude towards me.... White Bird continued, I think that if we take down one of the cities first, it will only be a matter of time before we conquer the other two cities as well. Hmm, if we are attacking just one city, which one would be the best choice? Broken Sword thought out loud. How about Moon City? Nan Gong Zui suggested. Moon City used to be the Righteous des base, so its familiar territory to us, which would be a great help in battle. Yeah! Let take down Moon City! Everyone roared excitedly. Moon City, is it? I stood up, looking in the direction of Moon City. So that venerable city with the ancient Chinese themed atmosphere is also going to be baptized with the fires of war? How sad.... Lolidragons insensitive voice echoed out, If you are trying to look in the direction of Moon City, then I am sorry to inform you that you are looking in the exact opposite direction. ...So, what should I do? Automatically ignoring Lolidragon, I turned to ask Nan Gong Zui. Prince, whats your current level? Zui suddenly asked me. Let me see. Gee, its been so long since I checked my own level I almost forgot that such a thing exists. I called up the system menu and read out truthfully, Level 76! Level 76? That ranks around the hundredth ce in the yer rankings. Nan Gong Zui thought out loud, and then he turned to me, I dont think your level is high enough. Of the five liege lords who won and gained their ownnd in each of the East, West, South, North and Central Continents, your level seems to be the lowest, White Bird said carefully with a frown, as if she were worried that her words would anger me. Is that so? Iughed foolishly. Its not my fault! After the tournament, I went to East Continent and during the time I spent there, I was either helping Jing and Yun level up or I was running around the continent trying to solve hidden quests. I barely gained any levels during that time. Whats even worse was, during the month of the busking tour, I didnt even manage to train half a levels worth.... Actually, finding out that I had only dropped down to the hundredth ce in the list, I should be chuckling secretly. Hence, my lord, please raise your level. We will arrange for some people to dedicate themselves to helping you train, White Bird requested very politely. Arrange for some people? Cant I just go train with Odd Squad? All in all, I was more familiar with the members of Odd Squad and having our natural coordination would be best. White Bird looked troubled. The members of Odd Squad have important roles in the military and administrative departments, so they may not have the time to train with you. Is that so? I felt a little down. I wonder how long it has been since Ist trained with everyone in Odd Squad? Prince, dont be disappointed. We wille and find you once we have some free time. Wolf-dgughed and pped me heartily on the back. Well, at least Gui, Wicked, and Phoenix will go with me, right? I asked, turning toward those three. I want to go with His HighnessC Gui didnt even finish his sentence before Fairsky and Sunshine gagged him and dragged him away. Youve got to be kidding! The amount of work piling up in the Construction Department is enough to bury me, and yet you want to sneak out? Sunshine, make sure you grab Gui firmly; if he dares to move so much as a finger, bombard him with magic until he cannot move again! Fairsky ordered Sunshine with self-righteous indignation, and Sunshine followed her orders obediently like a whipped husband. This harmonious couple shares such deep bonds... I... Wicked had barely spoken a word when suddenly Nan Gong Zui and Broken Sword both rested their hands on his shoulder and smiled warmly. Is it just me, or are their eyes saying Dont even dream about it; you will never step out of this castle! Surrender to your fate! Phoenix didnt even dare utter a single word. Though in all fairness, even I wouldnt dare go against Yu Lian-ds?os feminine prowess! So, I will be training alone? I looked at the trio, the disappointment obvious in my eyes. Liege Lord, we will arrange for some other yers to go with you, White Bird said once again, looking slightly troubled. But I hope that my lord can exude an aura of royalty in front of those people so as to avoid disappointing our subordinates. I showed a troubled expression as well and asked in confusion, How do I exude an aura of royalty? Basically, just put on your blood elf fa?ade, and youll be fine, Lolidragon exined. Maintaining that tiresome pose for the entire time? I sighed. The blood elf isnt even the real me! Why does everyone like the fake me? Its an honor to train with you, Liege Lord! Looking at the five pairs of eyes sparkling with adoration and reverence, I wondered how many times I had sighed in my mind. Luckily, XiMen Feng, who was standing to the side, wasnt also sending looks of adoration at me. Unfortunately, his/her hateful expression wasnt exactly soothing, either. By Commander White Birds orders, we have to give all we have in order to help our lord level up, so our first and primary focus is the Liege Lord. Does everyone understand? the leading warrior called out to the rest. Of course! Our lord is the most important person, so in times of danger, I will heal the lord first. Dont me me if the rest of you die in the process. The one speaking this time was, of course, a priest. The excessive reverence in his eyes made me feel that I was in the shrine of the Goddess of the Sea. Dont worry my lord, we will protect you carefully and will prevent any monster from even touching you! The archer vowed to me with unflinching determination. Hey! Youll prevent any monster from touching me? How the heck am I going to level up then? I felt absolutely exasperated in my heart. Hmph! The Liege Lord doesnt need protection from the likes of you; the best you could possibly do is not to be a burden to our lord. The mage nced past the others with a frosty re, and then turned to fix a fiery, fervent look upon me. After all, our lord is the strongest and undefeatable king. He has never lost before. Youre right. My lord, please excuse our indiscretion. Unexpectedly, the others werent angered at all. They just continued to fix their adoring gazes on me. Undefeatable King? Are those people lying through their teeth? I couldnt even count the number of times I had died. Plus, I even died twice in front of the audience during the tournament. Is this what you call undefeatable? Not to mention the strongest! I cant even guarantee that I can win when fighting against Wicked or Nan Gong Zui, and dont forget about Kenshin who could dissect me like a living specimen with a casual wave of his hand. Moreover, didnt White Bird say that currently out of the five liege lords, my level is the lowest? Sob! The more I think about it, the more I feel my own weakness. I better go level up! Ignoring the five adoring gazesing from their hosts, I said ndly, Lets go. Pretty boy, I for one, would never concede that you are undefeatable. XiMen Feng whispered disdainfully, One day, I will beat you, but before then, you better not lose to anyone else. Yeah, yeah, I waved my hand, irritated. XiMen Feng snorted and then fell silent. The serpent king, the so-called king of all snakes, is not quite a boss-level monster. However, deep in the snake abyss, there are many of these physically imposing, surprisingly strong, lightning-fast and venomous-fanged serpent kings. I decided to take on this kind of annoying monster because it would be a challenge to defeat and since I had been out of practice for so long. After all, in a game like Second Life, its not all about leveling up. The most important thing is making the best use of ones own abilities. This kind of monster is strong and hardly gives any experience points... Ya sure this is what you wanna take on, kid? XiMen Feng looked at the serpent king doubtfully. Yep, I want to practice. The serpent king is not easy to kill and doesnt give much experience points, so there arent many yers here. When there isnt anyone around to steal your prey, isnt it the best time to cut loose and enjoy yourself? I raised my eyebrows at XiMen Feng. In the meantime, I had already targeted an isted serpent king. No wonder hes the lord! He even thinks differently from normal people. I dont know who said that, but all five people nodded their heads and then five pairs of admiring gazes turned on me again. Ovee by a splitting headache, I was almost at my limit. All I could do was pretend that the gazes of admiration were invisible and wave to XiMen Feng, who was the only one not staring at me with glittering eyes. Hey hot babe XiMen Feng, time to train. Damn! Does the pretty boy here not understand human speech? Im a guy, you brat! How many times do I need to tell you? XiMen Feng roared unhappily as usual while raising his sword to advance upon the serpent king with me. May I ask, my lord, how might we assist you? The warrior of the group asked me, surprised and confused. You guys can go off to practice too. If I need healing, I wille and find you, I replied apathetically. Wouldnt it better if I just follow you, my lord? The priest added quickly. No need, I said dismissively with a wave of my hand. Are you kidding? Being followed by that pair of admiring eyes, I will feel uneasy from head to toe, so dont even mention doing any more training under that gaze. If the lord says so, then very well. The five showed very disappointed expressions and then walked away very slowly while ncing back at me with grieving expressions. If a stranger walked by at that moment, they probably would have guessed that I had just rejected five lovers. Finally, when the five-man team was out of sight, I heaved a sigh of relief, messaged my frozen facial muscles, and then changed back to my normal,x expression. XiMen Feng looked at me and shook his head with exasperation, Gee, I really want to show this expression to those five idiots. If they see this, I refuse to believe that they would continue to admire you and say, my lord this and my lord that. Sure, go call them over. I yawnedzily and added, That is, if youre not afraid of White Bird giving you the axe. Sonny, I aint afraid of that female bird, XiMen Feng snorted. I raised my eyebrows. White Bird and Yu Lian-ds?o are very close! As I thought, as soon as Yu Lian-ds?os name was mentioned, even XiMen Feng stopped arguing back and began to sulk quietly; he didnt even dare to utter sonny onest time. Now that were on this topic, I have to go off on a bit of a tangent. Why is XiMen Feng so afraid of Yu Lian-ds?o? Think back to when XiMen Feng joined Infinite City. His first job was given to him by Yu Lian-ds?o. Remember what I mentioned before? I dont know why, but the fans absolutely loved the little unexpected fight scene during the first concert, so XiMen Feng was ordered to go on stage and challenge me at every subsequent concert. I remembered that when XiMen Feng first received Yu Lian-ds?os order, he said, Not a chance, sonny! Yu Lian-ds?o smiled that faint, menacing smile of hers... As I stood off to the side, it made me think that XiMen Feng had just met his end. Yu Lian-ds?o said, Hmm? I thought that you came to Infinite City to challenge Prince? Thats why I arranged this job for you C I had thought that you would be delighted to ept! Or... perhaps you have been beaten into submission by our undefeatable Prince already, and are afraid to challenge him ever again? Hearing that, XiMen Feng exploded in a fit of anger, Thats sphemy! The word fear is not even in my vocabry, sonny! Thus, XiMen Feng became the concerts biggest clown. He got pummeled by me into a pulp every time, and there were even people in the audience who yelled, Harder! and Not enough blood!, etc., forcing me to use more and more force on him every time. The second incident that made XiMen Feng realize that the deadly Yu Lian-ds?o was not someone who could be trifled with urred when the book shop had finished being constructed. Yu Lian-ds?o thought that there werent enough books in the shop. Since Fairsky and Phoenix are girls, they couldnt expose too much for the sake of attracting more male readers. So, someone who looked pretty good as a babe in the daytime was roped into making a swimsuit edition photo album. And thats not all. Yu Lian-ds?o thought that since there were no muscle men in the Infinite Band, we wouldnt be able to attract any readers who love muscle men. So, she roped in someone who looks muscr at night to snap a second photo album. Its actually kind of disgusting, seeing all those bouncing chest muscles. I really dont know why anyone would like that type of body... Ahem, I didnt peek on purpose! I really, really didnt! Thinking of those incidents, I turned around and looked at hot babe XiMen Feng, barely suppressing myughter. Pretty boy! What the hell are youughing about? XiMen Feng looked suspiciously at my weird expression. I quickly straightened up my face. N-nothing at all, lets continue training! Finishing my sentence, I ignored XiMen Fengs confused expression and headed off to attack another serpent king. I felt much better. Oh well, at least my situation is still a bit better than hot babe XiMen Fengs. Walking up behind the serpent, I felt the excitement build up as I watched its towering stature. I caressed ck Dao gently, My friend, its been a long time since youve tasted fresh blood. Sorry for putting you through that, so now, enjoy the feast! With a swish I unsheathed ck Dao, and then suddenly thought up a mischievous idea. With one foot, I casually stepped on the serpent kings tail, making it stick its long tongue quite far out as it winced from the pain. It turned around with its mouth wide open. When it saw me, it narrowed its slit-like eyes a little and then lunged towards me, intent on biting off my head. Iughed coldly, and effortlessly escaped the blow by dodging to the left. Afterwards, I caught a glimpse of its tail sweeping towards me with full force. With a pivot of the toes, I leapt over the tail, and fiercely stabbed ck Dao towards the serpents head. Before I could cut its head open, the serpent king turned and lunged towards me again. In one motion, I lowered my head to dodge while simultaneously using ck Dao to cleave the serpent king in two equal halves from the throat down. Finally, I turned back and also cut off the head, closing my eyes and letting the warm blood spray on my face. I opened my eyes, wiped off the blood from my face, and sighed. At longst, I get to fight to my hearts content again. Damn! Are you retarded, kid? Why would you make yourself dripping with blood all over? XiMen Feng stared in astonishment at the blood covering my entire face and body. I wagged a finger and asked him impishly, Do you recall what my nickname is? Blood Elf... XiMen Feng replied automatically, and then scratched his head. Oh, so thats why you are called the blood elf. So, the pretty boy has this kind of perverted hobby. Whos perverted? This is called blood lust, and its cool, got it? I replied, puckering my mouth. XiMen Feng gave me a universal hand signal C a fist with only the middle finger sticking up. Cool? If anyone calls that cool, I will cut off my own head to make soup for you, damn it. Ultra-cool.... the words echoed out from behind me. I turned around to see that the five-man team was back. The female yers eyes kept popping out as hearts, and the guys stood with clutched fists and eyes full of admiration and excitement. All that was left for them to do was to kneel down and yell, All hail the king! I sighed in my heart. It looks like I wont be able to train freely today. As I thought, I couldnt help but talk down to XiMen Feng, saying, Hey, go make that soup! Liege Lord, how goes the training? Just as we arrived at the foot of Infinite City, we saw Lolidragon and Kong Kong busy with their nting...of traps, that is. Lolidragon was so worn out that she only gave me a supercilious look as a greeting. Despite being quite weary himself, Kong Kong still waved and asked after me cheerfully. Not bad, I replied stuffily and walked past, followed by the five-man team of admirers and XiMen Feng, who was still considering whether he should keep his promise of lopping his head off to make soup for me. Kong Kong looked at the five people, and yelled, Its not every day that you get a chance to go train with our Liege Lord C did you guys make yourselves useful? And did any of you learn anything after seeing our lord in battle? Of course! We examined very carefully the Liege Lords every move! The warrior replied quickly. The lord is so powerful! He really deserves the title of undefeatable king! the female mages fiery passionate eyes never strayed from me. The undefeatable king? What a fitting name! Kong Kongs eyes sparkled, as if that phrase were used to describe himself. He gloated with pleasure, I dont mean to brag about our lord, but the day the Blood Elf falls is the day that gold rains down from the sky. The five people nodded their heads in earnest as soon as the words left his mouth. Lolidragons voice drifted over the PM channel, Undefeatable king? If Kong Kongs words were true, I would probably would have gotten my skull cracked open from all that gold a long time ago, and Yu Lian-ds?o wouldnt have any more financial problems. Hey, at least we never really suffered an actual defeat. Dont we always win in the end? Lolidragon smirked coldly, and asked nonchntly, Anyway, whats wrong? I noticed that you looked a little pale when you came back. Were those five yers too weak? Were they being a burden? Should I tell White Bird to pick a different group for you? Distressed, I replied with a sigh, It has nothing to do with their strength. Its just that they admire me way too much, and it makes me feel uneasy all over. Hah, White Bird picked them to help you train precisely because she saw that they all admire you deeply and werent all that weak. Has that decision backfired? Lolidragon asked, holding back augh. Oh please. Do you realize they were just one step shy of buying me some incense and fruit to worship at my altar? I groused. Who would want to be given offerings as if they were the Jade Emperor? I can see what you mean. Lolidragon and I listened to the five of them having a heated discussion with Kong Kong about my miracles, wondering whether they were actually talking about me or about the Lord Jesus Christ. In the end, Lolidragon said, Well, if you dont like this team, you should take it up with White Bird. Yeah, I said as I listened to the group beside me saying how during one particr instance, I had parted the Red Sea. I thought to myself, I have to get White Bird to change this team for me. Liege Lord! White Bird dashed over the moment I arrived at the castle. She didnt wait for a reply and instead hastily but respectfully continued on, Liege Lord, there are two adventurers teams that wish to join us. Please go meet the team leaders! Oh, okay, I said with a hint of disappointment. I was originally nning on taking a break at the Infinite Restaurant. Liege Lord, please go find Phoenix and get your new cape first. White Bird bowed and rushed off to who knows where. I didnt know what my dream cape will be like, but I suppressed my excitement and rushed off to find Phoenix. Phoenix! I charged into the office, yelling her name. Phoenix, who had been working hard with her head buried in the ounting record, turned and looked up at me with surprise. Then, she asked exuberantly, Does Prince need anything from me? With sparkling eyes, I asked in suspense, The cape! Where is my cape? When Phoenix heard what I wanted, she let out a disappointed, Oh, and took out a big parcel from her antique bag and gave it to me. Even though Phoenixs expression seemed a bit off, I wasnt too bothered. I snatched the parcel and started to rip it apart. Whoa! I eximed in surprise. This cape is nothing like the superhero cape I had in mind. Instead, this thick, velvety red cape lined with white fur is exactly like- like the kind that a king would wear to his coronation, the ones that trail a few meters behind the person! I chose the fabric! Phoenix announced happily. Oh... But, isnt this overdoing it? I finally said only after taking a very deep breath. Dont you like it though? Phoenix asked. Its not bad, I answered with a shrug. Is that so? Suddenly Phoenixs spirit seemed to sink a whole new level, and she became dead silent. At that moment, Yu Lian-ds?o came in and asked me with a smile, How is it? Its... I hesitated, Isnt it kind of over the top? It will bring out your aura of royalty! Yu Lian-ds?o finished and then added with a hint of exasperation, It was made to suit White Birds tastes. I would have preferred to just use a simpler fabric, you know, to save money. But its fine like this. After all, you will be meeting plenty more people in the future and there will be a whole mess of ceremonies and such, so it would be good to have a cape that looks more dignified, Yu Lian-ds?o said thoughtfully. Ceremonies? When I was just about to ask, White Bird charged up to us with a panicked look. Without a word, she helped me put on the cape and then praised me respectfully, The cape suits you, Liege Lord. Please go meet the two adventurer team leaders in the main hall now. Oh. I replied absent-mindedly to White Bird while carefully inspecting every detail of the cape that I was now wearing. White Bird panicked even more, Liege Lord, please hurry. They have been waiting for a long time. Alright, then lets go. I shrugged and walked towards the main hall with White Bird following closely behind. Please dont forget about your demeanor, Liege Lord. White Bird looked at myzy expression with worry. Yeah, I know. I stretchedzily, closed my eyes and breathed deeply. When I opened my eyes again, I had a shadow of a smile on my face, but my eyes had an intimidating stare capable of freezing three feet of air: my famous blood elf look. When I walked into the hall, I saw a band of roughly ten or so people drinking tea. I scanned the crowd with a calm smile and sat down on my throne. Everyones eyes were on me as I sipped withposure from the cup of tea White Bird presented to me. Then I looked at everyone and started my official wee speech. I am the Infinite Citys Liege Lord, Prince. On behalf of Infinite City, I wee you all I didnt even finish when someone interrupted, Wait! This was the first time someone had ever dared to interrupt me in my many wee speeches. I looked up with curiosity at the one who had interrupted me. He was a calm looking fellow. In his eyes I could definitely see that he did not believe in my strength. Yes? I asked with that half smile of mine. Maybe this time the weing meeting wont be as boring as the ones before. The calm fellow bowed with his hands, and started speaking with a very imposing manner, Ive heard rumors that Prince, the lord of Infinite City, with whom I have the good fortune of meeting today, is a legendary man whose strength is unrivaled, with innumerable capable subordinates. From this meeting today, it is clear from your imposing demeanor that you are no ordinary person. But that alone is not enough proof for me and my brothers to join Infinite City. We want to witness for ourselves the proof of your strength. I couldnt help roll my eyes conspicuously at him. Hey man, is there really a need for you to spout all that bombastic drivel? Do you think that this is some kind of ancient Chinese martial arts novel? Or is it just that youre stuck in the wrong book? Are you a lost sheep from one of Jin Yongs novels? I had thought that White Bird was the only one who speaks like this. But having met this fellow today, I realized that White Birds manner of speech is nothingpared to his. Liege Lord, answer him! White Birds panicking voice drifted over the PM channel. I smiled and gave a straightforward reply to the Jin Yong fellow, What do you propose? Say it directly, no need to beat about the bush. Good. As expected, the lord of Infinite City is direct and to the point. The Jin Yong fellow gave me a thumbs up and a look of respect. He gestured towards a man d in all ck, and then said with a face full of pride, This is our teams best fighter, Cold Fox. I looked at Cold Fox. Hearing that name alone, one could infer that he would be an icy guy, and I was not disappointed. He had jet ck hair, ck eyes, ck clothes C basically ck all over. He even wore a face that said Annoy me, and Ill kill you; dont annoy me, and Ill still want to kill you. No wonder hes called Cold Fox. If my eyes were described as being able to freeze three feet of air, his would definitely freeze eight feet, and he was staring at me with all eight feets worth. If the Liege Lord or any of his subordinates can defeat Cold Fox, then we will all stay in Infinite City and pledge loyalty to you forever. Though even as he was saying this, the Jin Yong fellow had a look that clearly showed his confidence of Cold Fox never losing. Feeling the brunt of Cold Foxs icy cold stare, I suddenly had the urge to give him a sound beating, so I stood up eagerly to take on this challenge. Dont challenge him! At this moment, Nan Gong Zuis voice drifted over the PM channel. I looked up to see that Zui had just walked in, and I gave him a confused look. He continued over the PM, Cold Fox, Second Lifes third strongest yer, is at least level 92. He uses one of the three legendary weapons, Bloodlust. Im afraid you might not be his match, Prince. Hearing that, Iughed heartily... and promptly sat down. Damn! Where did Kenshin wander off to? Zui was putting it mildly when he said that I might not be his match. I am definitely not his match! I still have at least that much self-awareness. Even though we are not sure of his actual level, a difference of sixteen levels is just too much. Plus, going against Cold Foxs legendary weapon and with his stance that could only belong to a battle maniac, is there any way that I could win? Well, not unless Cold Fox had a sudden attack of stomach flu... but we dont get sick in the game, so I better stop hoping for miracle like that to happen. Since you have selected your strongest yer, I suppose I will select mine as well! I said to the Jin Yong fellow with a forced look of indifference. I said this knowing that I had already told Kenshin toe, and that he was in the castle and was probably already on his way. A quick exnation: pets cannot send PMs, and only the pet owner can chat with the pet over long distances. I had already told everyone in Infinite City that Sunshine and Kenshin are my personal guards and that they will never listen to or obey anyone else. Thus, nobody had any suspicions about this so far. Even if people did try to send PMs to Kenshin, they would probably just think that he didnt want to answer. Strongest yer? I thought that the Liege Lord was Infinite Citys strongest yer, the Jin Yong fellow asked in confusion. I smiled again, You are praising me too much. There is always a higher mountain. Besides, Ive been buried in work and unfortunately have been negligent on my training. Why would the strongest yer be me? The Jin Yong fellow didnt seem to mind much, probably because he waspletely confident in the third-ranked Cold Fox. He just said, In that case, may the strongest yer of Infinite City please step forth! I caught sight of that brilliant head of red hair from the corners of my eyes and said with relief, Kenshin, you will be the one dueling Cold Fox. Everyone turned their eyes towards the door, looking at Kenshin doubtfully. Kenshin never says anything unnecessary, so he just gripped his sword with his left hand and walked towards Cold Fox. Cold Fox seemed to sense that Kenshin was going to be a strong opponent and his eyes shone with excitement. This is...the battle of the cold-blooded! I sighed, why are all strong yers cold-blooded? Could it be that training too much makes your blood start turning into ice? I leisurely awaited for the start of this once-in-a-century battle. Why was I so rxed? Well, I had 200% confidence in Kenshin. Theres no need to even mention that he is the prize of a hidden quest. Just consider the fact that he is the boss of the Demon Cave. Its no simple quest for someone to defeat a boss alone. Have you ever heard of anyone seeding? Also, Cold Fox is only level 92... well, the level 76 me is in no position to say only level 92. But still, against the level 100 Kenshin, level 92 is on the weak side. Also, Kenshins skills are beyond those of a regr level 100 yer anyway. I doubt that even a level 120 yer would be able to beat him alone, and the highest level on the rankings right now is only 95. So, if Kenshin were a yer, then he would be Second Lifes strongest yer. So, what do I have to worry about? If it werent for my image as a lord, I would be having popcorn and a soda right now. Down below, everyone had already formed a clearing in the middle for the two of them to fight. Neither of them had said a single word since the start, but I could clearly see Cold Foxs cold expression starting to waver. Just as I thought that Cold Fox should be ready to make his move, he did. Cold Fox darted quickly towards Kenshin with a speed that would leave me trailing in the dust. In a heartbeat, Cold Fox was right in front of Kenshin and Bloodlust was being thrust forward. Kenshin barely moved. He just flicked half of his de out of its sheath and blocked the attack. Cold Foxs reflexes were incredibly fast, so when the two des touched his leg also went to sweep towards Kenshins lower body. However, Kenshin was no easy target. He sidled a bit, and Cold Foxs leg collided with Kenshins knee... In a battle of shin versus knee, I think everyone knows the result! Even if you dont, I wouldnt rmend for you to try it for yourself. I wont take responsibility for the results. Seeing Cold Foxs icy face had actually twitched a little, I could tell that it must have hurt tremendously! Ignoring the pain, Cold Fox quickly brandished his sword for another attack. However, Kenshin already had his de out, and I could only hear the constant nging of metal and see shes of silver between the two. Howling Wolf! Cold Fox cut many crescent-shaped shes right at Kenshin. He then followed closely behind the shes, going for Kenshin in person. There was no way to avoid this attack, and I stood up from my throne in surprise. I really wanted to dive over there to save Kenshin. Kenshin is a pet, and pets can be resurrected, but if Kenshin died and got resurrected, would he still maintain his self-awareness? Even Lolidragon wasnt quite sure about this. I dont want to take any chances and risk Kenshin losing his self-awareness. Void Piercer! Kenshin said coldly. Before I could even see what was happening, he was already standing behind Cold Fox and his Howling Wolf shes. After freezing for a second, Cold Fox unwillingly copsed to the ground, staining the spotless floor with arge pool of blood. However, he didnt turn into a column of white light and fly off. Looks like Kenshin had been careful not to kill him. Everyone, including myself, froze on the spot, not sure of what had happened. How exactly did Kenshin manage to avoid Howling Wolf? And since when did Cold Fox suffer such heavy wounds? That was amazing.... I had a whole lot of questions, but I wasnt stupid enough to inquire Kenshin about his secret attack in front of all these people. Why would I let anyone else know about my own pets secret abilities and let them figure out its weakness?! I sat down slowly and calmly said, The battle is over, you guys may go and help Cold Fox heal. That calm fellows expression changed drastically and he shrieked at Cold Fox with loud insults. Bastard! You said that you wouldnt lose to anyone except for the top-ranked Undying Man! Now that youve lost to some unknown little brat, what use do I have for you?! The calm fellow cast away his calm fa?ade and with a violent expression, drew out his sword to attack Cold Fox, who was lying defenselessly on the ground. I was so shocked that I couldnt utter a single word in time, just watching helplessly as Cold Fox was about to get ughtered right in front of my eyes. Soaring Dragon! A life shed away with a soft murmur from Kenshin. The calm fellow didnt even get a chance to utter a single wail before he turned into a pir of white light in the sky. I was somewhat shocked. This was the first time that Kenshin had interceded on his own without my orders. Dg! The calm fellows teammates gasped and then looked fiercely at Kenshin. After Kenshin surveyed them back, they backed away fearfully and looked away. One of them turned around and started shrieking at me, Lord of Infinite City! Whats the meaning of this? Our two teams came all this way to join Infinite City, and yet youve killed our Dg! I sneered coldly, If you had really intended to join Infinite City, then you wouldnt have found the third-ranked yer, Cold Fox, to challenge me. Its clear that you just want to stir up trouble! After I said that, the people in front of me all turned pale, but they held their ground, We never did! We just wanted to see if Infinite City is worthy for us to join. That doesnt even make half a bit of sense. Get out of my sight. I will let todays incident slide, but if you evere here again looking for trouble, Infinite City will show no mercy towards any of you. I replied coldly and waved to White Bird impatiently. White Bird! Show our guests out! Yes, my lord. After responding to me respectfully, she turned on the band of people with a fierce look, How dare youe to Infinite City to y your dirty tricks. Guards! Here! A bunch of guys wearing identical armors suddenly swarmed in from the side and responded in unison. I almost spat out my tea. Since when did we have things like guards? Even I, the Liege Lord, didnt know about it. I will tell them to yell Wei Wu~ a bitter. The Liege Lord has ordered that these people be escorted out! White Bird yelled, staring coldly at the unwee guests. Yes! the guards shouted again in unison, and started to carry out the order, shooing the guests out of the main hall with waves of their daos. The so-called guests realized that the situation was looking grim for them, and so they hurriedly backed out of the hall, but not before giving me evil looks before they left. I am very sorry, Liege Lord, White Bird suddenly turned around, and apologized with a face full of remorse. I should have investigated first if they had really wanted to join Infinite City or if they were just looking for trouble. I apologize for making the Liege Lord deal with this himself. Its no big deal, I answered White Bird, unconcerned. My eyes were on the scene below. Kenshin and Cold Fox were staring at each other coldly. Any onlookers would probably think that they wanted to kill each other. But from my experience with Kenshins facial expressions, the conversation actually went something like this: Okay? Kenshins first stare. Okay. Cold Foxs answering look. Help? Kenshins second look with eyebrows slightly raised. No. Cold Fox lowered his eyes and started to drink a red potion. Cold Fox slowly stood up. Even though the red potion couldnt heal his woundpletely, it should be enough for him to be able to move around again. He nced at me, and then at Kenshin. That look was probably asking, Can I leave? Kenshin looked up at me, asking for my orders. I creased my eyebrows in disapproval, and Kenshin frowned lightly. He looked back at Cold Fox before answering no with his eyes. Cold Fox did not seem surprised. He looked straight at me with a look that said, Kill or torture, do whatever you wish. That look fired up my temper, so I spoke in an unfriendly tone, You sauntered in here looking for trouble, so tell me, what should I do with you? Up to you. Cold Foxs indifferent tone made it sound like we were discussing someone elses fate. Looking at that apathetic expression, I thought, He probably wouldnt even blink if I give him ashing or even kill him. So whats the point of punishing him? I would rather go beat up Gui. At least he would howl out for me to hear. Oh well, forget it, since you were dumped here by the leader of your team, I saidzily. Cold Fox smirked, Im not a part of any team. Hearing that, my curiosity was piqued, Then why did youe today? To challenge the strongest! Cold Foxs eyes sparkled with the light of a warmonger. Hmm? Interesting. I suddenly came up with a n to make Cold Fox stay. Why should I allow him to stay? Well, if there were another strong yer that I could send out to battle, then I wouldnt need to rely so much on Kenshin alone. Join Infinite City! I skipped the formalities and got to the main point. No! Cold Fox also gave a clear-cut response. I faintly revealed a sly smile. Join me. After you join, I promise that you can challenge Kenshin whenever you want. Hearing that, Cold Foxs eyes wavered. Though the look that Kenshin is giving me right now is a bit too harsh. I put my trump card into y. Or are you afraid to challenge Kenshin again? Well, I can understand. Kenshin is so strong that he doesnt even seem human. Its no surprise that you are afraid. Nonsense! Cold Fox narrowed his eyes dangerously. Iughed impishly. This ruse never fails, no matter whether its Yu Lian-ds?o using it against XiMen Feng or myself to lure in Cold Fox. Cold Foxs expression suddenly turned ugly, I do not follow orders. Then you can take the same role as Kenshin and be my personal guard. You wont have to listen to anyone else except me. And, except for calling you out to challenge strong opponents, I basically wont give you any orders, I smiled softly. Um... Cold Fox hesitated, but when he turned and looked at Kenshin, the look he wore was as if he had seen his beloved. He examined Kenshin from head to toe, and then again from toe to head. After that, his expression of agreement seemed to overpower the one of disagreement. I didnt feel like waiting for an answer, so I continued, Okay, that settles it. When I have no orders for you, you can follow Kenshin around, or he can follow you. You both can go anywhere, but just dont leave the Central Continent. Before leaving the hall, I couldnt help but steal a nce at Kenshin. That look...I was 100% sure that it meant he wanted to send me to the Demon Cave as a ghost! Footnotes: Goddess of the Sea: The Mz () is the Goddess of Sea who watches over the seafarers and fishermen. As Taiwan is an ind country, the ancestors of the Taiwanese will have to rely on the sea for their food and ie, hence why is especially venerated there. Please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazu_%28goddess%29 for more information. Jade Emperor: In Taoist folk culture, the Jade Emperor is one of the most important and supreme gods, ruling over Heaven and all the realms of existence below, including Man and Hell. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Emperor for more information. Parted the Red Sea: This is a biblical reference. Moses had parted the Red Sea as he led the Israelites out of very in Egypt. Its not clear whether this is supposed to be entirely separate from the earlier reference to Jesus Christ (who performed many miracles, but did not part the Red Sea) or is a misconception of Christian traditions by Yu Wo. Jin Yong: As mentioned in one of the previous chapters, Jin Yong is a famous modern Chinese wuxia novelist. The character Lolidragon was originally a character in his novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_Yong for more information. Wei Wu: The phrase (wi? w)? literally means formidable / military prestige. It originated from a saying from Chinese philosopher Mencius, Military prestige cannot be swayed (䲻) and has been adopted as a standard opening call in Chinese courts ofw. Volume 5 Chapter 2 Volume 5 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Conflict C tranted by Erihppas It seems that there are plenty of people in the Central Continent who refuse to recognize Prince as a superior. Nan Gong Zui frowned thoughtfully after listening to White Birds description of that days events. I think that this is due to several factors: First, Princes level isnt high enough; second, during the final battle of the Adventurers Tournament, Prince did not survive; and third, being a spokesperson not only garnered the admiration of many, but also the jealousy of many others, Wicked exined in detail. Nan Gong Zuis frown deepened. He looked at me worriedly, Prince, the only thing you can do right now is train hard and raise your level. I shrugged. That isnt a problem. Compared to administrative work and military stuff, Id rather train. Whats even more important than leveling is building up your reputation! White Bird dered decisively. Reputation? Everyone was staring at White Bird, and apart from me, everyone appeared to agree with her. Really? Was I really not being respected enough? Wait a minutehow can I becking in reputation? Havent I always used the Blood Elf image in public? I quickly argued. What kind of joke is this? I dont want to be more esteemed! I would not be able to stand it if everyone worshipped me the way the five man band did. White Bird looked at me with uncertainty and then hesitatingly exined, My lord, yourck of reputation may be due to your appearance. Appearance? I was startled for the moment. What could be wrong with my appearance? Am I too handsome to be respected? Yu Lian-ds?o interjected suddenly, You mean that Prince looks too young? White Bird hesitantly nodded her head. If I may boldly ask, my lord, how old are you this year? At Whites Bird question, everyone shifted their gazes towards me, as though as they were measuring me up. Feeling ufortable under their scrutiny, I quickly answered, Im twenty. Twenty? Thats older than I thought, but its still very young. Among the four other lords, it is said that the youngest is twenty-four. Not to mention that, my lord, you look like you are only seventeen or eighteen. White Bird sighed with a disheartened expression. Gui did not seem to agree. His appearance is fine. More importantly, Prince rarely involves himself in the citys day-to-day affairs. A lot of people have seen the other department leaders in the flesh, but they have only seen Prince as a photo on Second Lifes official website. I could not help but roll my eyes at Guis words. Its not my fault. Everyone pushed me into doing the concert tour before, and now I have to train hard. Where would I get the time to involve myself in the citys day-to-day affairs? Everyone sighed at my words, and each of their faces held an expression of helplessness. This cannot go on. Our lords reputation must be established, White Bird said, unusually determined. And I will definitely think of something! For some unknown reason, I suddenly shuddered. When I saw everyone kneeling before me, including the members of Odd Squad, Dark Emperor, Rose Team and others, I was totally at a loss on what to do. It didnt make any difference that White Bird had already informed me of this event, this so called Oath of Allegiance ceremony. As a preparation for the uing update, as well as the invasion of Sun City, Moon City, and Star City, it had been decided that we would hold a ceremony for everyone to swear fealty to me, as the Lord of Infinite City. Firstly, the ceremony would announce to the general public Infinite Citys intention to conquer the official cities, and secondly, it would establish that reputation thing that I never really understood. I, Ugly Wolf, swear to serve the Lord of Infinite City, Prince, with undivided loyalty. Wolf-dg was looking at me with a solemn expression. Of course, he was also kneeling, and yet when I heard his deration, I felt a bit...unhappy? Why must Wolf-dg kneel before me? I, Yu Lian... I, Guiliastes... Doll... Lolidragon... Wicked... Nan Gong Zui... Rose... One by one, my close friends swore fealty to me. Shouldnt I be feeling happy? Why does my heart only feel as empty, as though I have just lost something important? After everyone finished swearing fealty, I followed with the words that White Bird had told me. Replying in a solemn tone that I had never used before, I said, I, Lord of Infinite City, Prince, ept your oaths. From now on, all of you are my loyal subordinates. I swear to lead you all to fame and glory throughout Second Life. Everyone eximed in unison, All hail Infinite City! All hail...Infinite City, I repeated, with a mild sense of emptiness, both in my words and in my heart. After the ceremony, everyones expressions were of happiness and pre-battle excitement. I had a forced smile on my face, but the bottom of my heart felt a bit heavy. My lord, how goes your training today? Wolf-dg patted my back with a smile. I smiled dryly when I heard his words. Wolf-dg, why are you calling me my lord as well? Wolf-dg scratched his head, shrugged and exined, Its because White Bird has ordered us to address you as such from now on in order to build your reputation as the Lord of Infinite City. That was the point of todays Oath of Allegiance ceremony too. Im not used to this, I said dejectedly. Why does even Odd Squad have to kneel before me? Id rather you guys bully me like before instead of kneeling before me. Prince... Wolf-dg called out hesitantly. Its my lord! Lolidragon reminded Wolf-dg as she ruthlessly whacked me on the head. Wolf-g, dont forget White Birds order. She then turned and shot me a fierce re. Dont think that I wanted to kneel before you. If it werent necessary to establish your reputation, I wouldnt have kneeled before a brat like you. Lolidragon! Dont speak to our lord like that, White Bird lightly reproached her, obviously dissatisfied with Lolidragons tone. Why must I establish my reputation? I could not help but be angered as the suppressed resentment from these few days red out all of a sudden. Wouldnt it be better if we were all friends? Why worship me as if Im some kind of god? My lord, Wolf-dg and Lolidragon were looking at me with a shocked expression, as if they were startled by my sudden burst of anger. The noisyughter from the crowd around us had quieted down as well and the people slowly started looking in our direction one after another. My lord..., White Bird panicked, sweeping her eyes at the crowd who turned their attentive gazes towards us while frowning at me. After seeing the members of Odd Squad together, Rose Team, Wicked and everyones expressions filled with concern. Seeing their expressions along with Nan Gong Zuis and White Birds frowns, my heart suddenly felt like a deted balloon, as though as all energy had been taken away from me. I tiredly waved my hand, Sorry, Im just too tired. Ill go get some rest. I turned and left, without looking at anyones expressions anymore. I reached the main hall before realizing suddenly that I didnt know where to go. Yun Fei and JingIll go look for them then, they would definitely understand my feelings. I walked towards L Jing and Yuns cottage in low spirits and kicked the door open with force. As expected, Yun Feis screaming followed. Prince, I have told you ten thousand times before, doors can be broken! And youre paying for it if it breaks! My mood suddenly brightened at the way Yun Fei spoke to me. He was the same as before, and he didnt call me my lord. Is the Oath of Allegiance ceremony over? Moms voice suddenly trailed into my ear. Dad, mom, youre all here. I turned, surprised. Not only were Jing and Yun there, but both of my parents were in the room as well. Of course, everyone was going to kneel down and swear fealty to you, but you cant expect your parents to kneel before you too, can you? Jing asked helplessly. Speaking of that ceremony, Im starting to feel mad. Why must everyone kneel and pledge their loyalty!? I could not suppress my feelings any longer and started shouting, wanting to vent out all my frustration. They are my friends, why must they call me my lord, and why must they honor me!? Everyone was shocked by my outburst. It was only after a moment of silence that Jing spoke. But its necessary. Rubbish, we didnt do that before, and we were okay, werent we? I quickly argued. There was no need for me to establish any reputation. Xiao Lan, it is necessary. Dad looked at me with a serious expression. Infinite City is growing stronger, and more and more people are joining Infinite City. What they need is a king they can follow, not a friend. King... Why do I keep hearing this word? Why am I always being crowned with such a heavy word? Xiao Lan, youve already embarked on this path, and unless you want to abandon everything, you can only continue to walk onward, Mom said to me in all earnestness. I... Im willing to walk onwards. I just dont like how my friends have transformed into subordinates. Is even this too much to ask for? I could not help but choke out. Xiao Lan! Yun grabbed hold of my shoulders. What the heck are you doing? Youre not acting like yourself. Youre supposed to be someone who boldly moves forward and doesnt withdraw regardless of the difficulties! Youre the heart of this group; tears and confusion arent things you should be expressing. But I do shed tears! I do get confused! I closed my eyes and cried, Im not god, Im not that great! Xiao Lan... Everyone stood up in surprise, all wanting toe over tofort me. I desperately freed myself from Yuns grip, wiped my tears away, and walked out of the house without looking back. The four shouted in surprise, Xiao Lan, wait up! I did not even turn my head as I shouted back, Dont follow me, I dont want to listen to anything now! Using the fastest speed that I could muster, I fled like a wind away from the ce I originally thought I could find somefort. I hadnt anticipate that even Jing and Yun, as well as my mom and dad, would be unable to understand my feelings. Who else would be able to understand? I smiled humorlessly, looked up, and realized that I was standing in front of Infinite Restaurant. Naturally, I stepped into the restaurant. Just as I decided to find a corner for a silent drink, I saw Kenshin and Cold Fox sitting by the balcony, quietly drinking with some side dishes on the table. I arrogantly strode forward, sat down, and immediately grabbed Cold Foxs gon, downing it in one gulp. Cold Fox watched silently as I snatched over the gon. After I downed it all at once, he mildly said, Thats a vodka and whiskey cocktail. As Kenshin raised his eyes to meet Cold Foxs, thetter then added, Very strong. A normal human being would be drunk after a few cups. Kenshin and Cold Fox stared at me together. As I met their stares, I started to get mad again. What are you looking at!? Dont you know Im the Lord of Infinite City? Start ordering more wine for me. Kenshin withdrew his gaze and calmly said a single sentence: Hes drunk. Mm. Cold Fox also responded calmly. Godamnit, theyre not ordering wine for me! I couldnt suppress my rage and mmed my fist on the table. Waiter, bring more wine and all the side dishes you have to this table immediately! Have you decided to throw your life away? To waste money like that, youd better be careful of Yu Lian-ds?os wrath, Lolidragons lithe voice came from behind. I did not turn my head, nor did I wish to reply. Lolidragon released a sigh and sat on the seat beside me, Whats wrong? Why are you so angry? Its only an Oath of Allegiance ceremony; you dont have to take it to heart. I was so furious that I loudly retorted, What do you mean by only an Oath of Allegiance ceremony? All of you are my friends; you werent supposed to kneel before me in the first ce! Its true that were your friends, but were also your subordinates. Whats wrong with subordinates kneeling before you to pledge their loyalty? Lolidragon gazed at me with furrowed brows. What do you mean subordinates... All of you are my friends! Friends! After roaring until my voice was hoarse, I grabbed the wine gon the waiter had just delivered and drank madly, as if only this action could wash away the unhappiness in my heart. I seemed to have frightened her, as Lolidragon was speechless for a while. She wordlessly watched as I madly gulped down the wine. Finally, she spoke in an earnest, solemn manner. Prince, youre no longer a carefree prince, but a king who shoulders heavy responsibilities. I stopped my drinking. Why do these words feel so heavy? King? Me? I said in all bitterness, Lolidragon, I dont like the current situation, I dont like how everyones treating me, and those, those lordly titles. Lolidragon slowly stood up, took a deep breath and said, Prince, you wanted to create a legend. Are you relishing the moments of happiness of the legend, but refusing to shoulder the responsibilities and pain? I was rendered speechless, and I could only watch as Lolidragon left the restaurant without looking back. I lowered my head and looked at the gon nkly. The bottom of my heart felt so twisted up that even I did not know what I felt at the moment. Prince... Are you okay? a female voice asked from behind me. My heart tightened, Did Lolidragone back? Before my eyes Phoenixs worried expression appeared. My once hopeful feelings died within me, and my heart became even emptier. I waved an impatient hand at Phoenix and adopted an extremely harsh tone. Stop bothering me! After that, I turned my head and continued drinking and eating...but then I noticed Kenshin and Cold Fox staring over my shoulder, frowning. I quickly turned my head to have a look. Phoenix was silently shedding tears. I was stunned, totally at a loss on how to react. But Phoenix was already speaking, and despite the two streams of tears trailing down her face, her tone was abnormally calm. Prince, you have never actually cared for me, have you? I... What could I say? If Phoenix had not loved me, perhaps we could have been good friends, but since she just had to fall in love with me, she was destined to get hurt... Was it the right choice to have let her fall in love with me in the beginning? I suddenly realized in horror that I had never given any thought to the aftermath. I found myself unable say anything and Phoenix did not seem to be expecting an answer. She closed her eyes, still silently crying, and turned and began walking away. My passionate feelings of love burn like the mes of the phoenix, and yet the ones I meet always smother me with the chill of an iceberg! Phoenix... I could only numbly watch Phoenixs extremely sorrowful retreating figure. Even after I could no longer see her, I still could not turn my gaze away. Prince... Two voices called out to me at the same time, and at the door appeared the two silhouettes I knew bestWicked and Gui. Both of them came up to me at the same time, and I looked at them in a daze. Prince, you dont have to bear those responsibilities. If you think it hurts, then dont do it, Wicked stroked my headfortingly. Can I really? I smiled wistfully. To leave just like that? To lose all my friends? To abandon the promise of creating a legend with everyone from Odd Squad? Xiao ...Prince. Wicked sighed softly and said nothing after. Your Highness, if you want to shed tears, then please do so on Guis shoulders! Guipassionately pulled me into an embrace. I was startled for the moment, but then I raised my head and looked at him. He was taking advantage of me as usual, but suddenly, I felt as if I understood something. Are you doing it on purpose? I asked him. What? Guis expression changed for a split second, and quickly returned to his normal, overly dramatic expression. Oh, I just cant control myself when Im around you, Your Highness! Gui said. You are always taking advantage of meare you purposefully creating a reason for me to hit you? I stared Gui in the eye, not allowing him to act dumb. You are allowing me to hit you, so that I can vent my frustrations, right? I cried out hoarsely, Why do you need to sacrifice yourself like that? Why do you endure such pain and even humiliation? I grabbed hold of his cor and red at him, not giving him an opportunity to escape. To go to that far of an extent for me, is it really worth it? You dont even know my real name! Guis expression suddenly became gentle. He lightly caressed my cheeks, and his eyes bore such pain and happiness that I felt confused after looking at them. If my tears can be used to exchange for your smile, then its more than worthwhile. Suddenly, Gui was fiercely dragged backwards onto the ground. Although Wicked was trying desperately to re at Gui, he could not conceal the hurt in his eyes and expression. Gui fearlessly returned Wickeds gaze, his eyes conveying a regretless determination. Why do I keep hurting people? I mumbled. My eyes were as empty as a ck hole. Will there be people who get hurt no matter what I do? Prince? Wicked and Gui gazed at me in shock. Their eyes were heavy with concern. In a daze, I stood up and walked towards the door. Gui and Wicked followed behind, and I suddenly stopped, turned, and spoke to them, Dont follow me, I want some time alone to think. Please dont follow me. Gui and Wicked both stopped, and even though they were both so different, their eyes revealed the same worry andpassion towards me at the exact same time. Those two who love me so deeply, which one should I hurt? Which one could I heartlessly hurt? Zhuo-gg, who waited for me for eight years? Or Gui, who sacrificed even his dignity for me? The answer was difficult, so difficult! Stepping out of the restaurant and walking on the streets of my own city, I was suddenly reminded of a conversation I had with my brother in the online game The World that we used to y. Aiyo, why do others have money,nd and fame but we dont have any no matter how hard we train? After grinding an endless amount of iing monsters, I could not help butin. Shielding me from the front, my bratty little brother rolled his eyes. You call that training hard? You dont know just how much effort people might have to put in before they manage to pull it off! Are you sure? They might have just bought all of it with money, I answered in disdain. Right, stop envying others already. Owning a city is not necessarily a good thing. Why dont you think of the responsibilities they have to shoulder? Wu Qing actually replied in a happy-go-lucky way. What responsibilities? You mean the responsibility of lying down and collecting rent? I could not help but retort. Wu Qing looked as though he was teaching a hopeless child. Sis, you just dont understand. My friend has a city. Every day, he worries about losing the city, about loss and debts, about tension among hispanions, and about the people who dont ept him and want to usurp his throne. Also, once you own a castle, you must have a second, and a third... Finally, you wont be happy until you dominate the whole game, and that is a very heavy responsibility. I replied thoughtlessly. I dont want a second castle, I just want one. Why is it a must to dominate the whole game? As he was almost sliced apart by the monsters, Wu Qing dared not continue the debate. He only mumbled onest thing in returnwords that I did not to take to heart at that time but which were now clear as day to me. There are some situations that leave you with no choice. Only the people who have not walked the same path can speak so lightly. Indeed only the people who have not walked the same path can speak so lightly! I closed my eyes, allowing the tears to trickle from the corner of my eyes. Prince-gg... Dolls hesitant voice reached my ears. Not wanting to let the young Doll see me like this, I did not turn to face her. Im alright. I just want to be alone for a moment. You dont have to worry about me, Doll. Prince-gg, can Doll take a walk with you? I want to be alone for the moment... I relentlessly rejected. Instead, Doll stepped forward and grasped my hand, and using a quiet tone which I had never thought woulde from her, she said, Dont dwell on it alone, you will only be going on a wild goose chase. At least let me apany you. I think I can understand your pain: the pain of a ruler. I first stared, followed with an unbelieving, bitter smile. How could you understand? How could a real life princess not understand? Hearing that remark, I turned to Doll in shock, and was met with her regal expression, which exuded elegance. She smiled lightly as she said, Let me take a walk with you now, you will feel better about being a ruler. I will feel better about being a ruler? A princess is telling me that I will feel better about having the identity of a king? Before today, I would definitely have said that this would never happen, but now... I could only smile bitterly. Theres no way I could feel better as a ruler; I have... entered a quagmire. I cannot advance, nor can I turn back! Thats because youre focusing only on the pain of advancing or the pain of withdrawing, and forgetting the joy that can be had in both choices, Doll replied. She spoke in a resolute manner, and yet her words felt vague to me. Nevertheless, lets just take a walk. There will always be a way, as long as you dont stay in a corner and simply brood over things. Doll strongly pushed me from the back, and in the blink of an eye, we had reached the city gates. Where are we going? I asked in astonishment. The sky is endless, the world is vast; we can go anywhere we want! Meanwhile, in Infinite Restaurant... Cold Fox asked coolly, What happened? Something that does not concern us. Kenshin drank his tea with indifference. Human emotions were far tooplex; it was not something he would understand. Its not entirely unrted to us, Cold Fox sighed. Even though he is our Liege Lord, we have no need to care for his private matters, Kenshin ruthlessly replied. No, it does concern us. Cold Fox frowned as he looked at the table full of food and wine. We have to pay for his bill. ... Footnotes Taking advantage of me: In Chinese this phrase was this phrase was Զ (ch du f), lit. eat tofu. This phrase is said toe from this: In olden times, Tofu shops are usually opened by married couples. The husband would make the tofu at night and the wife would sell them during the day. As they frequently eat tofu, their skins are naturally soft and smooth. This attracts lots of customers (mainly males, considering that the wife is doing business during the day), and the males would use the term eat tofu as an euphemism for going to the tofu shop and flirting with the Tofu Shop wife. Hence, jealous wives usually reprimand their husbands with Did you eat tofu today again? Now, its used to describe perverted males or, well, males who want to take advantage of females. Volume 5 Chapter 3 Volume 5 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Neurotic and DanDan C tranted by Amgine I want to go somewhere secluded to train. Is that okay with you, Doll? I had thought about this for a while. How should I exin it? I didnt want to wear a mask, but I didnt want to get caught up in trouble either. Doll is okay with whatever you decide, Doll replied,ughing. Her previous dignified air of a princess had disappeared off to who-knows-where. I rubbed my chin, replied with a vague sound of mm, and walked along quietly. Doll scrutinized my aloof reaction but she didnt say anything and just followed behind me. Thus, the two of us pressed onward with our journey with barely any words exchanged. I intended to reach the Valley of Wandering Nymphs as soon as possible and vent out my frustration through battle. It was not until we reached the valley that Doll finally spoke up, gasping in surprise, Its so pretty here! What is this ce? The scenery was indeed stunning. I gazed off into the endless field of flowers. Some were sparkling and immacte like snow, while others were pink enough to instill feelings of adoration. Still others were a soft and mysterious shade of violet. Amongst the flowers stood several cherry blossom trees in full bloom. Their petals fluttered about the entire valley, intensifying the portrayal of a utopian beauty. I answered Dolls question softly, The Valley of Wandering Nymphs. What a befitting name... Wait a second, the Valley of Wandering Nymphs? Dolls original infatuated expression suddenly changed, and she turned her head to look at me in fright, Prince-gge isnt nning to train inside the Den of Wandering Nymphs, is he? I nodded. Doll looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself, and eventually continued following after me silently. Of course, I knew why Doll was apprehensive. The nymphs in this valley were all rare beauties beyondpare. When the game was newly released, perverts kept swarming here to gawk at them. Yet, all those perverts, whether they hade alone, in pairs, or in teams, would never make it out alive... Although the perverts wanted to ogle continuously at beautiful girls, they couldnt just throw away their lives, and so they all gradually stoppeding to the Den of Wandering Nymphs. Moreover, the number of regr yers training here had been dwindling as well for two reasons. First, all males were invariably affected by the nymphs physical appearances and would hold back their attacks or would even start daydreaming with saliva dripping from their mouths. How could one continue fighting under these conditions? Second, nymphs were not your run-of-the-mill monsters. Nymphs fall into three subcategories: the level 60 ones, who wore red robes, the level 70 ones, who wore blue robes, and the level 80 ones, who wore purple robes. There were also rumors of a boss called Celestial, though nobody had seen it to this day, and only one or two pictures of purple-robed nymphs could be found on the Inte, and their beauty could rival that of Lolidragons, so they werent really a good target for males to train on. As such, the Valley of Wandering Nymphs barely showed any signs of human passing... Dont worry. I only n on attacking up to the blue robed nymphs. Even though they are always in groups of two or three, I should be able to manage with your skeleton summons. I couldnt help but console Doll a bit. Doll nodded, following me into the Den of Wandering Nymphs. As expected, the red-robed nymphs were elegant and refined beauties. Its no wonder men couldnt attack them C who would be willing to fight against girls as beautiful as these? In one clean strike, I attacked one of the nymphs. Seeing the nymphs shocked expression, I chuckled coldly. I am not one of those gentlemen who believe in chivalry towards women, after all. By now, the two other nymphs nearby had begun to close in, making me a bit clumsy while parrying their attacks. But Doll immediately summoned eight Fire-armored Skeletons, changing the situation from three versus one to nine versus three. With utmost ease, I sent the three lovely nymphs to nirvana and continued further into the cave, preparing to find blue-robed nymphs and have a great time beating them up! Doll and I continued fighting in this manner through the entire way. Apart from battling, we only stopped to eat our rations when we got hungry and to use this opportunity for some rest. Eventually, we had logged on and off so many times that we lost count, and yet, during this entire time, the two of us had barely spoken half a sentence. While back in the real world, I saw Professor Min Gui Wen and Zhuo-g?ge? on campus, and both looked like they had a lot on their minds. Is it from worrying about me? I suddenly thought, Should I at least PM the people back at Infinite City? Isnt it too irresponsible of me to take Doll along and just vanish without a trace? The next time I went online, I discussed the issue with Doll. While chewing on her rations, Doll said to me, Doll has already exined it to Wolf-g?ge. Oh, so you told him that you came with me to train? In that case, it should be fine, since my original task was to concentrate on leveling up anyway. No. Doll said, Doll and Prince-?g?ge? ran away from home. Dolls innocent eyes glistened. Ran. Away. From. Home? I felt my knees giving way. This... this is even worse than not saying anything at all. No wonder Gui and Wicked looked like they were worried to death, I thought. And then Wolf-g?ge told Doll to follow Prince-g?ge properly, or else Prince-g?ge would get lost and end up who-knows-where. Dolls innocent words hit me with a thud. Lets go, its time to train, I said stuffily. As we were walking, my eyes lit up as a purple-robed nymph unexpectedly appeared in front of me, and it was alone to boot. There was no way I would pass over such a magnificent, once in a blue moon opportunity. I promptly announced, Doll, Im going to go one-on-one with that purple robe, so dont interfere. Doll nodded obediently. I raised my ck Dao, and right as I was about to attack to my hearts content... Chains of Ice! Along with that shout, a chain of ice coiled around the body of the purple-robed nymph, who struggled to break free. Hurry up honey, hit her with a fatal strike before she breaks free. No problem, darling. I frowned upon hearing this exchange and leaned my head out of the passageway to investigate the situation. Then I saw a man carrying an intimidatinglyrge ymore walking towards the nymph who couldnt move a single step. While waving around his ymore, he muttered, Hey gorgeous, dont me me for showing no mercy. The only one to me is yourself for being so pretty that my lovely darling couldnt resist but have you as a pet... Two or three hits were enough to make the pitiful purple-robed nymph fall t to the ground. Capture! Yay, weve caught it! Honey, youre the best. A woman wearing a magicians robe was cheering. Looks like she was the one who cast the Chains of Ice spell. After she called out capture, the purple robe had disappeared without a trace. I cant believe someone stole my kill. Its a shame, but there is nothing I can do about it. Just as I was about to walk away... Honey, look, theres a very handsome person next to you! the woman shouted while pointing at me, making the ymore wielding warrior turn his head towards me and stare in bewilderment. The warrior suddenly shouted in shock, The rumors were right, the legendary Celestial really is a male! What? The legendary Celestial is a male? This is news to me. Right, thats just splendid. Honey, it looks like we didnte all the way here to the Central Continent in vain; Celestial really is very handsome. The woman gazed intensely at me, her face gushing with excitement. But do be careful, darling. Rumors has it that Celestial is strong beyond belief, and he is one of the top three bosses! The man scrutinized my every move very carefully. Wait a second. I frowned a bit. Dont tell me these two are mistaking me for Celestial? How can this be? I didnt know whether tough or cry. Are my pointy ears not proof enough that Im an elf? Chains of Ice! The woman yelled loudly as a snow woman suddenly appeared right in front of her and started casting its own magic... So shes a summoner? I faintly recalled that such a ss existed. But wait a second! W-why did an ice chain appear around my body? I looked up. Oh heavens! The ymore wielding warrior was getting ready to hack me to death with that intimidating sword, and being wrapped up by the chains, I had no way of pulling out ck Dao to defend myself. I had no choice but to hop to the side, but I lost my bnce instead and fell to the ground. Spotting an opening, the ymore warrior spared no time in swinging his sword, directing another blow towards me. Prince-g?ge! As Doll let out the most desperate scream imaginable, she threw her entire body on top of me, intending to block the attack for me. Doll, get away from here now! I shouted, terror-stricken by the possibility of Doll getting any injuries. Surprised, the ymore wielding swordsman promptly shifted his attack, and his weapon smashed into the ground just beside us, stirring up arge cloud of dust. We stared at each other, the ymore warriorsrge eyes reflecting off of my smaller ones for quite a while before I dered coldly, Im a yer. On the spot,rge beads of cold sweat appeared on the ymore warriors face, and the chains of ice wrapped around my body disappeared. Looking behind him, I could see the female summoner smiling with embarrassment. Hmph! I snorted coldly and got back up on my feet, while Doll, clinging to my chest, was still trembling with fear. My sincere apologies C this is all a misunderstanding. My wife and I are here to find out whether the rumored Celestial is a male or not. Moreover, my wife is a summoner, so if possible, she would really like to capture Celestial as a summoning pet. Thats the only reason we attacked you, so please dont be offended! the ymore wielding warrior apologized with a sheepish smile. Oh my, you forgot to introduce yourself, honey. Greetings, my name is DanDan and I am a summoner. DanDan smiled brilliantly. Her oval-shaped face was indeed as cute as her name suggested. Next, she gestured towards the ymore warrior, exining, This is my hubby. His name is Neurotic and hes a warrior. A warrior with the strength to move mountains, with a huge ymore nobody else can wield as weapon. This is my ymore, Ultima Sword. As if afraid that his in-depth rification wasnt clear enough, Neurotic started brandishing the ymore mboyantly, stirring up wind with each impressive swing. Unfortunately, Neurotic was about the same height as myself, and his build was not that much stockier than my own slender elf body either, giving him the impression of a small child fooling around with arge sword. Were leaving. I carried Doll in my arms and walked away without looking back. Bide a moment, brave champion, DanDan cried out in surprise. I halted. Brave champion? Why is everyone I mettely fond of speaking in ancient prose? Though I couldnt do anything about their way of speech, I still didnt want to have anything more to do with them. My mood was bad enough already, and the fact that they knocked me t on the ground was just adding fuel to the fire. Wait a moment, ultra-handsome fellow, strong and charming youngd, honorable and righteous warrior, uh...luckiest man alive with the worlds cutest wife... Havingpletely exhausted his supply of titles, Neurotic has no choice but to start babbling rubbish. I suddenly stopped in my tracks and turned around to angrily rebuke them. What nonsense are you spouting? This is my little sister, not my wife. Those two were evidently quite shocked, but recovered their senses right away. Neurotic even replied with a sickly sweet smile. Oh, in that case, luckiest man alive with the worlds cutest little sister, can you please tell us of your exalted name? It gets pretty exhausting referring to you like this. Doll, who was still being carried in my arms, suddenly spoke out. How could you two not recognize him? Neurotic scratched his head. What? Is our esteemed brother actually quite famous in the Central Continent? DanDan even let out a oh my, her face full of penitence as she said, We are truly sorry then. My hubby and I have just arrived from the Western Continent, and we are still not quite familiar with Central Continent. We probably havent heard of your renowned name yet. It doesnt matter where you came from. As long as youre a yer in Second Life, then its impossible for you not to know the spokesperson of Second Life, Prince! Doll proimed, brimming with confidence. The two of them breathed a sound of puzzlement upon hearing that. DanDan muttered to herself, Second Lifes spokesperson? I havent been on the official site for a while, so now Second Life actually has a spokesperson! However, Neurotic asked me skeptically, I havent been on the official site for a while either so I dont know about this spokesperson business, but Prince is a name that Ive heard many times before. Are you the Blood Elf of Infinite City? I kept my expression cool, not wanting to say anything, but Doll replied on my behalf, Thats right, Prince-g?ge is the lord of Infinite City. Fancy finding by sheer luck what one has been searching for far and wide. Neurotic suddenly said neurotically, as he and his wife both stared at me intently with bright eyes. Besides confirming that the rumored Celestial of the Valley of Wandering Nymphs is a male, our second reason foring to the Central Continent was to check out the man who is famous throughout Second Life for his handsomeness C the lord of Infinite City. Dont refer to me as the lord of Infinite City! I shouted rudely. Uh, how about Blood Elf? Neurotic asked with hesitation. Dont I have a name? I replied in my coldest tone. DanDan gulped, and very cautiously asked, Prince? I snorted coldly, gestured to Doll, and promptly turned to leave. Behind me, Doll hesitantly exined to the other two, Im really sorry about this. Prince-gge is in a bad mood, but doe and visit us at Infinite City some other time! As she finished her exnation, Doll ran in small steps to my side, and took my hand. But I still havent seen enough yet. The sound of DanDans regretful voice could be heard from behind. Ohe on darling, hes in a bad mood, so lets not bother them anymore. But... This is why we should just quietly follow them from behind. We wont bother them with our chit-chat anymore. That makes sense. I only wanted to see what Prince looks like anyway, so not speaking is fine. Hearing their discussion only made my anger rise with every sentence. What do they take me as, a monkey at a zoo to gawk at for their viewing pleasure? But I didnt want to speak to them again either, so I could only let things be. The situationsted until Doll asked timidly, Prince-gge, arent we going a bit too far inside? It seems a bit dangerous here. Oh right, I got so pissed off that I forgot where I was going. I looked to the left, and then looked to right, and there were purple-robed nymphs close to us no matter where I looked. If I were to continue going forward, they would definitely attack us in groups. I couldnt help but gulp a little, very carefully turning around and backtracking my steps. Wow, you really are deserving of the title Blood Elf, even when you are walking around such a dangerous ce, you are still calm like youre strolling in your own backyard. DanDan smacked her lips in admiration. Neurotic also shook his head, praising, Simply miraculous. We were both attacked by the nymphs several times already, but Prince here is actually able to maintain his distance and stay safe the entire time, not getting attacked by a single nymph. This ability to determine the safe distance is just too astounding. (Authors Note: Every type of monster has a different safe distance. Once the yer gets too close to the monster, passing the safe distance, the monster will then automatically go on the offense and attack the yer.) Eh, I guess this is what people would call the devils own luck... Lolidragon always rolls her eyes and says, Prince, its ridiculous how much devils luck you have. Imagining Lolidragons astonished, jaw-dropping expression, I couldnt help but to raise the corners of my mouth. Hey, he looks even more handsome with a smile. DanDan stared at me, drooling. Upon hearing that, I immediately wiped the smile from my face, and red at her a little. That angry ring expression is not bad, either. Neurotic and DanDan furiously nodded in agreement. The two of them sighed in unison, Ah, this trip is really proving to be worthwhile. I couldnt help but blurt out, I can excuse DanDans behavior, but what is wrong with you, Neurotic? Dont you realize that Im a guy? Neurotic said matter-of-factly, Beauty can be appreciated by anyone! My darling and I are both obsessed with beauty, which is why we joined hands in search of beauty together! This time is no different; wevee all the way to the Central Continent in search of the nymphs and Celestial of the Valley of Wandering Nymphs, and of course you as well. Crazy couple, I said while scratching the side of my face helplessly. Youre finally willing to talk to us. The risk of being killed by the surrounding nymphs that we took in persistently following you was not wasted, a deeply moved DanDan eximed while looking at me. Hmph! I obstinately turned my face away, no longer looking at them. Hehe, so the rumored Blood Elf turns out to be a big stubborn boy, chuckled Neurotic. What are you talking about, a big stubborn boy? I... Just as I was nning my retort, Doll suddenly let out a shriek of rm. I could only see a sh of a white shadowy shape before Doll, who had been holding my hand just a moment ago, disappeared without a trace! I looked frantically all over the ce. Not far away from me, I found a person with a bewitchingly androgynous face embracing Doll tightly. Doll was turning pale with fright. Beautiful... that thing with an ambiguous gender murmured in a mesmerized way, and then even had the nerve to stick out its tongue to lick Dolls cheek. Doll herself was looking quite nauseated, struggling vigorously to break free from the hands of this pervert, but to no avail. Furious, I started to charge towards them, but Neurotic grabbed my hand to stop me. I turned back to re angrily at him. However, he was looking with uncertainty at the androgynous being. Celestial? asked Neurotic. This is Celestial? My expression changed drastically. I have absolutely no chance of winning against one of the top three bosses, pervert or not, but Doll has fallen into his hands now... As I realized this, I became very somber, since this was entirely my fault. Everything would have been fine if I hadnt brought Doll to the Valley of the Wandering Nymphs. Fair maiden, why dont you be my bride? Celestial said while rubbing his face against Dolls cheek. Doll was petrified with fear. Waaaaa! Prince-gge, hurry up and save Doll! Doll is very scared of this person. Damn! Who the hell designed this perverted NPC? He even knows how to sexually harass Doll! I turned to Neurotic and DanDan, my eyes pleading, I beg you guys, please help me save my teammate! Neurotic scratched the back of his head and said, No problem! DanDan and I came here specifically to challenge Celestial anyway. DanDan evenughed confidently, saying, Dont worry, Prince. My honey is actually an elite warrior who is ranked ninth in the official ranking. Hell definitely help you save that cute girl. I am nothingpared to you, darling. Youre an elite summoner ranked fifth in the official ranking. Neurotic replied with a face full of reverence. I was jumping with joy. Looks like Doll might be saved after all. Then Ill be depending on you two. No problem! DanDan and Neurotic shouted together in harmony. Their goofy expressions were reced with a serious countenance. DanDan started chanting some incantations and then a living suit of armor appeared, separated automatically, and pieced itself back together on Neurotics body. Waving around his huge sword and roaring violently, Neurotic charged towards Celestial. I also scrambled to pull out my ck Dao and sped towards Celestial. Ha! Celestial suddenlyughed scornfully. After reciting a phrase that I couldnt understand, roughly ten purple-robed nymphs suddenly appeared in the space between us and Celestial. We all gasped in surprise. Neurotic and DanDan also muttered upon seeing this. This is going to be bad. me-armored Skeletons, hurry and help. Even captured, Doll was not one to sit idle. She hastily summoned her skeletons. Necromancer? DanDan and Neurotic opened their mouths in surprise. As I saw they were stunned, I shouted out to them anxiously, Hurry up and save Doll! Right! Neurotic snapped out of it after hearing my urging. After roaring loudly, he got into a heated brawl with the ten purple-robed nymphs. It was a good thing Dolls me-armored Skeletons were there to help, making it possible to slowly eliminate them one by one. I could tell that the ten purple robes would not be a problem for Neurotic, and so I kept searching for a chance to rescue Doll. On the other side, DanDan was living up to her reputation as a fifth ranking elite summoner. Upon seeing my intention to save Doll, she summoned the snow woman as well. The snow woman activated her Chains of Ice in an attempt to tie down Celestial so that I could sessfully rescue Doll. Chains of Ice! Dispel! Celestial snorted coldly. With just one word, not only did the snow womans Chains of Ice disappear, but she was also hit with an intense counterattack, making her spit out a mouthful of blood. Ignoring the fact that Celestial did not get restrained, I still charged forward to rescue Doll anyway. As I almost reached Celestial, a white shape suddenly flew out, brutally hitting me in the chest. The impact was so great that I flew backwards, forcefully smashing against a wall. I coughed up fresh blood as I struggled to suppress the sharp painsing from my chest. Several of my ribs seemed broken. Prince-gge! Doll shouted in shock. DanDan was surprised too, and she called back the snow woman, and summoned forth another one, this time a katana covered in blood. DanDan red furiously at Celestial, shouting, Lets see if you can deal with a level 95 summoning C de of Blood. de of Blood hovered in midair, and then flew like lightning towards Celestial. Good thing Neurotic and DanDan are not my enemies here... I was secretly dripping with cold sweat as I watched de of Bloods evil aura surging through the air. Celestials fury was radiating as he angrily shouted, Celestial Satin! That white thing flew out again, blocking the de of Blood. Only now could I see it clearly. It turned out to be a strip of silk. de of Blood and Celestial Satin squared off against each other in midair, each trying to drive the other back. de of Blood desperately tried to cut Celestial Satin in half, but unfortunately, Celestial Satins ability to change from being fluidly flexible to being as stiff as steel negated all of de of Bloods attacks. Pierce! I suddenly heard Celestialmand, and another white shape sprang forth, targeting... DanDan? Dodge it, DanDan! I screamed loudly, and then knocked her out of the way with my body as the white fabric mercilessly pierced into my shoulder. I groaned roughly and was forced down on one knee. Darling? Neurotic looked back worriedly as he heard moans of pain. When he saw that DanDan was fallen on the ground and I was heavily injured, he shook off the purple-robed nymphs with great force. He sprinted back towards us, and pulled out a red health potion for me to drink. Without Neurotic, the pressure on the skeletons increased greatly. Doll could only direct the skeletons to temporarily hold off the attacks of the pursuing purple-robed nymphs. Celestialughed once again, reciting the same incantation that I couldnt understand earlier. As I cursed in my mind, sure enough, another ten purple-robed nymphs appeared in front of us. Including the ones that Neurotic still hadnt finished off, there were now a grand total of seventeen purple robes. All four of our faces changed drastically. As the situation worsened into this, I prepared myself. I calmly said to them, You guys run away right now. If its just escaping, it shouldnt be too difficult for you two. Then what will you do? Neurotic asked in confusion. Im going to stay. Even if I die, I will not abandon my teammates, I said with determination. Good! Neurotic gave me a thumbs-up, and waved around his ymore. Then hurry and finish up your red potion, so we can charge at them together. Startled, I asked, You guys? Dont be silly. I, Neurotic, would never ever abandon my teammates, except by dying in battle. Neuroticughed without restraint. I creased my brows. We dont count as teammates, though. Ah man, dont sweat the small things! We have spoken together, so we count as teammates now Before DanDan could finish her sentence, she suddenly pointed towards Celestials direction in fright. This time, Doll also let out a startled scream. I quickly turn my head and look, only to see Celestial actually grabbing Doll and flying up. Only now that I realized that there was a strange looking magic circle on the ceiling. From the looks of Celestial flying up... Dont tell me he intends to fly inside? As soon as this thought entered my head, I immediately made a mad dash towards Celestial and jumped with all my might, but I couldnt even grab a corner of his clothes. Celestial and Doll had already disappeared inside the portal.... Doll! Footnotes It would be befitting for nymphs, being such beautiful creatures, to live in an enchanting ce such as the one described. Celestial: . This can literally be taken to mean Immortal of the Sky, but can also be construed to mean a Heavenly Beauty. Kill-steal: A term in online games describing the situation when someonends the finishing blow on an enemy and gets credit for doing so even though the enemy was already being targeted by another yer. It is generally a frowned-upon practice, though there are generally no explicit rules against it. DanDan: Her name () literally means egg or oval-shaped. Chinese names often repeat the same word as a sign of endearment. Neurotic: His name () literally means having a nerve disorder but colloquially is used to describe someone who is overly sensitive, and reacts or takes offense unexpectedly at seemingly innocuous things. The manhua refers to him as Wacko, but we feel that Neurotic is a more suitable name and closer to the authors original intent. Volume 5 Chapter 4 Volume 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: The Terrifying Side of a Self-aware NPC C tranted by raylight Calm down, you have to calm down, I muttered frantically to myself. First, lets see whether PMing works. Trembling, I opened the PM channel. Doll? Prince-gge, Doll replied anxiously. Thank goodness that PMs still works. The load weighing on my heart finally lifted a little. Doll, are you alright? Im fine, but Celestial keeps rubbing his face against Dolls cheek, which feels really disgusting. Doll sounded as though she was about to cry. WHAT?! That perverted NPC... I was so angry that I nearly rushed up into the portal. Doll, you wait for me, Iming to save you! Doll stopped me quickly. Donte up, Prince-gge. Celestial is too strong; you guys wont be able to defeat him. Just let Doll fly back to the rebirth point. Prince-gge, your level is important to me, so whatever you do, dont lose any levels. I was silent for quite a while. What Doll had said was indeed the truth, and even if Ibined powers with Neurotic and DanDan, I was afraid that we might not even be able to grab the ends of Celestials clothes. However, can I really just abandon Doll? After all, it was me who had brought her here to her death. I sat down on the ground, discouraged. As expected, my strength is still too low. I couldnt even protect my ownpanion. Neurotic and DanDan stood to one side, also unsure of what to do. They only stared at me, and I was lost in thought. It was not until Doll messaged me with sobs, that I was roughly awakened. Prince-gge, Celestial said that he wants Doll to be his wife, and he isnt willing to kill Doll. Also, its strange that Doll has no way to go offline. What?! I was so shocked that I jumped up from the floor, even giving Neurotic and DanDan beside me a huge scare. I was simply beside myself with panic. Doesnt that mean that Doll is trapped? No way, I have to go save her! After I had made up my mind, I started calmly considering Dolls rescue. After all, if the three of us went up, and were not only unable to rescue Doll but also became trapped there with her, then we would really be up the creek without a paddle. Neurotic, DanDan... I exined what Doll had just told me. They too started furrowing their brows, and DanDan appeared to be even more worried. I intend to get help from Infinite City. Neurotic, DanDan, would you lend me your strength? I was practically pleading as I looked at them. No problem! Even if we have to climb a mountain of knives or jump into cauldrons of hot oil or even if the enemy in front of our eyes is Celestial, the two of us will rescue that cute little girl, Neurotic roared with heroic spirit. Thats great, I replied. With someone leading the way, I wont be afraid of not being able to find this ce. Leading the way? Neurotic repeated nkly. I nodded my head embarrassedly, andughed, Because I have no sense of direction, Im afraid I wont be able to find this ce. Therefore, Ill have to ask you guys to help bring mypanions and me to this ceter on. Neurotics whole face looked lifeless, while DanDan let out augh. Okay, okay, my husband and I will act like a GPS device this once. After I finished talking to them, I immediately PMed my invincible pet, Kenshin. Kenshin, matters are really serious. Hurry over to the Den of Wandering Nymphs and bring along Sunshine, Cold Fox, and XiMen Feng. Take note to use the flying carpet and hurry over. Ill be waiting for you at the cave entrance. Kenshin was speechless for a moment, and then asked me, The others arent needed? Wicked, Nan Gong Zui, and even Broken Sword are all stronger than XiMen Feng. I was silent for a moment. Right now, I really dont want to see them! ...I threw a tantrum and then I willfully ran away. Now that I havended Doll into this predicament, how could I have the nerve to see them? Stubbornly, I said, I dont want to see people that I know well. Understood. Ill go look for them now. Kenshin didnt say much, and after saying that hed look for the others, nothing else was heard from him. After instructing Kenshin, I turned my head around and looked towards Neurotic and DanDan. Please help bring me to the cave entrance to wait for support. No problem! Neurotic gave me a thumbs up. As Neurotic brought me toward the cave entrance, he absent-mindedly told me, You look a lot better now, not like a little while back when you had a living people stay away appearance. Sorry, I wasnt in a very good mood, I apologized, full of sincerity. Being that impolite to them, its surprising that they are still willing to help me. Ooh, not in a good mood? Come, tell big sister whats the matter, and big sister willfort you. DanDan had the kind of glint in her eyes that appears whenever females see a cute small animal. Your husband would be jealous, right? I hung a helpless expression on my face, for I hadnt imagined that this face of mine would even tempt married woman. Neurotic turned his head to look at me, and his eyes had the kind of glint that appears whenever a guy sees a cute girl. That wont happen; I willfort you together with my wife. This terrible pair of husband and wife... Weve reached the cave entrance. Are those yourpanions? DanDan pointed at the few shadows in front. I looked over to where she was pointing. As expected, it was Kenshin. Beside him were the people that I had just requested, Cold Fox and such. XiMen Feng reproached loudly, Sonny, what kind of nonsense were you taking care of, missing for that many days, and leaving yer daddy without anyone to fight. Dont you know how to find Kenshin and Cold Fox? The both of them shouldve been quite idle, I said angrily, yet finding it hrious. Could it be that XiMen Feng had fallen in love with the feeling of having his ass kicked by me? Why does it seem as though everyone who has been beaten up by me bes addicted to it? XiMen Feng flinched as he nced at Kenshin and Cold Fox. Looking highly embarrassed, he grumbled, I did, but the red-haired sonny ignores yer daddy, and though that damn fox was willing to fight with yer daddy, his attacks were so heavy. Last time he even caused yer daddy to fly into the sky. Who would dare to look for him for a fight? Its not as if I resent my level being too high and want to lose a few levels, eh. Prince, just what happened? Why would you suddenly ask us toe over? Fairsky originally told me that you had a falling out with us, and you wouldnt appear for ten days to half a month. Sunshine questioned me confusedly. He even smilingly added, Fairsky even spent a really long time exining to me what fall out with means! Sunshine is so straightforward that it would make people want to cry. I could only automatically overlook the three words fall out with, and directly exin the situation. Doll has been captured by a boss named Celestial. For unknown reasons, she is unable to go offline, so we have to go rescue her. Once I had said the word boss, Cold Foxs eyes suddenly lit up. Straight and to the point, he said, Lets go then! This battle fanatic... Helplessly, I hoped that he would not forget that my main objective was to rescue someone. I gestured to Neurotic and DanDan to lead the way. Neurotic, DanDan, sorry to trouble you to lead the way. No problem. Im going to run, okay? After all, the sooner we rescue Doll, the better. If you guys cannot catch up, let me know. The moment Neurotic finished his words, he immediately started running, and our party followed behind. Sprint forward, I think all of us can catch up! When I thought of Doll trapped in the hands of the perverted Celestial, I wished that I could teleport there to rescue her. Prince, Kenshin shouted to me, and then he pointed to the mage Sunshine, who was full of innocent smiles, as well as the beefy warrior XiMen Feng. Uh, Kenshin, you carry Sunshine. XiMen Feng... You better run faster. I red at XiMen Feng ferociously. F***, sonny, thats discrimination! Though grumbling, XiMen Feng still had a face of resignation as he prepared to use all his might to run. With some difficulty, we ran back to the ce where Celestial and Doll had disappeared. I gazed at the magic formation above and held in the urge to charge in to save Doll. Although there are this many strong people to help, Celestial is still someone who should not be trifled with. Lets first PM Doll and check the situation before doing anything. Without further ado, I opened up the PM channel. Doll, how are you doing? Were you bullied by Celestial? No, replied Doll vaguely. It made my heart pump vigorously once. What has happened? I took on a tone of worry. Has Doll been beaten up so badly that even speaking is difficult? Then we are going up to save you, okay? Mhmm... Doll gave another vague reply. My heart was heavy. It looks like Doll really has been beaten up. How hateful! I immediately changed my facial expression, and the look of the blood elf appeared once again. Full of rage, I used a dangerous tone as I said, Nobody can bully my friends! Using all my strength to kick against the mountain wall, I took the lead and jumped into the magic formation, and the rest of them followed me. I nced left and right in worry, searching for Doll. However, in the great hall full of snow-white pirs, other than the throne in the center and the scattered and gleaming treasures made of gold and silver everywhere, there was no trace of Doll. I couldnt help but urgently shout, Doll? Doll, where are you? Who are you? A voice came from behind a pir and my eyes snapped towards it. As I expected, the one who appeared in front of our eyes was the androgynous pervert Celestial. I gave a snort. Hmph, you just captured mypanion and now you dont recognize us anymore? So it is you, my wifes formerpanion. Celestial had a face of indifference, as though that was already the past tense. Seeing that, I was really infuriated. What do you mean formerpanion? Return Doll now! I bellowed. Celestial narrowed his eyes dangerously and coldly said, You want to snatch my wife? I too, replied coldly, She is not your wife. Youre not worthy! I said she is my wife, thus she is my wife! Celestial was so angry that as he roared a length of white satin shot towards me. I did my best to roll to the side and dodged the tattered cloth that had once made me break a few ribs. As I did that, I yelled at everyone, Why are you just standing there? Start fighting! They returned to their senses and immediately drew their weapons to vigorously attack Celestial. Kenshin, whose speed was the fastest, was already in front of Celestial in the blink of an eye. Celestial revealed a shocked expression on his face, and hastily shot a few lengths of white satin to act as a shield between him and Kenshin. However, Kenshin indifferently shouted, Void Piercer. Urgh, Celestial let out a groan of pain and Kenshin, who had abruptly appeared behind Celestial, took the chance to attack. Once Celestial turned around, Kenshin sliced again. Celestial was unable to dodge it, and was once again given a wound on his right shoulder. Celestial was staring at his own wound with disbelief, an expression of rage on his face growing with each passing second. Following that, he flew up high in the sky to put some distance between him and Kenshin, his mouth spitting out that sound that I couldnt understand. Oh no! I shouted loudly inside my heart, but purple-robed nymphs had already appeared before my eyes. The difference this time round was that their number was so great that they were like a miniature army. Serious expressions appeared on our faces. Although it was not as though we couldnt win against this bunch of purple robes, behind them there was still Celestial, who was eyeing us with fury! Seeing the situation, I came to a decision. Sunshine and DanDan, you guys will be in charge of using magic to force Celestial back toward the floor. Kenshin, you prepare to pursue and attack Celestial. The rest of you surround the two of them, and be sure to protect them well. Hearing my words, DanDan immediately stood beside Sunshine, and Neurotic and XiMen Feng also stood at both of their sides to protect them. However, Cold Fox stared at Celestial with his face full of longing instead, looking as though he was itching to have a fight to the death with him. I rolled my eyes. As expected, he is a fox that doesnt follow the crowd. I could only open my mouth in exasperation to say, Cold Fox, Celestial is not a warrior. Even if you fight him, you wont find pleasure in it. Listen to me first and act ordingly. When we get back, you can have as many rounds ofbat with Kenshin as you please. Cold Fox didnt say a single word, but he obediently stood to the side of Sunshine and DanDan. Looks like Kenshin is not just ordinarily usefulbesides being able to battle, he can still be used to tempt battle fanatics. Battle, start! Sunshine immediately started to recite an incantation and wind des shot towards Celestial. Unfortunately, they were all blocked by Celestials white satin. The superb summoner DanDan was not to be outdone, and while she summoned blood des to fly into the air and fight with Celestial, she also summoned a stone giant to help us fight the purple robes, greatly reducing the pressure on us. Kenshin prowled continuously underneath Celestial. The moment Celestial was forced to descend to lower heights by the blood des and magic, Kenshin immediately used his astonishing jumping ability to jump between the pirs, frequently catching Celestial unprepared. The rest of the warriors spared no effort in battling the purple robes that swarmed like ants. Swinging his ymore, Neurotic frequently chopped the purple robes into half through their waists and Cold Fox would appear and disappear unpredictably to strike a de right into their hearts. I too, specialized in hitting crucial areas. The neck, the heart, and the forehead were all my favorite ces. XiMen Feng, who wasparablycking in power, instead adopted a strategy of fighting slowly, taking them on one at a time. Killing them continuously, our bodies were drenched in unknown amounts of blood; our sight was a sea of red. Our hands had swung our des an unknown number of times and we only knew that with every swing of a de, there would be a fountain of blood spurting. Our bodies...had unknown amounts of injuries, but the pain had long since disappeared, leaving only numbness behind. However, the nymphs still continued toe at us like a tide and I didnt have any time to check the situation with Celestial. Will Kenshin and the others be able to kill Celestial? I anxiously wanted to go check on Kenshins situation, but the moment I showed a little bit of hesitation, my left shoulder immediately received a heavy blow. I knelt with a knee on the ground, wildly coughing up blood. When I raised my head once again, I saw both Neurotic and Cold Fox were already standing beside me, blocking the attacks of the purple robes in my ce. If they hadnt been there, Im afraid I would have already flown back to Infinite City! However, both of their bodies were also riddled with scars, and I could see that they were at their limit. Still the purple robes surrounded us in groups. Could it be that there is no end to Celestials summonings? Does his magic have no limit? My heart was half chilled. At this moment, I focused in Kenshins direction. His originally neat body was now covered in blood; his clothes had actually been torn in a few areas. Could it be that he is injured? Damn, I actually forgot againif Kenshin and Sunshine die, their consciousness might not remain. I definitely cant let them die. Kenshin, Sunshine, if the situation turns critical, you guys should immediately escape, I instantly PMed Kenshin and Sunshine. What is considered critical? Kenshin indifferently asked. As long as your life is endangered, its considered critical, I replied anxiously. Kenshin gave a bitter smile. But, I think I can no longer escape. What? I stared at Kenshin in fright, and at this moment then I realized that both of Kenshins legs had actually been bounded by countless lengths of white satin, making him unable to move. He could only block off attacks while standing in that spot. Moreover, surrounding Kenshin were ten or more purple robes, and Celestial was eyeing him covetously. Although Sunshine and DanDan frantically tried to distract Celestial, the white satin attacking Kenshin didnt even stop once. Sunshine, hurry and help Kenshin! I turned my head to look at Sunshine, and was once again shocked at another scene. As Neurotic and Cold Fox were standing within my vicinity to protect me, it caused the pressure at DanDan and Sunshines side to increase. DanDan not only had tomand a stone giant to block off the purple robes, Sunshine still had to continuously use his magic to deal with Celestials white satins. The critical status of their situation was not at all lower than Kenshins. Was it me who burdened everyone? Thinking this, I decided that I couldnt care less that my body was in so much pain till I was numb, and forced myself to stand up. I shouted to Neurotic and Cold Fox, Im fine, you guys hurry and go help the magicians. Neurotic and Cold Fox gave me a worried nce, but under my firm gaze, both sped back to Sunshine and DanDans sides to help block off the attacks from the purple robes. I want to go help Kenshin! Dragging my suddenly heavy body, I still did my best to swing ck Dao in my hands, using the speed that I was most proud of to weave in between the purple robes, and rush towards Kenshins side step by step. Kenshin, I havee to help you. After reaching Kenshins side with much difficulty, I continued to swing my de non-stop to hack at the white satin that was binding Kenshins feet. Mhh, Kenshin grunted in reply. He started to concentrate even more on dealing with the surrounding purple robes. After quite a while he had cut down arge group of purple robes and I had also finally reduced the number of white satin strips on Kenshins feet to one. Prince, you guys be careful; I dont have any more magic to continue the blood des summon to fight with Celestial! DanDan shouted anxiously. What? I turned my head to look at Celestial. Without the blood des, Celestial had no more concerns. With a wave of his hand, the white satin that I had chopped once again wound onto Kenshins legs. Another ten or so lengths of white satin floated behind Celestial, and then all of them shot towards Kenshin. It seemed that Kenshins body was going to have ten or so more holes... No! I gave a roar and I threw my whole body towards Kenshin, determined to protect him at the cost of my own life. Rebound Barrier! a familiar voice suddenly rose, and as I turned my head to look I saw that the lengths of attacking white satin had actually rebounded back to Celestials body. Unfortunately, Celestial had evaded it in time, and didnt take any serious damage. Prince, are you alright? Lolidragons voice? Once again, I turned my head to look in shock. The people I saw were not just Yun and Lolidragon, but there were many morepanions. The whole group of Odd Squad was assembled, and Rose Team was also here. Ming Huang from Dark Emperor was already looking at me with a face that revealed his bad mood and of course Nan Gong Zui and Kong Kong were not absent. I was dumbfounded, and could only ask with a stammer, Everyone... Why have you alle here? Lolidragon snappily replied, Seeing that Kenshin was searching for people everywhere, I instantly knew that you must have gotten into trouble again. I PMed XiMen Feng to ask what had happened and found out that you guys were in trouble. Afterwards, once I told everyone about this matter, no one said a single word and just rushed here. Lolidragon said pointedly. While Lolidragon was exining, Wolf-dgs healing white light had already enveloped me. Gui and Wicked had also long since run over to help me up and Nan Gong Zui and the others had run to battle with Celestial. Within my heart, I felt warmly touched, and was a little at a loss as to what to do. I merely said, Everyone, be more careful. Celestial is very strong. However, it seems that I was thinking too much. Although Celestial was a little strong to an exaggerated extent, facing this many people helping on my side, there was only defeat left in store for him. The purple robes on the ground were being massacred for fun and with the huge amounts of magic being released from our side, Celestial barely had any space to dodge the attacks. Mostly he could just use his white satin to block them, but gradually, many wounds were inflicted onto his body. Atst, Celestial was eventually unable to endure it any further, and dropped down from the air. Nan Gong Zui gestured for everyone to stop, and then walked in front of me. Liege lord, go and kill off Celestial. Once you have killed him, you should be able to level up. Oh. I seem to be a little useless like this? But after stirring up a load of troubles, how could I dare to protest. I could only obediently walk in front of Celestial, and then pull out my ck Dao, intending to slice Celestial into half. However, I suddenly thought of Doll, and I hurriedly asked him fiercely, Where did you imprison Doll? Kill me then. I definitely will not let you take away my wife. Celestial was lying on the ground soaked in blood, but his face still had that determined expression. In my heart, a strange feeling suddenly arose. This expression seems to be very familiar? Almost like...the resolve that Kenshin had when he was digging Kaorus grave. At this moment, Neurotic who was beside me started muttering to himself, This boss is sure strange. Although I have fought many bosses before, I still havent met a NPC that is so much like a human. Could it be that the stronger the bosses, the higher their intelligence? My heart thumped in surprise. True, Celestials reaction is really too human, and is the exact same as Kenshins and Sunshines. Could it be that Celestial has also be self-aware? I threw a dumbstruck look towards Lolidragon, who also looked back at me. On her face, she wore a serious expression. Kill him, Prince. Lolidragons voice came from over the PM channel. I was dumbstruck. But, do you think he might have be self-aware? Thats precisely why we have to hurry and kill him. If not, when everyone bes suspicious towards Celestial, they might also be suspicious of Sunshine and Kenshin. Surely you dont wish for any mishaps to happen to them, right? Lolidragon said, agitated. Kenshin and Sunshine definitely cant meet any mishaps! I hardened my heart and flipped my ck Dao around to stab downwards into Celestial, who was on the ground. Softly, I muttered, Sorry. Just as my ck Dao was about to prate through Celestials body, his body actually faded away in a sh, like particles dissolving. I was stunned for quite a while. Did I kill him? I raised my Dao and looked at it suspiciously, but I didnt even think that the Dao had stabbed him.What was that? What happened? Prince, have you killed Celestial? After a long moment, Nan Gong Zui came up to inquire. Uncertain, I replied, I dont know Before I could finish my words, Lolidragons voice came from over the PM channel again. Say that you killed Celestial. Ill go look for the people in thepany. After a while, theyll supplement you with the experience and loot. Right now, just focus on saying that you have already killed him. I was filled with doubts, but as I looked over, I saw that Lolidragon had already gone offline. Just what is going on? But since Lolidragon had instructed as such, I could only tell Nan Gong Zui, ...Should be dead, though his way of dying is sure strange. Why is there no loot? This is really strange, Nan Gong Zui muttered in iprehension. Lets not care about that, and hurry and look for Doll! I wonder if shes alright now? I said worriedly. Just as I finished my words, I immediately heard a familiar voice. Prince-gge, youre so slow! Seeing Doll walk over alone as though she was talking a stroll, and her hands even holding two packets of biscuits, my eyes nearly popped out. Doll, are you alright? Doll grabbed a biscuit and put it in her mouth, saying unclearly, Im alright, didnt Doll tell Prince-gge that Im fine? The corner of my mouth twitched a little as I asked, Then what have you been doing just now? Eating, and also ying ball games with the purple-robed big sister! Doll answered happily. Thump! Doll ran over in a hurry. Prince-gge, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly fall over? Your head is even spurting blood! Wolf-gge, hurry ande over, Prince-gge is about to die! Rubbing my head, I stood up and sighed. I turned around to face Neurotic and DanDan. Neurotic, DanDan, my apologies. Im deeply sorry for making you guys worry along with me. Haha, it doesnt matter. Its on your ount that we were able to meet Celestial today and even being able to fight a round with him is to your credit. Otherwise, I dont know how much longer the both of us would have had to search for him. Neurotic gave an unrestrained smile. Neurotic and DanDan? Nan Gong Zui abruptly said with shock, The winners of the Western Continents Adventurers Tournament? The couple from Wandering City? I looked at Neurotic and DanDan in shock. They were the Liege Lords from the Western Continents Wandering City? Neurotic embarrassedly scratched his head. Weve been discovered? Then let us re-introduce ourselves! I am DanDan, a summoner who is fifth in the rankings. This is my hubby Neurotic, a warrior who is ninth in the rankings. We are the winning team of the Western Continents Adventurers Tournament, Wandering Team. After that we constructed Wandering City, and currently we are in the process of honing our strength for the big push, preparing to conquer the whole of the Western Continent. Hopefully, we will be able to be the regions Overlords, just like you, Prince, DanDan grinned at me. Me? Overlord? I asked with shock. DanDans eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Thats right, Central Continents Bloody Overlord, Prince, is currently one of the most established names of the Overlords within the five continents. Bloody Overlord? I let out a small sigh, not knowing how to feel about that. Footnotes Up the creek without a paddle: 첻Ӧеصز (jio tin tin b yng, jio d d b lng). Literally: Cry out to the heavens, but the heavens dont respond. Cry out to the earth, but the earth is impervious. Climb a mountain of knives, go into the oil cauldrons: Actually refers to some of the punishments depicted in Chinese Hell. There are eighteen levels of hell, each incorporating a different kind of torture/punishment meant for different kind of sinners. These two are some of the mostmon ones. For more info, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diyu (Warning: Not for the faint-hearted). Volume 5 Chapter 5 Volume 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: A Mans Daily Trifles C tranted by raylight Its really going to be patched... I suppressed the nervousness in my heart and prepared to go online to wee the arrival of the new patch. Speaking of which, that day Neurotic and DanDan followed us back to Infinite City to look around. Along the way they kept staring around at Infinite City dumbfounded, praising Infinite City as well as me. My heart filled with pride, but I also felt a twinge of embarrassment upon hearing the undue praise. Atst, I couldnt help but ask, Neurotic, its going to be time for the patch soon. Is it fine for you two to still be wandering around the Central Continent? Neurotic scratched his face and said, Of course its not! It should be about time to go back to make preparations for attacking cities! The group was calling us frantically with their mobile phones, and they just stopped short of making wanted posters for us. Dont you think that its very restricted like this? I asked, slightly agitated. Without even waiting for his reply, I started mumbling, In the past, our squad went wherever we pleased, and did whatever we wanted to. Everyone treated me as a friend or even a little brother. But now they always call me Liege Lord, andst time they even kneeled down to pledge their loyalty to me... It really makes me feel, feel... Unused to, it eh? Neurotic asked simply, with both hands propped behind his head. Yeah, when friends all be subordinates, it feels really lonely, I murmured. But theyre still friends. If you look closely, you will realize that actually no one has changed. Neurotic looked at me with a serious expression. They havent? I asked, a little perplexed. Yes. Neurotic seemed to be iparably resolute as he looked at me. Still, I sighed in confusion. Neurotic used hisrge hands to rub my head and ruffle my hair as though he wasforting the neighborhood little boy. As he did so, he said, Its too bad that I didnt get to see you in your full glory this time. I hope that the next time I see you, youll have already figured things out. I hope so... Waking up from my shback, I sighed. Resigned to my fate, I put on the reality helmet and entered Second Life. Once I opened my eyes, I stared nkly at Lolidragon who stood before me. In her hands was a water bucket that was astonishingly big, but there was no water inside because the water...was all on my body. Wet silky hair stuck to my cheeks, and was dripping water non-stop. The originally stylish clothes were also soaked thoroughly and if I removed my shoes, there was an eighty percent chance that I could even raise goldfish in them. Expressionless, I questioned, What are you doing? Lolidragon replied to me seriously and solemnly, My apologies, I originally wanted to mop the floor, but my hand slipped and all the water ended up on you. But rx, for I was coincidentally going to take a bath just now and have already prepared the bath water. Therefore, you can go have afortable hot water bath right now. ... Dont be shy, hurry and go wash! If the water cools down, bathing in it wont be asfortable, Lolidragon continuously urged me. Do you want to bathe together? I suggested. Hearing that, Lolidragons eyes immediately sparkled like a ten-carat diamond. I can? Then I wont refuse! Of course...not! I replied fiercely. Lolidragon pouted her lips in dissatisfaction. Fine then, go wash by yourself. Wordlessly, I retrieved some rope from my backpack, and started tying Lolidragon to the pir. All the while she kept on shouting, Hey, what are you doing? Why are you tying me up? After ensuring that the ropes were secure and Lolidragon would be unable to escape in any way, I elegantly extended my middle finger with poise and pointed it at her. You better not be thinking that I dont know about your ns to peek inside while Im bathing, Lolidragon, you damn nympho, you better stay right here and leave your sweet talking to that pir until I finish my bath. You misunderstood, I didnt think about peeking in during your bath, I swear! Hurry up and help me loosen these ropes, I heard Lolidragon shout to my back as I walked out of the great hall. Aiyah, Im doing this for your own good. You are scared to wash your little XX, right? I can help you! Hearing that, I raised another middle finger at her. Grrr, like letting me see it for a while would kill you. Its rare that I, the great Lolidragon, actually want to see your small XX. Hearing this coarsenguage from Lolidragon, I continued to walk out of the great hall without looking back. Bathroom, wheres the bathroom? I shivered while I looked for the bathroom that I had never gone to before. Looks like this patch has really changed the game to be closer to reality this time, for I was not merely soaked but I actually felt cold. There it is! I looked at the two big words Bath house and dashed into it happily. Looking at the gents at the left and thedies on the right, I hesitated for a while. Should I go into the gents or thedies? Since its in the game, then it should be the gents, right? Without any further thought, I arrogantly kicked open the main door and sauntered into the gents with huge strides. Is the liege lord here for a bath too? Hurry up and get in, its reallyfortable. A fully naked Kong Kong waved at me. I only smiled at him foolishly with my eyes fixed on his upper body, not daring to wander below. I swallowed my saliva, and looked at the bunch of handsome men that were currently bathing in the bathhouse...Nan Gong Zui was leaning at the poolside with his eyes closed. Hearing my arrival, he opened his eyes and smiled at me. Combined with that lean, muscr chest and shoulders, it caused me to drool uncontrobly. Broken Sword... No no no, I cant look at him anymore. Dont kid with me, hes my cousin-inw, how can I take advantage of my cousin-inw? Sunshine is so cute! Kenshin, seen it already. Wolf-dgs whole body is full of fur, so I cant see much. As for Feng Wu Qing, I have seen it since I was young, theres nothing good to see... My eyes swiped from the left to the right like this, and then looked from the right again, my saliva just barely short of a waterfall. Oh my god! Could it be that Im the same as Lolidragon, as in were both really perverted females? Prettyd, why are you in a daze? Your whole body is soaked, hurry and remove your clothes and go in, or youll catch a cold. I heard that after Second Lifes update, yers can be sick as well. XiMen Feng also entered the bathhouse and was also naked from head to toe. The only difference was that it was currently daytime and he was actually a she... How horrible, shes actually swinging her chest that is bigger than mine by two cups in front of me, its simply looking down on me. However, I turned my head back to look at the male organisms in the pool, and about ny percent were holding their noses.... Was it really so serious? Is it possible that Second Life is so realistic that one can even have a nosebleed? Hey, prettyd, you have a nosebleed, XiMen Feng mentioned carelessly. Eh? I extended my hand to wipe under my nose, and a whole handful of blood immediately appeared on my palm. God, I looked at guys until I had a nosebleed? But then,d, you seemed to have a nosebleed even before you saw me. XiMen Feng looked at the men in the pool, and smiled wickedly. Lad, your fetish seems to be a little strange. Once XiMen Feng said that, I saw from the corner of my eye that the people in the pool had all lowered their bodies deeper into the water, and kept looking at me as though they had been vited. Prince, you bastard! You actually tied me up on the pir, and came here to see for yourself first! Lolidragon shouted as she kicked open the bathhouses front door, and then like me her eyes wandered from the left to the right and back again. However, unlike me she had a nosebleed that sprayed out like two waterfalls. This is really tooooo nourishing for the eyes. Lolidragon skipped to the poolside, while salivating and scrutinizing the handsome guys there as though she was selecting a piece of pork. If she werent afraid that the guys would be scared off and run, I think there was a great chance that she wouldve stuck her head in the water to look. In the end, I dragged Lolidragon out as the faces of the guys in the pool looked pale. After that, I saw clothed males fleeing from the bathhouses doors. For some reason, nobody seemed to be interested in going to Infinite Citys iparably luxurious male bathhouse from that day on. I was the only one who would asionally visit and soak in the waters after tying Lolidragon up in chains and throwing her in jail. Speaking of which, after the crowd of males escaped, I monopolized the huge bathhouse by myself. After afortable bath, I suddenly discovered a very urgent problem, and thus, I bustled about finding someone who could help me solve it. Wicked, youre finally online. I sprinted in front of Wicked, breathless, and looked at him with an unmatchably touched expression. Wicked looked at me, full of smiles. You were in a hurry to find me? Yup, its super urgent. Without waiting a moment longer, I pulled him with me and ran. We ran into an empty room, and I locked the door behind me and put both my hands on Wickeds shoulders, looking at him with unmatchably seriousness. Wicked was blushing a little nervously, and asked quietly in a cautious tone, Whats the matter, Xiao Lan? A very grave matter. I opened my mouth to say with iparable caution, Zhuo-gg, hurry and teach me how males go to the toilet. This... Hurry up and teach already, Ive been bearing it for so long, I urged him, wanting to cry and yet unable to do so. Wicked revealed an awkward expression and stuttered, J-just, just pull down the zipper, and then... Urgh, take....take it out, and then support it and aim... Oh, understood. Then Ill be going to the toilet. I practically was barging through the door and running all the way to the toilet, ignoring Zhuo-gg at my back who was wailing in anguish, I actually taught her this kind of stuff...! I rushed into the toilet in a hurry and followed Zhuo-ggs step-by-step instruction. Finally, I was relieved of the agony of holding in ones pee. After that, then what? I entered a new predicament that I didnt know how to solve, for I seemed to have forgotten to ask the steps afterwards. Stuff it back in and then pull up the zipper and youre done. A life-saving voice came from the side, but I was a little hesitant, and looked at my innocent hand as well as the small XX that I had not dared to look at the entire time. I have to use my hand to touch that thing? Ew, the thought itself is really scary. However, I also cant let it sway around like that outside, right? Gathering up my do or die determination, I extended my right hand and stuffed it back in at the speed of light, as though touching it any longer would make my hand corrode away. Whew... At longst, I settled a huge problem. However, I have to wash my hands thoroughly. Although it is my own small XX, it is still rather disgusting. I frowned, staring at the hand that had just stuffed my small XX back in. Stupid sis, even stuffing your small XX back in makes you look like youre going to die as a martyr. I really dont know how you are going to continue acting as a male in the future. Wu Qings voice rang again. Expressionless, I turned my head to look at him, but Wu Qing didnt even nce at me directly, only caring about pulling up his zipper and then running to the sink to wash his hands. I too walked to the sink to wash my hands rather calmly, while saying helplessly, When did you find out? During the Loyalty Pledging Ceremony. Your tantrum-throwing expression was the exact same in real life, Wu Qing replied nonchntly. I think the shock he received when he discovered the truth was probably lower than when he woke up in the morning and discovered that he had grown a pimple. Oh. Its about time he found out. All those who know that Im a tranny have discovered it, except for my brother who had actually known about it first... If he was still unable to find out, I think I really would have to take him to the hospital for a good check-up on whether the part of his brain that recognizes people really has a problem. Wu Qing couldnt help but say, But still, you dont seem to be acting like yourselftely, sis. You look like youre really lost, which is not in ordance with your personality of acting first and thinkingter. Stop nagging, I am actually a VIP with many troubles! I retorted resentfully upon hearing my brothers straightforward words. Sure, sure, youre the VIP, Wu Qing said in a half-hearted tone. I was feeling pissed and was about to refute... But still, the stupid big sister who doesnt use her brain to do stuff is much cuter. Wu Qings two hands encircled his head and he walked out nonchntly. I suddenly thought of something. Yang Ming, dont tell others of my identity. Okay, okay, Wu Qing replied without even looking back. Pig-headed brother, cant you directly tell me if you are concerned for me? Being this awkward, your personality is practically the exact same as me, I murmured to myself with a broadening smile only when my brother was out of sight. Cant believe that your brother actually has this side of him, even I thought that he was purely a yboy aching for a beating, Lolidragon told me as shezily appeared from beside the toilet door, as soon as Wu Qings hind leg disappeared from sight. I shook my head. The fact that he has this side isnt surprising. Im more curious about why you came to the male toilet, Lolidragon. Laughing, Lolidragon said with a whole face of innocence, Going to the toilet. I said coldly, If I remember correctly, arent the female and male toilets on opposite sides of this corridor? Oh... Lolidragon scratched her head, and after sneaking a peek at my lower body, her eyes revealed an expression of disappointment. It is unknown if I had read her lips wrongly, but I kept feeling that Lolidragon was silently chanting obscenenguage such as Like a peek would kill you... With a Humph, I intended to leave so as to put some distance between me and thispletely perverted female. Okay, okay, I wont toy with you anymore. I was looking for you regarding some serious business, Lolidragon said in a hurry. What business? I asked, bewildered. Take it. Lolidragon tossed something to me. I caught it easily, looked at my hand, and saw that it was a gemstone. I was just about to ask Lolidragon what this was, but she had already opened her mouth and started exining. This is the reward for killing Celestial. Although thepany and I busied about for a few days, we couldnt discover what the problem was, so we can onlypensate you with the reward and experience first before doing anything about it. Lolidragon looked worried, which was rare. Seeing Lolidragon acting out of character, it seemed like matters were really grave. I didnt even check how much experience was actually added, and only asked at once, Is it serious? Maybe it is only a small bug, and every game has them. Lolidragons expression changed from worried to slightly more rxed. Perhaps it is only like that. Maybe Im worrying too much. I seized Lolidragons shoulder and joked with her, Anyway, youre only a small GM, you dont have to care about it that much. At most, just change your job. Lolidragon let out a small grunting sound and then switched the topic as she smacked my shoulder in return. Hurry and go to the great hall, everyones waiting for you. Waiting for me? I was a little stunned. What was the matter? Yeah. After you protested by leaving, everyone has done some reflection and wants to chat with you about how to solve your problem, Lolidragon said. I showed a guilty expression. I left home impulsively and let Dollnd herself into trouble. In the end, it was still everyones hasty help that solved the problem. Now everyone is saying they have actually done some soul-searching? I sighed. The person who truly needs to self-reflect is me. Without waiting for my reaction, Lolidragon gave me yet another smack to the shoulder. What are you thinking? Just hurry and go. Uttering an Oh, I walked through the long corridors with heavy footsteps. Although I had already gone to the great hall countless times, my heart was still nervous, as though it were filled with rocks from the manure pit. As I neared the great hall, I felt even more anxious. At longst, I turned a corner, and the great hall was just at the other end of the corridor. However, I halted my footsteps in nervousness. Maybe I should think about how to apologize to everyone first? Also, I hope that I can make everyone understand that I want them to treat me as they did in the past. Just as I was about to burst my brain from all the thinking, a cold voice broke the silence of the corridor. Prince? they asked me with the indifference of a machine. I was stunned for a moment, and replied in reflex. Yes...? After I answered, I realized that something was wrong. The other party didnt reply and only an abnormal glint of silver appeared. Having the experience of being assassinated by XiMen Feng, I ducked to the side by reflex, and then looked backwards. As expected, the glint of silver was emitted from the dagger in someones hand. I looked closely at the daggers owner. It was a woman with a delicate figure who was d in a tight ck bodysuit. However, because she was wearing a mask, her true identity could not be seen. Her two beautiful eyes showed no expression at all, and without even saying a word the dagger moved with shocking speed, once again threatening my life. I yelled in shock, and didnt even have enough time to pull out my ck Dao. I could only roll to the side to protect my little life. Turning back to look I thought, Oh my god!Its that deadly dagger again! How can its speed be so fast?! The thought had just shed through my mind and my body had already shifted ten centimeters to the side, but the dagger still stabbed into my shoulder. I groaned in pain. However, I didnt let her stab me in vain. My right fist swung, and violently punched her in the nose, which led to the sound of breaking bones that I heard with much satisfaction. Taking advantage of the time after breaking her nose, I immediately tried to pull out my ck Dao. The de was only pulled out halfway when the female assassin looked back. The dagger once again lurched towards me, as though she was only pushed back slightly, rather than breaking her nosethe most vulnerable body part of human that, once hurt, can give someone so much pain that theyd rather die. I could only use the half pulled out ck Dao to block the dagger, and simultaneously, my right leg also swept towards the female assassin. However, she seemed prepared for it. As she jumped, the dagger in her hand headed towards me again. I had pulled out my entire ck Dao by this time, and neatly avoided the iing dagger by turning around. At the same time, I discovered that the female assassins strength was rmingly high. My hand was shaking violently. I actually had to block it by forcing myself.Could it be that the female assassin is a warrior and not a thief? But her speed is also very frightening. At this moment, shadows and sounds came from the other end of the corridor. I looked back and saw that it was the crowd waiting for me at the great hall. They seemed to have realized that something was wrong, and had decided to go check it out. I felt relieved at this point. The female assassin had also seemed to notice the sounds of the crowd. She actually revealed a strange, faint smile. Using that voice that was like a robot, she said, Dont think that they can stop me, you will still have to die. I took in a sharp breath. Did I do something so unforgivable that made her so determined to kill me, a 20-year-old, cute, beautiful, and delicate young girl? Once the female assassin finished her words, she didnt hesitate further. Two gleaming daggers stabbed at me again. I roared once, and after an ugly-looking dog-style roll, my left hand was left with a long gash. Lying on the ground, I spit out two mouthfuls of blood and then lifted my head toward the female assassin. I had already prepared to be killed off; however, I saw that several semi-transparent arrows had forced the female assassin to retreat and dodge. At this time, the fellows that had arrived stood in front of me one by one, protecting me. Nan Gong Zui questioned with an air of fury that was hard to cover, Who are you? Why do you want to hurt Prince? The female assassin didnt even reply. With a sudden sh of her silhouette, she appeared directly in front of me. I was deeply shocked, and the crowd standing in front of me had not yet responded. In the moment where I thought I was really going to lose my life under the dagger, a ck shadow moved in front of me. Wicked had actually used his body to block the stab, and he released a painful groan. Wicked? I eximed in shock. When everyone saw Wicked had been injured, they all unsheathed their weapons and without another word, attacked the female assassin. But her speed was simply too fast. Although she was having some difficulty fighting us, she still managed to dodge most of our attacks. You have to pay the price for hurting Prince! Gui lifted his guqin and several Supersonic arrows shot at her. The female assassin, who had been besieged by people, finally got hit as her thigh and arms were promptly stabbed with arrows. The female assassin halted, ring at her surroundings with unparalled coldness. Atst, when she looked at me, she spoke with a tone of extreme disdain. Which part of this kind of childish liege lord is worth your protection? I will not allow you to hurt him, just as he would not allow anyone to hurt his friends. Nan Gong Zui held his sword, determined, as he stood in front of me. Childish? Do you know that, even if he was covered in blood from head to toe, this childish person would still not retreat a single step backward, but would stand in front of hispanions to protect them? Yu Lian-ds?o was steaming with anger, and her hands had already prepared her magic to attack. Doll had hurried to my side with two streams of tears. After she looked heart achingly at my bloodied upper torso, her eyes burned with fury as she looked at the female assassin and chanted an incantation that I had never heard before. The ck inferno of hell, in the name of Doll, Imand you to forge into chains, and burn on this enemy of mine. Torture as much as you can, inflicting pain beyond death, but let them be unable to seek death C Chain, Endless Torture. However, they are still friends. Look closely, and you will realize that actually, everyone hasnt changed. Neurotics earnest expression and words suddenly appeared in my mind. Everyone really hasnt changed! My heart was suddenly filled withfort. Although my body was in terrible pain, I couldnt help but smile. Once Dolls incantation was finished, several ck chains sprung up beside the female assassins foot. Before anyone could respond, the chains tightly bound onto her body, and the sizzling sound of BBQ meat could be heard. She was in so much pain that she released piercing screams and in the air lingered the disgusting smell of grilled human meat. Doll, dont kill her yet, there are still things I want to ask. Seeing the situation, Nan Gong Zui hurriedly stopped Doll. With a face of solemnness and seriousness, Doll looked at the female assassin screaming in pain and agony. In a voice of pity, she said, She wont die. Chain, Endless Torture has no attack power, thus it will not let the yer die. However, it will give the yer so much pain that they would rather die than suffer through it. Looking at the terrible situation of the female assassin, everyone was feeling distressed as well. From their expressions, I guessed that they were thinking about the same thing as me in their hearts. In the future, Id rathermit suicide by jumping off a cliff and having my carcass sttered into pulp than suffer Dolls wrath. Why do you want to kill me? I asked as I walked to up to the assassin, enduring the pain from my wounds. The female assassin ignored my question and instead began tough crazily. She shouted, I have failed, but it doesnt mean that others will. Just wait, you little imp. You better not count on being able to stay at Infinite City forever and be the liege lord. When she finished, she raised the two daggers in her hands, and without hesitation, she stabbed them into her heart. Before anyone could react and stop her, she had already be white light and flown away. At this moment, my tense body finally rxed and, leaning against the wall, I slid powerlessly onto the ground. However, the nervousness in my heart increased as many, many questions flooded in... Still, right now the main objective is to wait for Wolf-dg toe over and heal my wounds. I was in so much pain that my face had distorted, and my eyebrows had furrowed together as I looked at the fresh red blood spurting from my shoulder like a fountain. If Second Life were to have a vampire race, they would definitely love mesomeone who is covered with blood so oftento bits. This was thest bit of nonsense that I thought before I fainted. Your Highness...Prince...Liege lord... Hmm? I opened my eyes a little hazily, wanting to see which bastard was disturbing my sleep. However, as I opened my eyes, everyones concerned faces immediately sprung into view. What exactly happened? Who was the one who has harmed you? Gui asked with a cold expression. That assassin was female, and by matter of principle, women wouldnt want to kill Prince, Wicked thought as he scrunched his eyebrows. I too have no idea what is going on. I stood up steadily and, as expected, the wound on my shoulder had already been healed. Actually daring to assassinate the Liege Lord in front of us, theyre simply belittling Infinite City. If her assassination were a sess, then the Liege Lords reputation would be White Bird started indignantly. Nan Gong Zui suddenly stopped White Bird from continuing. Dont talk about it anymore, White Bird. Right now, whats the most important isnt the Liege Lords reputation, but how Princes life was threatened. Nan Gong Zui turned toward me abruptly, and with an apologetic tone said, This time we were the ones who were at fault, for we overdid things and almost totally neglected your original personality, and we havent taken into ount your opinions. Hearing Nan Gong Zui say that, I was just about to refute that it was me who was too impulsive when Nan Gong Zui waved his hand instead, expressing that I should let him finish. Perhaps because of this, although Prince is the Liege Lord, he has always been following ourmands. To tell the truth, Prince, you have never given us any orders. Finally, Nan Gong Zui stated profoundly, Reputation is not obtained just by having your subjects kneel down and swear loyalty to you, Prince. When you are genuinely able to assume your personal responsibility, your prestige will naturally be there. The growing up process may be unbearable, but the final fruit will be very sweet. Yu Lian- ds?o smiled as she looked at me and atst she extended her hand to stroke my head. Rx; our Prince will definitely have no problem. I was silent for quite a while. Considering Nan Gong Zuis words, I recalled grudgingly that I was really a submissive person. No wonder White Bird was always saying that we had to build my reputation, though she had never really convinced me. Seeing Nan Gong Zuis encouraging smile, and thinking about my brothers words, I finally settled on a decision. Who cares, Ill be whatever kind of Liege Lord that Id like to be. Lifting my mouth into a faint smile, I said, Then, from now on, everyone is not allowed to call me Liege Lord anymore. Prince is my only name. But! White Bird hurriedly tried to retort. I said, I continued in a calm voice that brooked no argument, Prince is my only name. White Bird was stunned, her face carrying an utterly shocked expression, while the others smiled. I did a big stretch, as though I had just awakened from a deep sleep. Its strange how just one difference in ones way of thinking can change how someone feels.The disparity between my feelings right now and my feelings just before, when I was walking to the great hall, makes it seem as though I was another person. As I finished my stretch, I straightened my body solemnly. Now, lets talk about the assassin from a moment ago. Having such a strong womaning to kill me for no apparent reason is already very strange. What is even stranger is that before she died, she said she had failed, but it doesnt mean that others would. Hearing the words that I said, everyones faces became serious. Nan Gong Zui said gravely, If its like this, there should be even more people who want to kill you. I nodded. Should be, though no matter how hard I think, I cant seem to think of anyone that I have offended recently. Its possible that its not a personal grudge, Lolidragon exined, not feeling surprised at all. Prince is the person who has the most ability to unite the whole of the Central Continent right now. Moreover, the battle for the cities is close to hand. Just from this fact, the number of people that want to kill you until youre back at level 1 is probably as plentiful as the carp swimming upstream during mating season. After all, there are many people who want to be the liege lord. I scratched my face, and was just about to ask when the battle for the cities starts. However, there was an eighty percent chance that Lolidragon had already seen my questioning expression, for she rolled her eyes at me and exined, There are only two more weeks until the battle for the cities. While you were away everyone has already made preparations to attack the cities. I scratched my face in embarrassment. Oh, then should I hurry and train to gain a few levels so as to change how I cant match up to the other liege lords levels right now? Lolidragon smiled mysteriously. War is the best way to gain levels. How? I asked nkly. In this patch there were too many changes, so I didnt have the time to tell you guys. Actually, killing people can also increase your experience points. Usually, by killing others, you would receive a heavy punishment. After willfully killing others, you would be listed as wanted for a week, so one wouldnt be able to meet the NPC wardens in the city, and also wouldnt be able to buy or sell items in the city. However, this penalty does not apply during the battle period. Which also means, Prince, you can go on a rampage and kill your enemies to raise your level during the battle. Lolidragon looked at me with a smile. To kill several tens, hundreds, or even several thousand people during the battle should be an easy feat for the Blood Elf, right? Hearing this, I couldnt help but smile the Blood Elfs wicked grin. Looks like Im going to have another nickname, the Killer Demon King. You just go and be your Killer Demon King, our Foreign Affairs group will definitely find out the real culprit behind this assassination issue, Lolidragon said with great energy, clenching her fist. Oh, do your best, Lolidragon, Feng Wu Qing said while enjoying the cool air at the side. In high spirits, Lolidragon turned her head with a fierce re. After pulling Feng Wu Qings ear, Lolidragon pretended not to hear my brothers wails, and dragged him along. Mocking him, she said, I seem to remember that Young Master Feng Wu Qing is also part of the Foreign Affairs group. I, Lolidragon, will grudgingly allow you to investigate with me. Footnotes Carpsy their eggs in freshwater rivers, and must swim up the river during the mating season. Volume 5 Chapter 6 Volume 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The Bloody Overlord C tranted by Akakuroi Come on everyone, break down the city gate! I shouted with all my might. Besides inspiring the warriors from Infinite City who were pushing the battering rams to break down the gates of Moon City, I also had to raise my shield in order to block all the arrows showering down from the city wall and swing my sword together with Nan Gong, Wicked, and others to keep away the waves of yersing to snatch the city away from us after wed done the hard work of killing the NPC guards. There were countless brave warriors of Infinite City here. Some were desperately ramming the gate, trying to bring it down faster in order to proceed with conquering the city and even more were on thedders trying to scale the citys walls, ignoring the showers of arrows as they climb. The blood of the warriors almost stained the whole wall red. The mages at the back of the army only had two things to do: casting spells and gulping down mana potions. From this I could tell how sessful Yu Lian and the others were at training the mages. If it wasnt for the fear of having to pay a huge sum of moneyter for the reparation of Moon City, the mages alone could have sted the whole city apart. However, in order to keep Moon City as intact as possible, they could only use medium and lower level spells to st the NPC guards off the city wall. During the battle for the city, the NPC guards were nothing. The real trouble was the yersing to snatch the city away. Not only was the number huge, they wereing along in unending droves. What was even more unbelievable was that yers who had be a pirs of white light and flown away a scant minute ago were now running back fearlessly for a second round. The situation was in a such ridiculous state that apart from the warriors pushing the battering ram that was tearing down the gate and the mages in charge of sting the NPC archers off from the city wall, the rest of us had formed a semi-circle in front of the Moon Citys gate to prevent other yers from sneaking into the city amidst the confusion. Luckily Yu Lian and Phoenix hade up with the n of making the army of Infinite City wear the same uniform instead of their normal gear. If it wasnt for that n, we never would have been able to tell our allies apart from our foes. With Nan Gong fighting on my left, Wicked on my right and Wolf-dg at the back to heal, I hacked the yers apart like there was no tomorrow, following my kill and you get exp, kill more and you get more exp rule. When one came Id kill one, when two came Id kill three! Eh?...Oh, I identally killed the spectators at the side who were just watching? Sorry... Prince! The gate will be down soon, so hurry to it now! You must be the first to enter the central tower and break the city gem! Gui yelled as, under the protection of several warriors, he ran through the dangerous shower of arrows, magic spells, and shes of swords and spears. No problem! I shouted back. After signaling to Nan Gong and Wicked to head for the city gates, they immediately nodded and moved forward with me. Pure. White. Inferno. Rhapsody! I roared, dashing towards the already cracking gate. With that, a st of me immediately burst out of my ck Dao. Unlike the normal fiery red me, the me that surged out this time was a zing white fire of the purest heat. Why were the mes produced different now? Actually, not only the color of the me had changed, but the shape of my ck Dao was different as well. As it turned out, the gem Lolidragon gave me the other daythe prize for killing Celestialwas a gem that could increase a weapons fire affinity. When I affixed the gem on ck Dao, the weapon had changed drastically. The original pure ck sword de and scabbard were now adorned with patterns of me. When I held the Dao in my hand, a gauntlet would automatically appear, covering the whole of my right arm. The thin blood red armor was so strong that up until now, there was no weapon or magic spell Ive tried that could cause any damage to it. Aftering in contact with Pure White Inferno Rhapsody, just about nothing could survive. Hence, the cracked gate simply shattered into pieces of wood. When everyone saw that the gate had been broken down, there were sounds of rming from the yers, but there were even more ear-splitting cheers from the army of Infinite City. However, I knew this had yet to end. As long as the city gem remained intact, the city wasnt in the bag. I looked at Nan Gong Zui and shouted, Zui, hurry and take me to the central tower! After I saw Zui nodding at me, I turned around towards White Bird and ordered, Guard the gate well and dont let anyone in. Tell Gui to lead archers and warriors up the city wall and prepare to defend the city. White Bird nodded to me. I immediately turned to follow Nan Gong Zui to the central tower without looking back once. With Nan Gong Zui leading us, we soon found the central tower. I broke the central tower door with another Pure White Inferno Rhapsody and then followed the stairway straight to the top of the tower, where the city gem was located. Prince, go on, well look out for you, Wicked said calmly. Right, I said. Just as I was about to sh the city gem, I caught a glint of silver light from the corner of my eyes. I immediately turned around to defend myself, and the sound of shing des reverberated throughout the central tower. Nan Gong Zui and Wicked, who were originally guarding at top of the stairs, whipped their heads around, shocked. I, on the other hand, was totally unsurprised as I came face to face with yet another assassin dressed in ck fitting clothes. This time, its probably a male assassin. A pity for him though, for I was no longer the person I had been before. In these two weeks, the number of assassins targeting me was so numerous that from the moment I opened my eyes I was prepared to face the assassins. Since it was them who initiated the attacks and I was merely defending myself, I had no worries at all about getting my name on the wanted list. Moreover, after having to face so many sneak attacks in every single day, one definitely bes frustrated. Naturally, abusing these assassins became my daily pastime. As a result, my level skyrocketed, not to mention how much they had trained me in my reflexes and agility. Although my level was still not as high as Neurotic who had gone back to the Western Continent, I was already level eighty-six. This, along with my superb, inhuman reflexes trained by the assassins... Even Neurotic might not be able to beat me. My eyes shone with the glint of excitement, the glint of meeting a strong opponent. After all, the assassins nowadays were really too weak and were totally notparable to the previous female assassin. From the conclusion of the Foreign Affairs department, those weaklings were probably not the female assassins aplices. However, Im sure that this person in front of me, who was dressed in the same tight ck bodysuit, was her aplice. Rwaahhhh! I gave a low bellow and charged towards the assassin. The rapid exchange of blows between our swords was so satisfying that I forgot about everything around us. I think Prince has utterly forgotten what hes here to do. When Nan Gong Zuis voice floated into my ears, I instantly and automatically pretended that I hadnt heard it. Never mind, just let him fight. The situation outside the city is under control and ording to Broken Sword who stayed behind to protect Infinite City, those who went to attack Infinite City are just some nobodies who want to create a minor disturbance. Upon hearing Wickeds words, my tiny little bit of conscience immediately disappeared and I fought even more enthusiastically with the male assassin. The male assassin knew that the situation was definitely against him. He was unable to overpower me, plus he saw that Nan Gong Zui and Wicked were just chilling on the sidelines. It seemed that he has no desire to drag out battle either, as with a back flip he jumped onto the window ledge he had entered from and prepared to leave. When I saw this, I immediately shouted, All of you are so strong; why do you want to assassinate me? After a silent pause, he replied coldly, Its because youre much more dangerous than any of the others. Im dangerous? Which part of me is dangerous? Its not like theres a sign saying Dangerous beast, do not feed hanging around my neck. Althoughing near me now might mean getting shed into halves due to my reflexes, that was all trained by you assassins and not part of my original personality. I scratched my cheek helplessly, unable to understand how I was dangerous. I wonder how long itll take for Prince to remember that hes actually here to break the city gem... Nan Gong Zui finally softly asked Wicked after watching me frown to myself for a long time. Looking helplessly at me, Wicked replied, Thats too hard a question, I have no answer for you! After a while, I finally snapped out from the youre dangerous remark and back into reality. After throwing an embarrassed look at Nan Gong Zui and Wicked, who were now reading the newspaper and drinking tea off to the side, I started striking the city gem and was on the verge of singing Hey ho, hey ho, pull the radish ...No, I mean I just calmly hit the gem. While striking the gem, I listened to Nan Gong Zuis report on the situation of the two other cities. Leisurely drinking tea, he said, Lolidragon and Feng Wu Qing have already researched the other yers who took down the other two cities. Basically, they are all within our limits and nothing we cant handle. After the Moon City is stabilized, we will proceed with conquering both the Sun and Star City. Isnt monopolizing all the cities too much? I continued hitting the gemstone while unknowingly voicing theints that other yers had. Zui picked up his teacup and started sipping gracefully while Wicked took his turn to exin. We have no choice, he said. If we dont conquer the Sun and the Star cities, then as soon as they get a foothold, they will definitely attack us. In order to guarantee Infinite Citys safety, conquering all three major cities in the Central Continent is a must. I see... But wont people be dissatisfied in the long term if we monopolized these cities? I questioned. Dont worry. After the patch, yers will be able to purchase their own piece ofnd for development. They still can build their own cities; we are only conquering Sun, Moon and Star cities in order to save the time and money needed to buynd and construct a city. Zui exined, putting down the teacup. Oh, I replied in acknowledgement and turned around to continue hacking away at the gemstone. It was still intact even though Id been striking it for a while. Just looking at it I felt impatience welling up in my heart like a fire and zing pure white mes billowed out from the patterns on my ck Dao again. Hyaaaaa! I charged at the gem and started shing at it erratically, constantly shouting, Lets see if youll break this time! With a final BOOM, the gem shattered into powder and dispersed into the air, causing me to inhale a few mouthfuls of powder. Coughing profusely, I waved my hand around to clear the dust. I turned around and tell Zui and Wicked that we could leave, only to be confronted with two powder men, both kneeling on the floor holding their teacups motionlessly. White powder covered them from head to toe and only two pairs of eyes were left untouched, looking helplessly at me while constantly coughing up more powder. After breaking the gem, deafeningly loud cheers could be heard the moment I stepped out of the central tower. Thousands of people gathered outside the central tower and from their attire I could tell they were all Infinite Citys warriors. Holding my Dao high above my head, I happily cheered with them. As I walked down the stairs, all of the Infinite Citys warriors suddenly charged towards me and tossed me up, throwing me up into the sky over and over. When I saw how highly Infinite Citys warriors regarded me, I was extremely touched. I started fooling around and partying with everyone until they became too tired to move, before making my way to tour the sights of Moon City, the city which we had just acquired under my name. What took you so long when you were hitting the gem? We almost fell asleep waiting for you outside, Lolidragon followed me andined unhappily. Scratching the back of my head apologetically, I replied, I met an assassin. Plus, this assassin probably is the aplice of that female assassin from the first time. What? Upon hearing that, Lolidragon immediately stood up straighter and asked seriously, How strong was he? On par with the female assassin fromst time, I replied honestly. If Nan Gong Zui and Wicked werent at my side, it was doubtful who would have won the fight. Frowning, Lolidragon paced back and forth. How is this possible? Since the number of elite yers with that level of skill are so rare, its almost impossible to find them on the Central Continent anymore; we have ruled out most of the possible suspects. What about yers from other continents? Feng Wu Qing suddenly popped out from nowhere and cut in. Both Lolidragon and I looked towards Wu Qing in confusion. Would anyone actually travel all the way to another continent just to assassinate someone? With a wave of his fan, Feng Wu Qing said charmingly, If there are people who want to take over the whole continent, then therell be people who want to take over the all of Second Life. In order to achieve that, getting rid of the infamous and strong spokesperson of Second Life, Central Continents Bloody Overlord, Prince, is of the utmost importance. I see, so thats why Im more dangerous than others? I muttered to myself. In that case, the suspects are the overlords of the four other continents? Lolidragon asked as she furrowed her brow. Overlords of the four continents? I asked with a bit of excitement. Neurotic should be the overlord of the West Continent right? I wonder what the other overlords are like... Without a moment of hesitation Lolidragon replied, The Smiling Overlord of East Continent, Winter Triumph. The Carefree Overlord of West Continent, Neurotic. The Undying Overlord of South Continent, Undying Man; the Floral Overlord of the North Continent, Northern Flower; and of course, including you, the Bloody Overlord of Central Continent, Prince, Wu Qing added in perfect synchronization with Lolidragon. I was utterly stunned by what I had just heard. Why do all the overlords sound so strong? Who could the suspect be? Lolidragon considered carefully. It definitely cant be Neurotic and his men, I replied resolutely. If they wanted me dead, they could have just let me die in the Valley of Wandering Nymphs instead of helping me. We are ruling the West Continent out then. It seemed like well need to thoroughly investigate the overlords of the North, South, and East continents, Lolidragon mumbled. How are you going to investigate? You cant even PM between different continents. Are you going to spend ten plus days just to travel back and forth from one continent to another? Feng Wu Qing replied in disapproval. Without holding back, Lolidragon pinched his ears with all her might, allowing me to see the wondrous sight of my flirtatious brother crying out in pain again. At the same time, Lolidragon shouted into his ear, We have Sunshines flying carpet! Ignoring Wu Qings look of suffering, Lolidragon said to me, I will go with this guy to the different continents and gather information. Prince, be careful. Dont worry, I wont get myself killed by assassins, I replied while waving goodbye to Lolidragon. Mouth twitching, Lolidragon said, Thats not what I meant. I mean, dont abuse the assassins so much or the Human Rights Association wille knocking on your door! Ill...try. With help from Sunshine, Lolidragon and Feng Wu Qing travelled between continents. During this time the people of the Infinite City didnt ck off either. Upon entering Moon City the Military, Finance, and Construction departments immediately started working. They repaired the damage caused by the war, built more essential facilities that the citycked, and arranged the guards and army for the city. In fact, it got so busy that I had no time to look at anything else and at one point I nearly wanted to leave once and for all. But I had already made a decision to be a good overlord. How could I give up halfway now? Thus, apart from the times when Sun and Star city were attackedat which point I would take advantage of to go train a little by secretly killing attackersmost of the time I was just battling with the huge pile of paperwork submitted by each department. After I graduate from university, I might have an extremely high potential of running for the job of city mayor. Its decided: Im going to develop the Moon City into an art and cultural hub, I stated my vision with clenched fists as I watched the peaceful scenery outside the window. The very next day, I told Yu Lian-ds?o my decision. She only thought about it for a moment before she agreed to fund it. Then I cheerfully went to look for the Construction department, and told Gui and Fairsky, I want to transform the Moon City into a city of art and culture. Furthermore, Yu Lian-ds?o has already agreed to fund the project! However, Fairsky just ferociously grabbed my cor and bit out through gritted teeth, You just sent my darling hubby Sunshine away for a tour around the world, leaving me here alone waiting for him, and now youre going to increase my work load? Are you tired of living and feel that the number of assassins targeting you is not enough? Ah? This will increase your work load? But after conquering the Sun and the Star cites, I still want to turn the Sun City into amerce city and Star City into a world of entertainment! Hearing that, Fairsky let go of my cor and stared nkly. Are you really Prince? she demanded disbelievingly. No, no, thats impossible; Prince would never be so clever. You must be an assassin whos disguised as Prince. Spill it, wheres the real Prince? Oi! What kind of attitude is that?! Prince was always very clever. He is so wise that he looks dumb to other people, Gui said, making goose bumps immediately appear on my skin. Anyway Im leaving this matter to the Construction Department. Im going to the Military Department to see when we can attack the Sun and Star cities. Humming to my own tune, I skipped happily towards the Military Department. Behind me, Fairsky muttered, Why is this guy so happy? He has so much administration work to do, not to mention that he gets attacked by at least three assassins per day and still has to worry about conquering the Sun and Star cities ... Could it be that he is so busy that hes gone crazy? Gui replied frankly, Recently, the standards of the assassins have been rather high, and Prince was really happy to fight with them. And every assassin is being ruthlessly taught a lesson by Dolls Chain, Endless Torture after the fight, so Prince... I see, so its because he gets to release his sadistic tendencies... Zui, Wolf-dg, are you guys here? I stuck my head into the Military Department office and looked around. Indeed, aside from Broken Sword who was in charge of training the soldiers, everyone was there. A handnded on my shoulder, apanied with a ghostly voice, Why didnt you mention my name? Keeping up my smiling face, I turned around to face Wickeds gloomy expression and said, Good morning, Wicked! What is it, Prince? Wolf-dg smiled and walked towards me, ruffling my hair with his hand as usual. I wanted to ask when we can attack Sun City and Star City, I said frankly, not hiding the glint of eagerness in my eyes. Actually, both Sun and Star City are willing to surrender to us provided that we agree to their conditions, Nan Gong Zui replied. We have already discussed the conditions with Star City and there should be no problem; I was going to tell you about itter. The Star City yers only demands are to have the biggest estate in Infinite City for free, and that after joining the army of Infinite City they should have at least have the post of team leader. These conditions are really simple and should be easy to fulfill. But as for the Sun City... Their conditions might be a problem. How so? I asked. But even if there really were problems, I didnt really care. If we couldnt reach an agreement, then wed just initiate a war. Right now Impletely unafraid of war! Nan Gong Zui went silent. After a moment Wicked continued, Its Fan. And a few teams that are hostile towards us, Wolf-dg added. Perfect Princess Team, Team Phoenix, Hells Murderers, and another person sponsoring them that Im not familiar with. I heard he holds some grudge against you too. Hes called Huang Wei. I was taken aback by what I heard. Huang Wei came to the Central Continent too? Frowning, I mentally prepared myself, for their conditions of surrender must be rted to me and definitely rted in a negative way as well. What are their conditions? The three of them wentpletely silent as Wolf-dg took a frighteningly long sheet of paper from the table and passed it to me. I took it and began reading from it, One: Let Prince disappear forever from Second Life; Two: Rip Princes stomach open; Three: Gift Prince to me, Perfect Princess; Four: After killing Prince up to a thousand times, bring L Jing back to me; Five: Return Fire Phoenix back to me, and then throw Prince and that damned meat bun into the sea to feed the sharks... Without any expression, I tore that piece of paper full with nonsense into pieces. In a stern andmanding tone, I asked the Military Department, When will the troops be ready? We need to take hold of Star City first and then we can send the troops out a weekter, Nan Gong Zui reported. Then in one week, someone is going to be in big trouble, I said as I clenched my fist fiercely. A weekter, I rode on top of a horse, pacing back and forth before the army of Infinite City while staring at the far-off walls of Sun City. ording to my assessment, the number of archers on the city wall was far less than the numbers of NPC archers sent out by Second Life when we first tried to conquer Moon City. Looks like the battle for conquering the city this time will be a piece of cake... I muttered to myself. But Fan isnt an average yer. You cant be sure that this isnt a trap, Nan Gong Zui reminded me concernedly upon hearing my muttering. Fan holds a deep grudge against you and its possible that his target might be you alone. Prince, you must be careful. Thats right; Fan definitely isnt someone who would allow himself to y an insignificant role. Rousing myself a little, I replied, I understand, Ill be careful. With that, I pulled the reins and changed the direction of the horse to face the warriors of Infinite City while holding my ck Dao high above my head. Everyone remained silent, waiting for my words. I roared, Take down Sun City! Unite the Central Continent! Upon hearing that, everyone was excited into a wild frenzy. A chant that burst out from the mouth of Infinite Citys warriors was so loud that it nearly shook me, their city lord, off of my horse. Unite the Central Continent! Unite the Central Continent! Unite the Central Continent! I kicked the sides of my horse, riding straight in the direction of Sun City, and shouted, Charge! The city lord...is leading the attack... Wicked pressed his hand against forehead as though he had a headache. Nan Gong Zui looked on, equally helpless, and said, Shall we hurry up and catch up with him? Besides the archers on the city wall, the Sun City defense line consisted of three rings of warriors surrounding the city gate. But this was exactly what had my blood boiling with excitement. I could swing my precious ck Dao however I wanted to my hearts content, something that I definitely could not enjoy on daily basis. Heeeeh! Yaaaa! I held my shield high above my head to block the arrowsing from the city wall as my other hand continuously shed at one soldier after another. At first I would still get a few cuts here and there, but the priests in the back were so efficient that the moment I got a tiny little cut, over ten white healing lights wouldnd on me. The mages on the city wall couldnt hurt me either. Although I couldnt see them, I could guarantee that there were at least ten protective shields above my head. When Nan Gong Zui and Wicked caught up with me and both stood by my side to protect me, I smiled faintly. Its time to go into total offensive mode! The horse seemed to sense my excitement too, for it followed my lead and galloped back and forth amongst the enemy, allowing me to kill to my hearts content. After a few charges the area around me started to empty. Curling my lips in dissatisfaction, I was about to say a few provoking words to the enemy to see if anyone would be agitated enough toe and let me cut him up. Then Nan Gong Zuis helpless voice rang out, Prince, stop ying. The city gate is already down, hurry up and enter the city! Ohhhh... Looking at Zui and Wicked who were both panting, I thought of how tiring it must be to cover for me just now. Feeling a little guilty, I didnt dare to continue ying anymore and rode on toward the city gate. After entering the city I looked around, trying to locate the central tower. A shadow suddenlynded before my horse and with a nce I realized it was actually Kong Kong. He had probably watched too many ancient Japanese dramas, for he was actually dressed like a ninja. Not to mention that he was kneeling on one knee with his hands sped together as he reported to me in a reverent and respectful tone, My lord, the central tower is just up ahead to the left. Please follow your humble servant. With a roll of my eyes I asked, Did you take the wrong medicine today? Feeling slighted, Kong Kong curled his mouth a little and twisted his index fingers together uneasily. Whats wrong? Isnt this what they do inics? Another person whos addicted toics! I didnt know whether tough or to cry at his actions, so I said, Whatever makes you happy is fine, as long as you can take me to the central tower. No problem my lord, please follow me. Switching back into ninja mode, Kong Kong pointed in the main direction of the tower and started running. I exchanged a nce with Wicked and Nan Gong Zui who were nowmanding the troops and then everyone followed us, proceeding toward the tower. After a short while the central tower was right before my eyes. As expected, the rest of the army was guarding it, just like the tactic we used when Fan attacked us. Whoa, everyones here. I was a little surprised. In front of the central tower, I recognized many familiar faces: Perfect Princess Team, Team Phoenix, Hells Murderers, and Huang Wei. One thing all of them had inmon was that they looked as though they couldnt wait to tear me into pieces, chew me up, and spit me out. Weird, wheres Fan? I felt a little confused by his absence. Prince, youre the first man who dared to look down on me! Ill definitely make you pay! Perfect Princess said while biting on her handkerchief with eyes full of resentment. Prince! This time I swear Ill roast you into barbeque! the leader of Hells Murderers bellowed. If I remember correctly, I think hes called the Blood-soaked Demon King? Return my darling L Jing back to me! Huang Weis glittering old fashion look had yet to change. Prince, if you dont hurry and return Fire Phoenix to us, youre dead! shouted a group of pretentious men in white shirts and white pants. You could tell they were the Team Phoenix with just one nce. However... What was the speakers name again? Howe I dont have any impression of who he is? Feeling a little embarrassed, I asked, Im sorry, the leader of Team Phoenix, but I truly have forgotten what your name is. Would you please tell the readers yourself? Upon hearing that, the men in white...no, I mean Team Phoenix, revealed expressions of devastation and disappointment, and cried to the sky, Of course you wont remember our names, because the author never gave us names at all! I was dumbfounded. So they didnt even have names! How pitiful. I shook my head and said, What a pitiful team. Since you dont even have names, Ill send you guys away first. Twisting my lips up into a wicked smile, I uttered a few orders to Nan Gong Zui. Zui immediately signaled to the warriors of Infinite City behind us and the attack began. All of you will regret writing that damned request, I said with a ferocious look. Id overlook that you wanted to throw me into the sea to feed the sharks, but you even included my cute lil Meatbun! Fine then, Ill let you have a taste of Meatbuns power! Taking out my cute lil Meatbun, I told him, Meatbun,e and help your mama beat some evil people. Evil People! Mama, theres evil people? Meatbun looked around eagerly with its big watery eyes. Yup, there, right in front. Grabbing hold of Meatbun, I turned him around to face the team that didnt even have names, yet would have still dared to throw Meatbun into the sea to feed sharks, aka the Phoenix Team. Evil People! Meatbun suddenly broke free from my hand, a bamboo copter appearing on its head as it flew into the sky. After making a seven hundred and twenty degree turn in the air, it shouted, I stand for love and justice! In the name of Meatbun, Ill triumph over evil! Doll...just what have you been teaching Meatbun? Facepalming, I was too sad for tears. Love and Justices Fermentation Final Blow! Meatbun suddenly shouted a move Id never heard of before. I looked at Meatbun curiously, amazed that it had gotten another new skill. Thats my Meatbun, with a wisdom level of ten. Meatbun then closed its eyes tight, looking like it was concentrating as hard as he could, so much so that its cheeks became inted... No, wait, not only were its cheeks inted, but its whole body was increasing in size! I watched with a dropped jaw as Meatbun got bigger and bigger,rger andrger. Soon, Meatbun filled the sky like a huge cloud, covering the whole area with its shadow. Weird, how is that Bamboo copter supporting a meat bun of this size? By this time both enemies and allies had stopped in their tracks and were staring dazedly at the gigantic meat bun in the air. Someone even muttered, Oh god, how long will it take to finish eating a meat bun of that size? Just what move is this? I suddenly had a very bad feeling about it and immediately shouted, All Infinite Warriors, fall back now! But it was still toote as, without any warning, Meatbun fell suddenly from the sky. When itnded there was a massive booming sound and the earth shook as if there was a level nine earthquake. As for me, facing the meat bun wall which was less than five centimeters away, I broke into a cold sweat. What a terrifying blow, not even sparing our allies! If not for my luck, would my body be even five centimeters thick now? So Meatbun was never fermented before, Wicked suddenly said from beside me. Shocked, I looked towards him... Hes, telling a joke? Wicked is telling a joke? That cant be possible! Frowning, Wicked pressed his hand against Meatbuns thick wall and concluded, The ratio of the size of Meatbun before and after the fermentation is too abnormal. No yeast can ever ferment and turn such small dough into this size. Is...is this considered amon problem between all science students? By this time, Meatbun had changed again. It slowly shrunk back to its normal size before hopping back into my hand, looking exhausted. After a while, Meatbun could no longer keep its eyes open and started sleeping soundly. I had no choice but to stow it back in my bag. Looking back at those unlucky souls who got squashed, I calcted that around eighty percent were from the enemy and another twenty percent were people from my side who had charged in front. They were all now lying t on the ground. The initially smooth ground now had countless human shapes imprinted onto it. Frowning, I asked, Infinite Warriors who were squashed please report, how much HP was lost? A warrior, who was wearing uniform from our side, lifted up a trembling hand and signaled a number five. With an equally trembling voice, he said, Fi...fifty percent! How terrifying... Those who hadnt gotten squashed, including me, were all shocked. Prince, hurry and go to the center tower. I will help to block the enemy, Nan Gong Zui said urgently. Looking at the ttened enemy who were now starting to squirm, I agreed and rushed with all my might towards the center tower. Mages attack the tower gate, and be careful not to hit the lord! Wicked bellowed. Before I reached the tower gate thunder bolts, fire balls, and ice bolts were being thrown randomly at the tower gate, causing a hugemotion. As I reached the tower gate I yelled without any hesitation, Pure. White. Inferno. Rhapsody! With that, the tower gates fell apart and I quickly rushed up the stairs. I left the responsibility of protecting my back to Zui and Wicked, since getting the city gem was my main responsibility. Upon finally reaching the top with great difficulty, I jumped up and into the tower. However, besides seeing the city gem, I could also see that another weird scene was about to unfold. Why the rush, Prince? Why dont you sit down and have a cup of tea? Fan asked calmly, giving me a friendly smile while brewing a cup of tea. I frowned and my right hand cautiously reached for my ck Dao. What are you nning? Nothing much, I just have a little request for you. Fan put down the teacup and slowly stood up. He threw his sword aside and itnded in the corner as he stood, unarmed, to show that he posed no threat. Uneasiness rose from my heart. Just what is Fan nning to do? Even though he has thrown his weapon aside, maybe there are others lying in ambush nearby? With that, I immediately started scanning the surroundings from the corners of my eyes. Smiling faintly, Fan said, Dont worry, theres no ambush waiting. Just what do you want? I calmed myself down. Even if there was an ambush, I was not afraid of him. I want you to return Phoenix to me, Fan replied in a serious tone. Phoenix? I repeated nkly, a little confused about the situation. Ice Phoenix! Fan said reproachfully. I admit that in the past, I did not treat her well, but humans never learn to treasure the things they have and instead take them for granted. Only when they lose it, do they learn how important it is to them. Looking extremely lonely and bitter, Fan forced a smile at me, Prince, will you please return Phoenix to me? I know that you never cared about her. To you, shes even less important than Wicked and Gui. If thats the case, why are you still bringing sadness to her? I stood there nkly, Fan, who treats women like clothes, is actually saying this kind of thing? I became very suspicious. My thoughts must have been reflected in my expression, because before I said anything, Fan had already opened his mouth to reply. Please believe me, Im really serious this time! Please return Phoenix to me and stop hurting her feelings! Let me bring her happiness! Fan shouted agitatedly. Ive hurt her feelings? My expression dimmed. Thats right, I almost forgot;st time I had made her cry and after that the case wasnt settled either. Since I havent seen Phoenix. Thinking back to it now, I started getting really worried. Where could she be now? Is the number of times youve made her cry any fewer than the number of times I have? Fan asked coldly. I... I sighed. No matter our situation, let Phoenix decide this herself. Shes not an object. She should make her own decisions. You...! Anger and hatred were immediately written all over Fans face. Did I say anything wrong? I was utterly confused. Thank you, Prince, Phoenixs voice suddenly appeared. Surprised, I watched as Phoenix walked out from behind the city gem. Although you still dont love me, at least you didnt push me away to others. Phoenix! I cried out nkly. He doesnt love you, dont you get it?! Fan abruptly ran up and tightly grabbed Phoenixs shoulder. Phoenix was shocked by his actions, but her facial expression soon became one of pain. Let go of her! I dashed up and punched Fan aside. Lowering her head with shame, Phoenix said timidly, Im sorry, Prince. When Fan said that you were just treating me like a burden and guaranteed to me that as soon as he asked, you would immediately unburden me onto him unconditionally, I... I couldnt help but want to know if that was what youd really do, so... Shaking my head, I replied, Thats okay, it was my fault, I shouldnt have said those words to you previously. Prince! Fan stood up. The initial look of gentleness and deep affection was now reced by ferociousness. Without waiting for him to finish, I said, You disappoint me, Fan. Upon hearing that, Fan stood in his ce, surprised. Gritting my teeth, I asked in the coldest voice I could manage, I was actually looking forward to you leading troops to face me. Yet in the end, you still chose to use Phoenix against me? Just how long does this guy n to use Phoenixs feelings? Is letting go of a girl that hard? Youre dead! This time, I definitely wont let you off. Lifting my ck Dao, I threateningly approached Fan step by step. Wait, Prince! Zuis voice suddenly rang from behind me. I turned around to see Zui wearing facial expression that was even colder than mine. Inside those eyes of his there were no emotions at all. Go and shatter the gem, Prince. Thats your responsibility. As for Fan, thats my responsibility! I understand, I said with a nod. I decided not to care about Zui and Fans battle. If calcting how to make use of a woman is what Fan is thinking about all the time then the result of this battle is too obvious, so why do I still have to watch it? Holding my ck Dao, I turned around to face the gem. Just when I was about to ruthlessly initiate the first blow a spell suddenly hit the gem. I turned around to see that it had actually been Phoenixs spell. Does...she want to snatch the city? Did Fan actually sessfully make use of Phoenix again? Just when I was still entangled in my own trail of thoughts, Phoenix smiled and said, Let me help you to get rid of most of the gems HP. Dont worry, I will definitely leave thest hit to you, Prince. I dont want to end up with a city out of the blue. Thest hit? I thought I would have to deal all the blows personally? I asked nkly. Surprised, Phoenix said, Of course not! If thats the case, wouldnt it take up too much time? Its fine as long as you get the final hit. Veins started popping on my head. It seemed thatst time when I was desperately hitting the city gem two people were cking by my side, drinking tea! With a cough, Wicked said, About that, we only learned about it after conquering Moon City ourselves. Well thene and help! I red at one of the two people who had been drinking tea at that time. After destroying the gem, everything was covered in dust and powder again. But this time, learning from past experiences, Wicked had already ran away to hide, leaving behind me, who had to strike thest blow, and Phoenix, who knew nothing about the whole experience, to suffer in the powder. Finally, the Central Continent is now united as one! Suddenly feeling relieved, I smiled from the bottom of my heart. Footnotes Hey ho, hey ho, pull the radish: A famous nursery rhythm about how everyonesing together and working hard to pluck out a gigantic radish from the ground. The lyrics basically go like this: Hey ho, hey ho, pull the radish, hey ho, hey ho cant pull it out, hey ho hey ho, little granny, fastere and help me pull the radish... (repeat, with different people helping each time, from granny to sister/brother to cat/dog.) I stand for ... triumph over evil!: A famous quote from the manga series Sailor Moon, often said by sailor moon when shes fighting. Volume 5 Chapter 7 Volume 5 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: A Cougars Unimaginable Love C tranted by Amgine Actually, Ive been meaning to ask: what are our ns after unifying the Central Continent? I asked White Bird and the others with a face brimming with curiosity. I received many scornful looks in response. White Bird in particr couldnt resistining loudly, Only you would ask about something like that, Liege Lord. We are already being worked to the bone just from managing the city. I scratched my head thoughtfully. But I really dont have anything to do! You guys rarely even give me any paperwork these days. Thats because all you ever do is edit them into nonsense! White Bird yelled, on the verge of spitting fire at me. It looked like ever since I forcibly rejected the idea of being treated with the dignity of a liege lord, White Birds respect for me hadpletely disappeared. Feeling wronged, I replied, No way, I have been assessing them very carefully. You have been assessing them very carefully? Just take a look at this document, The City Walls Reinforcement Project. You actually gave the response, Considering that the city walls have been worn down by the fires of war, and are now disheveled beyond belief, a special allowance is granted to repaint the walls, preferably in pink, my favorite color. Signed, Prince, the Liege Lord. Whats wrong with that? I asked, puzzled. ... Everyone was silent. White Bird took out another document. The Lack of Senior Level Management C to which your response was, Theres not enough people? Eh, perhaps there are not as many yers in Second Life as I thought? Alright, Ill respond to this issue after consulting with a GM. Signed, Prince, the Liege Lord. Oh...right. I havent asked a GM about that yet, I replied while twiddling my fingers nervously. But you cant really me me for forgetting about this with all the recent attacksunched on other cities! White Bird didnt respond to me, but reacted in kind with everyone elsepressing her forehead with a look of hopeless resignation. I bit my fingernails. Its rare that Im starting to be addicted to amending documents! I begged desperately, White Bird, please give me some more documents to edit! No. Way. White Bird responded firmly. Immediately, I put on my best grieving-victim face,plete with pouting lips and even tears in the corner of my eyes. I muttered with reluctance, How did things turn out like this? I spent so much time and effort doing paperwork without receiving an ounce of praise and now Im not even given any more to work on. Wolf-dg walked over to my side and patted my head as though he were coaxing a child. He cooed, Good boy Prince, run along now and y outside for a bit by yourself. When we find something for you to do, well call you back. Oh. Since even Wolf-dg was saying things like this, I had no choice but to resign myself to ying outside by myself. After just barely passing through the city gate, I quickly cast off my sulking look and started debating on whom to y with. Should I go find Kenshin and Cold Fox and steal some of their tea? Or bully some monsters? Or perhaps I could find Infinity Citys army and investigate Meatbuns Fermentation Technique? I walked along, considering all the possibilities. Prince! Lolidragon? Suddenly hearing a voice I hadnt heard for a very long time filled me with happiness as I looked up to the sky, searching for the source. Indeed, I could see the trails left by a flying carpet. Lolidragon! You guys are back! I called out loudly while happily waving my hands. Lolidragon, Feng Wu Qing, and Sunshine all hopped off the flying carpet, but the first two both carried a heavy expression. Puzzled, I asked, Whats wrong? Are the results of the investigation bad? Yes, extremely bad. We found out that of the five overlords of each continent, the Eastern, Western, and Southern Continents overlords were all targeted by assassins. Worse, the Northern Continents Flower Overlord and her five teammates all mysteriously disappearedst week. The citizens of the Flower City are all in pandemonium since none of them could be contacted at all, Lolidragon reported with a grim expression. Are Neurotic and the others okay? I asked with concern, hoping that they hadnt been assassinated. Theyre okay. In fact, the overlords from the other four continents are all fine right now, Feng Wu Qing said. Except the Northern Continents missing Flower Overlord. Lolidragon retorted with lips pursed and brows creased. Deep in thought, I wondered out loud, So the Northern Continent is the most suspicious right now? Lolidragon and Feng Wu Qing were both quiet for a while, until Wu Qing finally broke the silence. Thats how it seems based on the current situation, but theres also a lot of information that doesnt add up. For example, how they could abandon their own Flower Capital that they have been working so hard to maintain and make it public that theyve disappeared? This particr turn of events is strange indeed. To top it all off, ording to our investigation, Northern Flower isnt someone who would have lofty ambitions of unifying all of Second Life, said Wu Qing. Lolidragon continued the exnation, In my opinion, she seems to be the type that would worry more about the blemishes on her face than her overlord status. She probably would rather be putting on face mask than marching off to war. So shes one of thosepletely vain types... I couldnt help but asked in confusion, If that is so, then whats really going on with the assassinations? We still dont know for sure, but weve already spoke to the three other overlords and its agreed that they will all travel to the Central Continent by boat in a weeks time to discuss this together. Lolidragon raised her voice to emphasize her point, That means in a weeks time, Infinite City will host a meeting of the overlords. A meeting of the overlords, eh? I couldnt help but feel a bit impressed. One would have to be pretty amazing to be the overlord of an entire continent, right? I wonder what these leaders are like. Ahem, in theory they should all be amazing, but of course there are always exceptions, Lolidragon replied while furtively ncing at me. Exceptions? What exceptions? I asked curiously. But Feng Wu Qing who was at the side was already trying to stifle his amusement and it wasnt long before both of them were howling with unrestrainedughter. I, on the other hand, was left scratching my head fishing for the punch line. Strange, what are theyughing at? After Lolidragon and Feng Wu Qing finishedughing at their inside joke, they both suddenly fell suspiciously silent with a strange atmosphere surrounding them. I stared at them, still in the dark about what was going on, but the two before me seemed hesitant to meet each others gaze. The questions in my head just kept piling up. I- I will go look for some other people to discuss this and get more opinions. The more heads the better right? The normally calm Lolidragon appeared unusually flustered as she said this and quickly fled without looking back. What just happened? I asked with suspicion while looking at the trail of dust left behind from Lolidragons sudden escape. Prince, I have something important to tell you, Wu Qing suddenly said to me, still standing on his original spot. Bro has something to discuss with me? How rare! Lets talk this over at Infinite Restaurant, I said as I pointed to it. Wu Qing nodded and Sunshine, whose presence had long been forgotten, smiled faintly and announced, Then Ill go look for Fairsky. As usual, I sat down at my favorite corner and ordered dishes for the two of us. I silently waited for Wu Qing to start talking about whatever he wanted to discuss, but after all the food was served, I couldnt wait any longer and started stuffing my face. Sis, Im in love with Lolidragon, my brother said to me matter-of-factly, in a tone that he might use to announce that he ate an egg on toast for breakfast, while conveying a message that would frighten the gods and make devils cry. The situation was no less grave than if the president of the United States had idently pressed the button that wouldunch their nuclear missiles, bringing endless disaster thereafter. I turned towards him in slow motion, tossing aside my chopsticks along with the next bite of food that was already by my mouth. cing both hands on his shoulders, I said with all seriousness, Dear bro, theres an influenza pandemic going around and it looks like youre already infected pretty badly, seeing as how youve already lost your mind from fever. But not to worry, your sister will immediately take you to see the doctor and after a few shots youll soon be as good as new. Wu Qing unceremoniously brushed my hands aside and replied peevishly, My mind is fine, thank you very much. The atmosphere was dead quiet for a few minutes. Suddenly, in a sh of understanding, my right hand curled into a fist andnded on top of my left palm. I understand now! You must have fallen in love with the beautiful and otherworldly Lolidragon from Jin Yongs novel! My dear bro, she is but a character in a book and doesnt actually exist. You should just perish the thought, and besides, even if it were possible, Yang Guo and his Mncholic Palms are not to be trifled with. The one that I love is the Lolidragon from Second Life, a member of Odd Squad who works with me in the Foreign Affairs department. Did that get through that thick head of yours yet? Wu Qings words once again shattered my delusions. My hands started shaking uncontrobly. I asked my brother incredulously, Are you really in love with Lolidragon? Hows that possible? Didnt you say that youd never fall for anyone older than you? Not only was she born before you, but she looks very mature as well, so how... Horses can misstep, and people can be misspoken. Its a proven fact that you can fall in love with someone who is not necessarily your type. Wu Qing shrugged casually. I was at a loss for words. How could you possibly have fallen in love with her? Didnt you hate her not too long ago? Im not sure either. Perhaps it happened while we were investigating the assassination, or maybe it was earlier, while she was stomping me to death, Wu Qing replied honestly. He then furrowed his brows and added, It might even be when I saw her for the first time with you outside Star City, or else even if you had stolen away Fairsky and Rose I wouldnt have gotten so unreasonably angry. Maybe the real reason I was angry was because of my jealousy at you, who was with her. Finally, Wu Qingughed wanly. In any case, love always starts from hatred. Looks like my brother really has fallen in love with Lolidragon... What are you going to do? I asked again. Lolidragon is no pushover and I fear that my brother would run off and do something stupid after getting heartbroken, like letting slip the fact that I am a transsexual or something. Wu Qings next words hit me like a bolt from the blue, for the second time. I already confessed to her. I was left speechless for a while, with my mouth agape. No wonder Lolidragon was acting so strangely earlier...I finally forced out my next two words, The result? She called me an idiot. Wu Qing shrugged again. I sighed and patted him on the back. There are plenty of fish in the sea, so one little rejection is not a big deal. You can easily find a better match. Just dont do anything stupid, especially something like revealing my true identity. Wu Qingughed several times, looking like a hooligan. Im not the type to get heartbroken, hmph. Not get heartbroken? Werent you the one who lost Rose and Fairsky to me...? I wouldnt dare say that out loud though. Instead, I could only foolishly ask, But she rejected you, right? Wu Qing gave a mysterious littleugh and wagged his fingers. When a woman hears a confession and calls you an idiot with her face beet-red, that is definitely not a sign of rejection. What else would it be? I asked na?vely. Wu Qingughed loudly several times again, and irresponsibly let out a, You wont understand! before swaggering off. But, I couldnt tell whether it was a coincidence or an understanding between them, for as soon as Wu Qing was out of sight, I saw Lolidragon angrily running towards me. Werent you looking for people to get more opinions from? She frantically said, Prince, what did your brother just tell you? Was it about his confession? Yeah, I said honestly. I cant believe that punk would go around telling everyone. Not only does he spill the beans to Sunshine, he now goes and bs to you about it as well. I bet it wont be long before the entire world knows about it! Barely containing her anger, Lolidragon continued, That fool better not think that I dont know that hes just trying to rile me up! I scowled. Wu Qing is not trying to rile you up C hes beingpletely serious. Lolidragon stared nkly for a bit before asking with hesitation, He... is serious? How can that be? Hes obviously just trying to piss me off. I tilted my head and thought deeply before finally concluding, I believe my brother is being serious. Before, when chasing girls, he would never tell me anything. For him to actually talk to me about it this time, it seems like he might really like you a lot. ording to the romance novels I have read, when the female lead hears the male lead made a serious confession to her, her face should flush red, her heart might skip a beat, and she should be looking quite embarrassed, perhaps even dumbfounded. Its a shame that this book is obviously not a romance novel, and Lolidragon most certainly wasnt the female lead of such a novel. Instead of looking embarrassed, her facial expression was full of killing intent and it looked like this book had a really good chance of turning into a horror novel. For some reason Lolidragon, fuming with rage and gritting her teeth, pulled out a knife and started waving it around wildly while howling violently, Watch as I ughter that bastard! I was dumbstruck. Even if she did dislike my brother, thats not quite enough of a reason to ughter him, is it? Why are you going to ughter him? You wont understand, Lolidragon fiercely repeated the very same words my brother had said to me earlier before running off in the same manner as him. I scratched my cheek, not quite understanding the situation. Normal couples like to get matching outfits or rings, but you two have matching actions and manners of speech. Although I really didnt know what my brother and Lolidragon were nning, it looked like I had a good idea of who my future sister-inw might be. I muttered to myself, I better start watching out for myself, or else once Lolidragon bes part of the family, she might reallyy the smack down on me. Footnotes Lolidragon from Jin Yongs novel: This is a reference to The Return of the Condor Heroes, one of Jin Yongs wuxia novels about martial arts. She was an orphan who was left at the doorsteps of a pce and was eventually taken away by a woman to the Ancient Tomb Sect. She was raised as a disciple and was taught and mastered the sects martial arts. Having never left the tomb, she grew up to be an innocent beauty but was cold to the point of being unsociable and emotionless. The Lolidragon in this novel is most likely a name borrowed from Jin Yong. Yang Guo and his Mncholic Palms: Yang Guo was Lolidragons only disciple and they eventually fell in love, but master-apprentice rtionships were highly taboo at the time. Due to quarrels with their peers and misunderstandings, they were separated for 16 years before being reunited at the end of the novel. During that time, Yang Guo learned kung fu from various elite martial artists. His Mncholic Palms is a hybrid skill that he developed that incorporates elements from his various masters. Volume 5 Chapter 7.5 Volume 5 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: The ssified Files of the Five Continents Overlords C tranted by starie Current Location: Eastern Continent Nickname: Smiling Overlord C Winter Triumph Described by Others As: A wolf in sheeps clothing Famous Quote: Smiling is to earn even more money! It is said that Winter Triumph became the overlord of the Eastern Continent because of one fateful day when he returned home in real life. G, will you y Second Life with me? His younger sister, brimming with youth, implored her older brother. Disregarding the pleas of his cute sister, Winter Triumph put on a bitter, unwilling smile. No way! Theres no money to be earned, and you even have to spend money to y it! You can sell the in-game currency; this game will definitely be popr so there will be people fighting to buy the in-game currency, said the little sister, who was very familiar with her brothers weak spot. Theres money to be earned! Winter Triumphs eyes sparkled. Okay, Ill y with you. In order for Winter Triumph, who had chosen to be a warrior, to fight mobs more efficiently and earn money, he formed a party with his sister and recruited four other teammates along the way. Under Winter Triumphs policy of picking up even half a copper coin tobine two halves into a whole copper coin, the team quickly became incredibly-rich-but-poor-people C their bank ounts were bursting at the seams, but their in-game wallets held only mothballs. The furious little sister could no longer take it. After she had ordered the other four team members to tie her brother to a rock with chains, she grabbed Winter Triumphs wallet, which he valued as much as his life... No! Lives are precious, but the wallet is worth even more! Id rather die than let go of it! Winter Triumph cried. Ignoring her older brother, who was wailing loudly enough to wake the dead, the younger sister ran into the city and spent all the money, buying the best armors and weapons for the team. Faced with the already purchased equipment, Winter Triumph was in a situation where what was done was done and having to make the best of what had happened, he was quite unwilling to sell off the equipment at cheaper price. Pig-headed sister, buying such expensive items; no matter whats the price I sell them for, Id lose money! No, I cant sell them. Winter Triumph cried a martyrs blood and tears, shaking the now-empty purse. The team, having finally obtained good equipments, could now y at their full strength: constantly challenging bosses, leveling at an insane rate, sweeping away allpetition and bing a powerful team famous throughout the entire Eastern Continent. Since we have good equipment, lets just go kill bosses, which drop ultra-rare items! This way we can quickly earn back the money! C Winter Triumph On the eve of the Adventurers Tournament, all the team members aside from Winter Triumph decided to participate in the tournament. Winter Triumph, why dont we take part in the Adventurers Tournament? the team asked their warrior. Winter Triumphughed, holding up his middle finger at his teammates. I wont do things where theres no money to be earned. We should be discussing which boss to fight. Immediately, the other five team members palmed their faces. If you want to point middle finger, just point it; you dont need to smile like an angel at the same time! The prize is pretty good; its a piece ofnd! Land? Winter Triumphs smile froze on his face, his entire person stopping as if in a trance, mentally calcting at lightning speed. If the first piece of yer-establishednd was well defended and well managed, then the amount of tax received would be astonishing. Evenif they didnt want to run it, if thend were to be sold, the profit wouldnt be bad at all. Good, very good. How could he, Winter Triumph, miss out on such a profitable opportunity? My fellow teammates, how can Second Lifes Adventurers Tournament be without our team? We will definitely participate until the end, and promote our teams reputation. Winter Triumph revealed an extremely confident smile. Its for that lucrativend isnt it? the teammates secretly thought, not knowing whether tough or cry. Men die for riches, birds die for food, and with the temptation of thend, Winter Triumph transformed into a smiling Asura in the arena. Even when facing the strongest opponents, he never backed down. Those who try to steal my money will all die! This quote from Winter Triumph was voted as the scariest sentence of the year in the Eastern Continent. For even greater mary prospects, monopolizing the Eastern Continentsmerce was the best path, so Winter Triumph decided to unify the Eastern Continent. Thus with the philosophy of money is invincible, Winter Triumph became the Eastern Continents overlord, nicknamed the Would Die for Money Smiling Overlord. Current Location: Western Continent Nickname: Wandering Overlord C Neurotic Described by Others As: A respectable gentleman who is joined at the hip with his wife, like Siamese twins Famous Quote: Honey, what beautiful object do you want to see next? Aiyah, this game is getting boring, fighting mobs non-stop. Even though Ive be strong, what is my strength for? Neurotic had yed Second Life for over a month, leveling like crazy until he was on the top yers list. On this day, he suddenly found himself fed up, wondering why hed been making such an effort to level up. Ahhhh! Save me! Could the brave warrior over there please save me? a high-pitched female cry came from a remote area. Neurotic looked uncertainly towards the sound and saw a pretty female mage running over. As soon as he saw the beauty, Neurotic was immediately roused from his thoughts. He picked up his frighteningly huge Ultima Sword and prepared to be a hero saving a damsel in distress. Dont worry, Ill save you... Before he could even finish his sentence, Neurotic suddenly saw that behind the beautiful woman there was a giant group of mobs that looked as though they were rioting. He froze on the spot, thinking, Thats a bit too many mobs, isnt it? Warrior, you might want to run, otherwise youll be trampled to death! In the end, the beauty ended up dragging the hero who hade to save her and the two quickly fled for their lives. Huff, huff! After the hundred mile marathon, Neurotic asked, gasping, Howe... Howe there were so many mobs? The beauty, also huffing, answered, It- it often happens. Dont be too surprised. Neurotic looked at her uprehendingly. This beauty is probably a mage, and mages usually dont attract mobs. Also, mages often fight best in a party. However, the woman before his eyes had not only drawn an army of mobs, but she was also alone. It really was unusual. In order to see beautiful things, even if I get chased 1000 miles by mobs, Ill still be satisfied. The beautys eyes shone with determination and longing, leaving Neurotic to look on, astounded. This time I was targeted by those mobs because of this Rainbow Chrysanthemum, which only exists in the Heavens Mountain Cave. The beauty enthusiastically presented a flower, and when Neurotic saw it, another stunned expression appeared. The Rainbow Chrysanthemum was a flower about the size of a fist that had hundreds of fine petals, and every petalprised of several colors. Multicolored and bright, the entire flower even exuded a faint rainbow light, making it appear even more wlessly beautiful. This flower is so pretty. Neurotic looked on in a daze, unable to believe that such a flower existed. The beauty tenderly stroked the beautiful flower. I originally didnt want to pick this flower; beauty should be appreciated, and definitely not destroyed! Unfortunately, when the mobs were drawn to me, they trod on the stalk and broke it, so I could only take this little treasure and flee. Beauty should be appreciated, and definitely not destroyed... I like the sound of that. Neurotic mulled over the beautiful girls words with great interest. Really? I have finally found apanion. My name is DanDan, whats yours? DanDan ecstatically looked at thepanion in front of her. Neurotic. Neurotic, do you want to admire all of Second Lifes beautiful things with me? Dan Dans eyes shone with hope. After all, she was only a summoner, and couldnt travel to very dangerous ces. Unfortunately, beautiful things always seemed to be in dangerous areas. Admire beautiful things? Neurotic thought about it. It sounded like a good idea and it would definitely be much better than his currently aimless way of ying Second Life. Ok, DanDan, let mee with you, and well go see beautiful sights all over Second Life! Thus, Neurotic and DanDan traveled all over Second Life together and, as with many a case of one man and one woman, they quickly became husband and wife. As a pair, they went to highly dangerous ces, putting on brilliant disys of self-defense in order to see beautiful objects, and as a result, the pairs levels and tacit understanding of one another increased at lightning speed. One day, when Neurotic and DanDan were in a city buying supplies in preparation for going out and finding wondrous things once again, they were stopped halfway by a team. Excuse me, are you the legendary expert couple? a warrior questioned. Baffled, Neurotic asked, How did you know? The warrior chuckled, gesturing towards Neurotics huge sword and said, A slim warrior holding a massive sword; thats your trademark. Would you be interested in joining our team? We happen to need two more people to participate in the Adventurers Tournament. Trust me, our team is very strong. Adventurers Tournament... Neurotic rubbed his chin, and looked towards his wife with a questioning expression. DanDans expression radiated light. The Adventurers Tournament! There will definitely be a lot of people there, and there will also be a lot of handsome guys and pretty girls to look at. Thats right, honey. Well participate! Neurotic eagerly grasped his wifes hand, heart overflowing with admiration. His wife was indeed smart, even managing to think of the beautiful people there would be to see. ... The team who had invited them was speechless. Hence, Neurotic and DanDan joined the Adventurers Tournament. By upholding their philosophy that only by fighting until the very end would they be able to see the most beautiful things, they became the eventual winners of the Western Continents Adventurers Tournament. Well just leave the operation of the city to you. DanDan and I are going to the Central Continent to find the famous bishonen, the Infinite City Liege Lord, and the Den of Wandering Nymphs Celestial, Neurotic told his teammates after the city had been built. The teammates continued to be silent. Truthfully, no matter what they said, it wouldnt dull this couples determination to find beautiful things, so they could only allow them to go. Honey, do you think Prince or Celestial will be more beautiful? Neurotic excitedly asked his wife. Beautiful things do not need to bepared or ranked, DanDan said sternly to her husband. Once again astonished by his wifes words, Neurotic only managed to speak after a long while, Honey, you really are great. I will go searching for beautiful things with you for the rest of my life. Current Location: Southern Continent Nickname: Undying Overlord C Undying Man Described by Others As: A cockroach that cant be killed Famous Quote: Only I kill people, nobody kills me! Hahaha, I, Undying Man, swear to the heavens that I will definitely be Second Lifes strongest man, and then get together with all ofSecond Lifes beauties! Undying Man yelled fiercely at the sky. A nearby teammate exined to another teammate, That guy just confessed for the 3,657th time and was refused again. So thats what happened... Its said that, after Undying Mans 3,657th confession was rejected, under his oath to the heavens to be the strongest man, or perhaps due to extreme provocation of the refusal, he started to train like crazy. Living only on steamed buns and water, he spent all of his time training, returning to the city only once a week for supplies. Even when his teammates werent online he still madly trained by himself, guzzling red health potions. With his resentment towards his 3,657 rejections, Undying Man endured the loneliness of his solo training. These past few weeks Undying Man had been training particrly hard because he had to gain only three more levels in order to be the number one yer on the ranking charts. Unfortunately for him, he met a boss. Damn it, dont you even think about killing me, dont you know how important this period is? I only need three more levels, how could I let myself drop a level right now? You stupid boss, do you know how exhausting it is for me to train up one level?! Do you know the pain of being rejected over three thousand times? You dont know anything, and you expect to kill me! Undying Man, attacked to the point where he was almost a pir of light, yelling at the boss and crying two steady rivers of tears. However, this boss couldnt have known about those things, and simply charged forward to tear Undying Man in half. Undying Man used all his strength, and climbed atop a tree to take refuge. Luckily, this boss couldnt climb trees, and could only use its sole ranged spell to attack Undying Man up in the tree. Undying Man perseveringly moved from tree to tree to dodge attacks, and asionally even dropped some coconuts down in retaliation. With Undying Mans undying determination, three dayster, he slid down the tree trunk,pletely exhausted, kicked the boss corpse and arrogantlyughed, Hahaha, dead, right? Some boss, I just used a few coconuts and I smashed you to death. Wow, what just happened? We followed the coconut road all the way here, and we ended up finding Undying Man, called out one of Undying Mans teammates in surprise. Undying Man turned around to see his teammates walking along a coconut-paved path towards him. Why dont we participate in the Adventurers Tournament, Undying Man? Nothing good wille of you being so dejected. A teammate advised him, seriously. I want to train and be Second Lifes strongest man! Undying Man yelled angrily. Youve just became number one on the ranking table; it seems like that boss was really strong! the teammate informed him. Undying Man froze. He was already the strongest man? Then... He could pick up all of the beauties now? Lets go! The Adventurers Tournament will definitely be very lively; you can start searching for the next target for a rejected confession, the teammate said, holding backughter. And so Undying Man participated in the Adventurers Tournament, upholding the philosophy that if he wanted to pick up girls, then he couldnt afford to lose in front of girls. Undying Man led his team members to the final match and became the victors of the Southern Continents Adventurers Tournament. Undying Man, build the most luxurious city. After you be the liege lord, there will definitely be many beauties who would fall for you, the teammates said as theyforted the victim of a 3,658th failed confession. As soon as Undying Man heard this, he stood up, spirits high, and roared, Thats right! Ill definitely be the strongest liege lord, unite the Southern Continent, and get together with all the Southern Continents beauties! Current Location: Northern Continent Nickname: Flower Overlord C Northern Flower Described by Others As: The most beautiful flower under the sun Famous Quote: Aiyah, my bra cant even hold my breasts in anymore... Ah, no! I mean, its that there is no man that cannot be seduced by such a flower as me! Ahh! Has my skin be rough? Husband No. 5,e and take a look for me! Northern Flower used her sickeningly sweet voice to call softly. That so-called Husband No. 5 walked over, and, with unparalleled affection, lightly caressed Northern Flowers cheek, which was as smooth and soft as tofu. How could it be rough? Flower, your face is the smoothest and most delicate in the world; even the slightest breeze could break it. Northern Flowers slender, delicate hands held Husband No. 5srge ones. Her fingers drew circles on the back of his hand as she used a bashful tone to rebut, So annoying; if you say it like that, Flower will be embarrassed. Husband No. 5 chuckled and saw with keen eyes that the others had returned. He asked, You only went to buy food, howe all of you were so slow? We heard news of an Adventurers Tournament. Do you have any interest in participating? Husband No. 4 replied. Lets ask Flower! Husband No. 3 chipped in. Northern Flower gently bit her lip and her eyes misted over as she said, Adventurers Tournament? It sounds like it will be very interesting! Seeing as Flower likes it, why dont we participate? We will definitely present the victory as a gift for Flower, said Husband No. 1, filled with heroic spirit. When a beautiful girl stands behind cheering, any man can give 200% of their abilitynot to mention Northern Flowers husbands, who genuinely are skillful! Thinking back to the fight for the Northern Continents number one beauty, Northern Flower, thepetition truly had been unprecedented, with a huge turnout. Only the six hundred person melee at the Adventurers Tournament could even slightlypare to that spectacle. After three days and three nights of rough hand-to-handbat, the warriors blood had created an areater known as the Red Earth in. The sight of the white pirs of light constantly flying away as yers died had contributed to the name of the pavilion where Northern Flower had awaited thepetitions results: Beacon tform. All the fallen warriors were collectively called The 7200 martyrs in the fight for Flower. In the end, only five people remained alive. As these five people were all sprawled on the ground, unable to move and couldnt even distinguish up from down, they finally agreed that they would all be knights protecting the Flower. How could such a team possibly be weak? Thus, through the efforts of her five husbands, Northern Flower, who was a priest became, out of all the five continents, the first and only overlord who wasnt a warrior: the Flower Overlord. Ah, hubbies, I really want a castle like Cinderes! Northern Flower said coquettishly to Husbands No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 after receiving the piece of territory. No problem! Faced with a maidens charm, the hero bes the prisoner and the five husbands immediately started to prepare Cinderes castle. Hehe, my hubbies really treat me so well. I should definitely find more husbandster. Northern Flowerzily reclined on the long throne, delicately trimming her already wlessly beautiful fingernails. Current Location: Central Continent Nickname: Bloody Overlord C Prince Described by Others As: Female: So handsome, so cool, so want to be his wife! Male: (grinding teeth) Try being more handsome and see what happens. Famous Quote: Im hungry. Why is there no record of Princes experience? Who asked that question? Somebody,e and drag this person off to test Dolls Chains of Endless Torture! Volume 6 Chapter 1 Volume 6 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Conference of the Five Overlords C tranted by Akakuroi Preparations began for the gathering of the overlords of the five continents. Even if we lose in ability, we must not lose in spirit, for if we lose in spirit, we will lose face, was what everyone was thinking. No matter what, we have to give the people from the other continents a taste of the Central Continents overwhelming enthusiasm! White Bird drifted gracefully toward me and requested my judgment, My liege, weve decided to adorn Infinite Cityvishly, so as to disy Infinite Citys strong spirit to the other overlords. What is your opinion on this? No problem, no problem, I answered hastily. Anyway, its got nothing to do with me. If theyd like to turn the city gold, silver, or even rainbow colored, its all up to them. Although, theres just this tiny little craving in me... Is it okay to make it pink? Upon hearing that, an extremely rare, kind smile appeared on White Birds face. Thisthis... Why does this remind me of Yu Lian-ds?o so much? A cold chill went down my spine and I had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. Just as this thought urred to me, White Bird raised her hands and pped twice. Suddenly a line of people appeared from both sides, each with a very weird object in hand. There was just one simrity between those weirdly shaped objects: they were all golden. Someone shut the doors! White Bird shouted at the row beside her. Shut the doors? Dont tell me the next line is the legendary let the dogs out? I swallowed uneasily. Could it be that White Bird has had enough of me and is going to set the dogs on? This... After the new patch, I wonder if its possible for a yer to get rabies. With a voice as low as a cello, White Bird slowly said, Liege Lord, strip! I was stunned. Strip?! While I was still wondering if it was April Fools Day today and if White Bird had been sent to trick me, the row of people next to me started crowding around me... Hey, hey, hey! Aunty on the left, why are you taking off my shirt? At my age, I could almost be your son! Ah, ah, the uncle on the right, my pants arent where you should be touching! No! I cried out as I tried in vain to cover myself. Feeling vited, my eyes kept drifting toward White Bird, who seemed perfectly unconcerned with it all. Then, while looking me up and down, White Bird slowly picked out a pile of weird gold stuff and said, Lets try this set first. What? Again, before I could figure out what was happening, the old aunties and uncles started crowding around and a massmotion urred around me. In the confusion, I was knocked on the head countless times and had to gulp down two mouthfuls of an HP potion in order to heal all the bumps on my head. No good; change! White Bird said simply. Change again... White Bird said after I had been stripped down and dressed again. So White Bird was only choosing clothes for me. She scared me to death! And here I had thought that instead of losing my virginity to Lolidragon, it would be lost to the hands of these aunties and uncles. That is not mboyant enough! That is not mboyant enough either! White Bird eximed as she stared at me with mounting anxiety. Just when I was about to say a few words tofort White Bird, someone kicked the door wide open. Both White Bird and I turned around in sync and saw Jing and Yun both holding more weird gold stuff. Yun was even shouting, The mboyant clothes are here! Could that be...? I stared with shock at the horrible thing in Yuns hand. Isnt that Huang Weis armor? Thats right! Jing replied as though it was the most ordinary thing. I recalled the time when I had been in the Eastern Continent, when I had first seen Huang Wei. It had been exactly that sparkling golden armor that hed worn that had shocked me. I had thought, how could one actually have such bad taste! However, this time, it was me who had to wear this thing. Is this what they call turning the tables? I mocked his taste, and now I have to wear that?! With that, I immediately shook my head and shouted, I dont want to wear that! It was only then that I realized how important this prestige of a ruler was that White Bird kept trying to enforce onto me. If I had any, I would never have allowed these three people and this bunch of aunties and uncles to do this to me! I thought with an internal sob. After being forced to wear that gold te, I couldnt help but look around to see if this armor that gave Huang Wei a hrious effect would look equally hrious on me. Dont worry, Prince, the effect you have when you wear this is totally different from Huang Wei; it looks rather good on you, Yun consoled me. Not bad, not bad. Now this is mboyant enough, White Bird said, nodding. The satisfactory look on her face absolutely worried me. It meant I had to wear that gold te and have a meeting with all the other overlords of the five continents. How terrible is that? It looks gorgeous. It seems my efforts to borrow it from Huang Wei didnt go to waste, Jing chattered as she circled around me. Huang Wei was willing to lend this? I didnt expect that. Was Huang Wei that generous? Or had he lent it to us because of Jings beauty? Under Jings threatening re, and with a troop of warriors behind her, of course Huang Wei was willing to lend it to us, Yun muttered to himself. Smacking the back of Yuns head, Jing turned around and said to White Bird, Let him wear this. Seeing White Bird nodding her head as if pounding garlic, I knew my fate was just like the pitiful garlic that had been pounded, and my chance of changing out of this outfit was just as low as the chance of that garlic returning to its initial state. Depressed, I dragged myselfplete with a huge long red cloak, shining golden armor from head to toe, and a belt which had innumerable gemstones embedded in itall the way across the red carpet to the throne covered with a white fur rug, and flopped downzily, feeling exhausted both mentally and physically. Howe the other overlords arent here yet? I asked unhappily. For todays conference of the five overlords of the five continents... Well, technically it was the five continents, but the Flower overlord of the Northern Continents whereabouts were still unknown, the smiling overlord of the Eastern Continent would never do any non-profit gaining activity, and the Southern overlordUndying Manwould forget about anything at the sight of a beauty, so the only thing that could be confirmed was that Neurotic and DanDan from the Western Continent would show up...if they didnt get distracted by any beautiful things, that is. Speak of the devil, Lolidragon said as she walked in from the doors, smiling. Raising my eyebrows, I was just about to ask what she meant when I spotted Neurotic and DanDan waving frantically at me. A smile immediately spread across my face as I stood up from my throne and skipped happily forward to wee them with open arms. Suddenly, my right foot seemed to step on something very soft, and then it seemed that someone was pulling on my shoulders. To add to this, right in front of the throne were the stairs... Ah, Id stepped on my own cloak! I finally realized what had happened. After my hands had reached out straight, my body had fallen a full ny degrees, and I had had intimate contact with the red carpet. Wow, even his falling pose looks so beautiful, DanDan praised while Neurotic nodded enthusiastically in agreement by her side. Hearing that, I didnt know whether tough or cry. When I looked up, DanDans sincere smiling face appeared before me as she reached out her hand to help me get up. Her action was worlds apart from that of the heartless Lolidragon, who stood smirking off to the side. With the heavy golden armor on me, I struggled for a long time. First, with both hands against the ground, I pushed myself up with enormous effort. Then, with my right leg reaching forward, I bent my knees and went into a crawling position. Finally managing to stand up, I was greeted with the sight of a bunch of peopleughing uncontrobly. Blushing, I exined, This set of armor is really heavy, alright? So standing up after falling is really hard. Liege Lord... Oh my god, Im going to faint, Im going to faint, White Bird said weakly, seemingly on the verge of copsing. Aiya, White Bird dont faint, dont be angered by a certain rotten wood and dirt wall, Lolidragon said as she pretended to run dramatically to White Birds aid. You two actually teamed up against me. I, I... I can only scratch my nose and let this incident pass. Turning around, I immediately asked Neurotic and DanDan, Are you guys alright? Anyway, were friends, so you guys wouldnt spread this embarrassing story, right? Neurotic immediately patted his chest and promised, Dont worry, my wife and I will definitely not say a word about this... But can you fall again for me to see? DanDan could not help but add. Lets discuss the assassin incident now, I held back my desire to roll my eyes at DanDan and got down to business. Frowning, Lolidragon turned very serious and said, Western Overlord, please describe the assassin situation on your side. Sure! Neurotic folded his arms and recalled, Weve encountered assassination attempts about two times. The first time was when my wife and I had just returned to Freedom City for a short while. As for what we were doing then, wellIve forgotten. DanDan immediately cut in and said, At the time, we were both standing in front of the city gates, nning how to beautify them. Looking enlightened, Neurotic looked thankfully at his wife before continuing, Thats right. At that time, my wife and I were indeed wondering how to beautify our city gate. Actually, I felt that embedding some gems would do, but my wife felt that we should create a sense of natural beauty by coiling some tendrils on them instead, however Just the main points! both Lolidragon and I shouted. Neurotic immediately changed the topic and said, Suddenly, someone asked me if I was the Freedom Citys overlord, and of course I replied yes. Then a glittering de came straight at me. While I was dodging, I heard my wife screaming and when I looked, it almost scared the life out of me. There was another assassin attacking my wife. Luckily, due to my wifes fast reflexes, while dodging she summoned the Bloody de to fight against them. Speaking of which, my wife has always been so clever... Both Lolidragon and I sighed toward the sky. Just how long would it take to finish hearing about this incident? Luckily, DanDan seemed to know her husbands habits too and picked up from where he stopped, Let me tell it, hubby. That day, when I realized that someone was trying to assassinate my husband, I immediately heightened my senses. The ones who were attacking my husband should have already known that we are never separate from each other, so there couldnt be just one working on this mission. Indeed, just when I heightened my awareness, I sensed someone right behind me. Then, we realized that the two of them were rmingly strong. As far as we know, people with that kind of skill on the Western Continent are all people whom we know. Hence, we found the situation very strange, DanDan recalled carefully. Scratching his head, embarrassed, Neurotic added, It wasnt that odd to me; I was really excited about fighting against them. In the end, though, the two of them ran away when my teammates heard themotion and started rushing toward us. Their speed was amazingly fast, just like thieves, but their strength was equally good, just like a warriors. I really cant figure out exactly what their ss was. Thats right! Upon hearing that, I shouted, surprised, The one I encountered was the same, with speed faster than a thief but with strengthparable to a warrior. How peculiar. That should be impossible. Theoretically, in order to have high speed, other skills must be sacrificed, Lolidragon said suspiciously. Could this be a bug? Or...something even worse? Lolidragon said gravely, immediately causing us to start worrying. Looking at Lolidragons worried face, Iforted her by saying, Maybe it isnt that bad. Lets wait and discuss some more when the other overlords arrive. But... I wonder if the other overlords wille, I said uncertainly as I tilted my head. With a disgusted face, Lolidragon replied, At least that Undying Man will definitely arrive. The Overlord of the South? The strongest warrior of Second Life?! I really want to meet him, I said excitedly. I wonder just how strong Undying Man is; I really want to learn from him. However, the moment I said that, a weird expression appeared on the faces of the three people before me. I immediately looked at Lolidragon with inquiring eyes. Undying Mans really moreparable to an undying cockroach. With a fearful expression, Neurotic continued, I heard that he has sworn to never die. It is said that he once fought so much that even his intestines were falling out. However, he forced his way back to town by eating herbs with miniscule healing properties growing by the side of the road. He crawled his way back to town, across the entire city square, and back into the castle to find a cleric to heal him, all the while dragging his intestines. Eh? This...shows that he has high pain tolerance and has a spirit that never gives up, right? I frowned, trying to find an excuse for Undying Man. I heard that he loves to propose to girls. It is said that hes been rejected over three thousand times. Doesnt he know that beautiful things can only be viewed from afar? DanDan shook her head and sighed. Been rejected over three thousand times... Just how many times in a year would he have to propose? Even if he proposes once every day it would take at least ten years to achieve, right? But who would propose once every day? Thest time I went to find him, I added another ten times to his record. If Id stayed for a few days longer, I probably wouldve made his record a record-breaking four thousand times, Lolidragon said through gritted teeth. It seemed that she got rather fed up with Undying Man. I wonder if my brother felt jealous. Upon hearing their exnations, it got me wondering. Shouldnt all elite fighters be cold and cool like Kenshin and Cold Fox? But howe the strongest yer of Second Life sounded like the lecher of the century? And a lousy lecher of the century on top of that. Hmm, I really want to see how he looks like when he gets rejected, I mused aloud. Youll soon get to see it, and youll never want to see it again, Feng Wu Qings voice replied coldly from the door. Turning around, I saw him leaningzily against the door, looking over with a rather disdainful expression. Then, he added, And Im here to announce that the Undying Overlord of the Southern Continent is already here, and hes currently in the midst of proposing to Yu Lian, Phoenix, and Rose. Didnt Wolf-dg do anything? I asked, shocked. Undying Man wont even pass up Yu Lian-ds?o? Then, Wolf-dg cant even defend his wife? Before Wolf-g could even react, Yu Lian-ds?o had already rejected him. And then Before Wu Qing could finish his sentence, a sky rocking howl rang through the hall. Oh god! Ive failed again! Oh god! Ive been rejected over four thousand times now! God, why must you do this to me? Is giving me a girlfriend that hard? Let me tell you, Ill definitely get a girlfriend and show you! Ill prove to you that man can triumph over fate! Thats him, Wu Qing said crisply, pointing backwards with his thumb. At the same time, in an extremely helpless voice, Yu Lian-ds?o started urging him kindly, Undying Overlord, this thing about proposing, please leave it tillter. Would you please go to the hall now to meet our Liege Lord of Infinite City? Anything you say, beautiful, said an extremely disgusting and toady voice. I feel that this person could stir up big trouble, I said sternly. Dont worry, he definitely couldnt cause as much trouble as our Liege Lord, Lolidragon said grimly. What kind of attitude is that? Do I cause that much trouble? Do I? My lord, the Overlord of the South has arrived. Soon after this announcement, White Bird led a bunch of people in. As for the person walking in front, I guessed he probably was the Overlord of the South. Overlord of the South? I wonder if hes a super ugly person. You know, to propose three thousand times is not an easy task. Even if one closed his eyes and shot randomly three thousand times, one would eventually hit a few birds, right? Hence, I concluded that unless he was so ugly that his looks would even scare the gods and the ghosts, to get this record of four thousand times that should be impossible to achieve. I started scrutinizing his looks. A very muscr body, thats goodalthough I didnt like muscr men, there are quite a number of girls who do; a very defined face, thats good too; a very determined mouth, which even I found rather nice; and there were very handsome eyebrows. Under the eyebrows were... A pair of huge, sparkling, shoujo-manga style eyes that were even more astonishing than Dolls cute big eyes! This... Im not saying its bad to have big and sparkly eyes, but can you imagine, a tall and muscr manly man with a huge pair of eyes with long eyshes from those shoujo-mangas? For those who cant imagine, I can just tell you this, its utterly disgusting! I turned around to look at the others. Neurotic looked as if hed stepped in shit while DanDan stared with her eyes opened wide, her mouth opening and closing as though she was having difficulty breathing. Thats great; it seems that Im not the only one whos shocked. But all visitors were guests. Gathering my courage, I faced the Undying Overlord waiting before me again. The Undying Overlord was now looking at me nkly. When our eyes met, I politely shed a genuine smile at him. What a beauty! No, youre a goddess; the most perfect angel in this whole world! A look of craze and desire suddenly appeared in his eyes (Nono, please dont let your huge shoujo eyes have an expression of craze and desire, its terrifying!), and he had a painful expression on his face. After what seemed like hed determined something, he started charging toward me with the horsepower of a train, slid across the floor, and kneeled before me. Then, a splendid red rose appeared in his hand and words of praise came pouring out of his mouth. The words came out so smoothly that it seemed that hed already said them a thousand times... It should be a thousand times already indeedor should I say four thousand! Frowning while listening to those long and disgusting words ofpliment, I really couldnt tell if it was thepliments that were more terrifying, or those eyes that were glued on me. I looked at everyone around me questioningly, but everyone looked equally dumbfounded; it seemed that no one would be able to give me any help. Then, finally, someone who had been following behind Undying Overlord, slowly walked forward, stood beside the overlord, ced a hand slowly on his shoulder, and said, Overlord, the person before you is male. Undying Overlords still bbering mouth immediately snapped closed. His face slowly rose up to look at me and at the same time I slowly lowered my eyes to meet his gaze. But when I saw that look of disbelief in his eyes, I forcefully broke his strand of hope, Im a guy. Two rivers of tears started streaming from his eyes. Just like how Nobi Nobita cries whileining to Doraemon, his tears became two arc shaped rivers. While I was stunned with what I saw, he actually started hitting his chest and cried hysterically, How unfair! God, even if you want to punish me, you dont have to be so cruel! Letting me meet the most beautiful woman in the world, and then telling me that shes actually a he! I... But I have never been mistaken for a female before. My looks shouldnt be very feminine, right? Flustered, I looked at the despairing Undying Overlord, who seemed ready tomit suicide at anytime, not knowing how tofort him. However, thepanion who had broken the news to Undying Overlord exined in an experienced tone, as if hed already said it thousands of times, Dont worry about him. In three minutes hell be back to normal. Speechless, everyone waited and watched as the Undying Overlord howled hysterically for three minutes. Then, he suddenly stood up, wiped away his tears, and, in aposed and polite tone, said, Nice to meet you, Bloody Overlord of the Central Continent. I am Undying Man from the Southern Continent. Impressive, hes actually a rather polite person. I replied, Im very honored to meet you, I am... However, halfway through introducing myself, I suddenly saw that pair of sparkling shoujo eyes staring straight at me. Wuhh! Finally forcing my stomachs contents back to where they were supposed to be, I added immediately, I am Prince, Central Continents Before I could finish my sentence, Undying Man suddenly went haywire again and, extremely excitedly, started charging like a bullet train toward Lolidragon. With tears of excitement, he said, I missed you to death, Lolidragon! But I didnt miss you at all, Lolidragon said, rolling her eyes. She gave him a look as though shed just seen food thatd been left outside for a month. Hey! Feng Wu Qings voice sounded from behind Undying Man. As he was turning around a shadow immediately sent a flying kick toward him. Giving a bellow, Undying Man quickly dodged to the side. I stared with my eyes wide open, as did Feng Wu Qing, as he withdrew his foot, which hadnded right on Undying Mans face. Then, he said, embarrassed, That...I didnt mean to do that. I just wanted to kick beside his ear to scare him a little; he was the one who went and moved and nted his face on my foot. That... From what I just saw, that seems right... Why did you kick me? Undying Man suddenly approached Wu Qing with teary eyes. Feng Wu Qing was shocked and stared at the shoujo eyes, which were only five centimeters away from him. Then, his whole body tensed up and he started foaming at the mouth, and then with a shudder, copsed. Finally crawling into a corner, Wu Qing started vomiting profusely. Not bad; he knows that he shouldnt vomit right in the middle of the hall. Hey, are you alright? Why are you vomiting like this? Looking concerned, Undying Man walked to the corner and patted Wu Qing lightly on his back. Wu Qing turned around to face a pair of extremely horrifying eyes that were just three centimeters away from him. Wu Qing immediately covered his mouth with his right hand, crawled into another corner with his left, and started another earthshaking vomiting experience. Is he sick? Should we go to the pharmacy and get some medicine? Undying Man asked while turning a pair of worried yet sparkling eyes on everyone. Gross! I couldnt stand it anymore. Turning around, I very wastefully contributed all the breakfast Id eaten earlier today to the wall... Im not sick... Wu Qing replied sickly. Not daring to nce at Undying Man again, he said, I just wanted to warn you not to get near my wife, Lolidragon, again. Whos your wife?! both Lolidragon and Undying Man bellowed. You, of course, Lolidragon. How amazing, even after vomiting so terribly, Wu Qing could still assume a refined, handsome look and reply. Are you really his wife? Lolidragon? Tears started pouring from Undying Mans eyes like running taps. Of course not... Looking at Undying Mans eyes, Lolidragon immediately turned around and started regting her breathing. Then she pointed at Wu Qing and said through gritted teeth, Id rather be Undying Mans wife than be the wife of someone like you. I dont believe you, Wu Qing said coldly. I dare you to stare into his eyes for ten seconds. ...That was too harsh. Everyone looked as though they felt it was an impossible task. The three of them started quarreling. There were cold and sarcastic tones, angry bellows, and little sobbing sounds... Do they even know what were doing right now?! White Bird asked, rubbing her temples with an annoyed expression. It seems that I actually do have the prestige an overlord should possess, I said slowly. Watching the still quarrelling Undying Overlord, I strongly believed that I might actually be the most professional. Please stop quarrelling, lets take care of important matters first, White Bird urged Lolidragon and Wu Qing, an edge of desperation in her voice. Settling backzily onto my throne, I started wondering if the overlord of the East would be equally interesting, I wonder what kind of person Winter Triumph is... I heard that hes a plutomaniac. I really want topare our money making methods, Yu Lian-ds?o said with anticipation, causing Wolf-dg, who was standing at the side, to give her a helpless look. Lets wait for the Overlord of the East to arrive before proceeding with the discussion. Is that okay with you? I asked Neurotic with a smile. Neurotic shrugged, smiled faintly, and pointed at the still quarreling group, No problem, we cant discuss anything right now anyway, not with that going on. Then you guys had better stop the quarrelling, Nan Gong Zuis voice sounded from the door. The Overlord of the East has just arrived. Excellent! Before I could speak, the person who I assumed was the Overlord of the East spoke. What are you talking about, Im not that excellent... I said, trying to be modest. What a strong wall! A schrly looking man walked in horizontally while touching the walls and said, Tsk, tsk, tsk, this material, this coat of paint, everything is of top quality. The wall? I was still trying to figure out what he was talking about when the schrly man shouted again, Beautiful! This time he should be talking about me, right? Your looks are equally... The schrly man hugged a pir on the side of the hall while scrutinizing and fingering the carvings on it gently. Such beautiful carvings, I wonder how much it would cost to carve all this. Finally looking at me, the schrly man walked quickly toward me. With a glint in his eyes, he said, How handsome and overpowering. I coughed two times, then I swung my right arm to allow my red cloak to flutter handsomely and said, Not at all, Overlord of the East, youre also very Winter Triumph quickly walked past me. Turning around, I saw him hugging my throne tightly and muttering to himself, If this throne costs less than one hundred gold coins, no, no, no, less than fifty gold coins, Ill have one made. It costs three thousand gold coins, I said coldly. What? Winter Triumph shouted in disbelief and jumped away from the throne. Too expensive! This is too expensive! How can it be so expensive? After muttering to himself for a while, Winter Triumphs eyes suddenly lit up as he looked toward me. No, I understand this time that he must be looking at the sparkling golden armor and not me. I was proven right when he said, This set of armor cant be cheap, right? What a pity, because even though the defense level is high, it seriously hinders ones movement. One would be better off getting a set of armor that has low defense but has high agility. That way you could save money and be more efficient when ites to fighting mobs. Better yet, he said with a strange look in his eye, lets trade. The defense of this armor is not low, plus it provides ease of movement, allowing you to make your way swiftly around any battlefield! Winter Triumph started profusely advertising his armor. A cute youngdy beside Winter Triumph rolled her eyes at him without any attempt at saving face and said, Stupid brother, why do you want to trade with him? Youre also an agile type, so whats the use in getting that heavy armor? Other than for show, its practically useless. You idiot, cant you tell that its made out of gold? Lowering his voice, Winter Triumph whispered, Do you know how many gold coins you can make from melting that thing? It is much more expensive than this set of armor. Oh! the girl replied, looking enlightened. Are you interested in trading with me? Winter Triumph asked, smiling politely. Stupid brother, theyve already heard what you just said! Making a wry face, the girl said, Hes not going to want to trade with you. Is this true? the East Overlord eximed. After a moment, his n uncovered, Winter Triumphughed weakly. Yup! I replied with a bitter smile. This set of armor isnt even mine. Im the overlord of the Eastern Continent, Winter Triumph. This is our first time meeting, and this is my sister Disi, Winter Triumph smiled as he introduced himself and his sister. Im Prince from the Central Continent. Pleased to meet you. After introducing myself, I turned around and started introducing Neurotic and DanDan to them. This is the Wandering Overlord of the West continent and his wife, DanDan. Ah, its the wandering couple. Ive heard a lot about you both. Again, with a smile, Winter Triumph started chatting with Neurotic. I then pointed at the three who were still fighting and quarreling over love and said, That one over there, with tears pouring down like a tap, is the overlord of the Southern Continent, but I dont think he has the time to greet you now. Just when Winter Triumph was about to reply, Disi suddenly cried out in rm and pointed her finger directly toward the front of the room. Both Winter Triumph and I stopped to look in the direction Disi was pointing. What appeared in front of my eyes was Yu Lian-ds?o, who looked extremely surprised. Then, Winter Triumph gave a tiny Ah. Looking at their expressions, it was obvious that Yu Lian-ds?o knew Winter Triumph and Disi. Yu Lian, you know them? Wolf-dg asked, surprised. Before Yu Lian-ds?o could respond to Wolf-dg, Disi had already rushed forward, grabbed Yu Lian-ds?os hands, and started shooting off words out of her mouth like bullets, Aiya, Yu, why did you resign without any warning? Everyone misses you so much! Hurry ande back to us, to the department. Life without you is like missing an arm. Thats right. It got so busy that the amount of money earned has dropped too, Winter Triumph added with emotion. Re...really? Yu Lian-ds?o replied weakly. Disi suddenly threw out a really baffling question, I heard that the princess is on the Central Continent too. Yu, did you run into the princess here? I was shocked by this question. Princess?I wonder if this has got anything to do with Doll? She said something about being a princess... Yu Lian-ds?o did not reply and instead just stood there nkly. However, when I saw Winter Triumphs frowning expression and Disis look of understanding, I wondered if Yu Lian-ds?o was using the private messaging channel. Yu Lian? Wolf-dg asked in a doubtful voice. Surprised, Yu Lian immediately turned around and smiled at Wolf-dg. They are my former colleagues. Then what is this about a princess? Wolf-dg asked, frowning. About that... Yu Lian-ds?os eyes started drifting away, not daring to meet Wolf-dgs eyes. I was wondering the same thing too. Was there something between Yu Lian-ds?o and Doll? Or was this simply just a coincidence? Looking to my left I saw my brother and Undying Man, still quarrelling nonstop; Lolidragon, who seemed to be getting madder by the second; and White Bird, who looked close to tears, mediating between the two quarrelling parties. To my right I saw Winter Triumph and Disi clinging to Yu Lian-ds?o with ambiguous smiles on their faces, with a frowning Wolf-dg at their side... Besides scratching my face and looking on at this mess, I really didnt know what else I could do. For what reason, exactly, did we organize this conference meeting to begin with...? What with all of the drama, I couldnt seem to recall. Prince, you seem to have leveled up a lot. How about we go out and have a match? Neurotic asked, waving his Sword of Elite, looking as though he couldnt wait to battle. With a glint of desire in my eyes, I replied, Sure thing! Wait, let me change out of this armor first. I hurriedly rushed to change clothes, not forgetting to tell Neurotic where to wait for me. Standing in the center of the chaos, Nan Gong Zui muttered, First, Ill go handle some of the office work in the military department. Then Ill go group the new warriors before discussing with Wicked and Broken Sword how to distribute the new weapons. After handling all that, I should still be able to make it in time for the meeting. Footnotes Shut the doors, let the dogs out.: This a famous line from a Taiwan movie Ʒ֥١ that starred Stephen Chow. Meaning to enclose someone in ones sphere of influence so as to beat the sh*t out of someone efficiently. ...rotten wood and dirt wall.: The original phrase from Confucius ľɵҲ֮ǽɖg, or Rotten wood cant be carved anymore, a wall of dirt cant be dirtied anymore, was used by Confucius to scold a student who was sleeping in ss, describing how he was so pathetic that there was no point in reprimanding him anymore. Disi: A goddess from Norse Mythology. Volume 6 Chapter 2 Volume 6 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Shock! The True Identity of Yu Lian-ds?o C tranted by Akakuroi I coughed twice as I stared straight at Winter Triumph and Disi, who were kneeling before Doll, while the group of people around them were petrified. Who would have thought that I would be met with this kind of mind-blowing scene the moment I returned from my fight with Neurotic. Can anyone exin what exactly is going on? Ah! Nothing much, Prince-gg, Doll waved her hands frantically while trying to use her eyes to warn the two people kneeling on the floor. No matter how slow I am, I cant be so slow as to not realise that Doll is the princess that Winter Triumph and Disi were referring to, can I?So, Winter Triumph, are you both Dolls citizens? Her retainers! corrected Disi as she looked up, displeased. Retainers? everyone surrounding them gasped. Of course. Doll is a princess, so having retainers isnt that strange, is it? Imented naturally. But when I looked up, Doll was staring at me with her eyes wide, and the others had their jaws dropped. Eh? Winter Triumph was already kneeling before Doll. You mean no one knew anything about this? Then, doesnt that mean I just... Wow, the radio station just announced a huge secret! Wu Qing whistled and criticized me. N-Nobody knew...? How is that possible? Wasnt Winter Triumph bowing before Doll just now? Oh my god, dont tell me I really did be the radio station this time? Doll sighed softly, nearly making my nervous heart jump out of my mouth. Im dead meat now, I really did let Dolls secret out... I nearly burst into tears, and I was just seconds from kneeling down to beg her for mercy. I really didnt say it on purpose, Doll! Please dont be angry with me. Giving a rare, bitter smile, Doll replied, It is fate I guess. I just hope that no one will be angry with me for hiding my identity. Who would dare be angry with Her Highness? Her Highness didnt do it on purpose anyway. Does she have to reveal her identity as a princess to every single person she meets? Disimented angrily. Disi, dont say anymore. Anyway, its entirely my fault. Everyone, please forgive me, Doll said while looking toward the members of Odd Squad with eyes of regret and dismay. Rest at ease Doll, no ones going to me you. Ignoring the title of princess, Wolf-dg patted Doll on her head while smiling warmly. But somehow, the smile on Dolls face seemed rather reluctant; her expression also looked rather lonely. Then, feeling sorry for Doll, Lolidragon walked forward and startedforting her, saying, Dont worry, Doll. I understand how you feel, but dont worry. No one in Odd Squad is ever going to change their attitude toward you. Hearing that, Dolls eyes actually turned red and she buried her head into Lolidragons chest, her shoulders shuddering. Is she crying? But...no one has med her, so why is she crying? And crying in a way that even my heart aches for her... Why is Doll crying? I asked nkly. One death re from Lolidragon, acquired! And as a bonus, an abusive scolding, You pea brained, yet to evolve nkton! You brainless dinosaur that only knows how to bite! You Neanderthal who cant even start a fire and has to eat raw meat! You muscle-bound idiot, whose brain activity is below the first percentile; even saying that Einsteins intelligence is ten times yours is an insult to Einstein! It was as if a loud thunder p had stunned me, and for a while, everyone else was stunned too. Then they actually started apuding! The round of apuse was like adding hail to snow, like a bolt of lightning that struck me half dead. Sniffling, I hid myself in a dark gloomy corner, and wrapped myself up with that damned long cape so as not to pollute other peoples eyes. Prince, dont mind what Lolidragon just said. Guis anxious voice rang outside my cape, You see, nkton dont even have brains, so how could they possibly evolve? Dinosaurs do have brains, so theyre definitely not brainless! And some cavemen did know how to use fire... Why is it that...with Guis constion, Im just getting more and more depressed? Suddenly, a small handnded on my shoulder, and a cute voice said, Prince-gg, dont feel sad! Lolidragon-jiji was just scolding you for fun! Doll! Turning around, I hugged Doll and, feeling wronged, pouted my lips. Prince-gg, be good! Dont be sad anymore. Hearing that, I poked my head out from my cape and checked to see if Doll was not sad anymore. However, although Doll was smiling, her smile was not the usual innocent, carefree smile anymore. Eh, eh... I shall use the final killing move now. Shoving my hands into my pocket, I pulled out a bag of cookies, Here, Doll, Ill give this bag of cookies to you, so dont be sad anymore, okay? Seeing that, Doll was stunned. I thought for a while, then opened the bag of cookies, took one out, and held it next to Dolls mouth. You want me to feed you, right? Come, say, Ah and open your mouth wide. Before Doll could even respond, Disi became outraged and said, Do you think youre feeding a puppy? Before you is our countrys princess! Even if youre not going to kneel down, theres still certain etiquette by which you should abide! Crunch! A sharp sound rang out as an incredible amount of pain emanated from the same ce. Looking at my right hand, I said helplessly, Doll, did you have to bite my hand too? And were your teeth trained? Their attack power is really high, and they made me lose a ratherrge amount of HP. Finally letting go of my pitiful right hand, and after licking her lips, Doll said, Iron Teeth. Ive been training them every day with French baguettes. They are currently at level five with an attack of fifty. Y-your Highness? Disi opened her mouth wide without holding back her shock and surprise. One could even see that deep down in her throat, a silent voice was screaming, Your image, Your Highness! Dont worry about it, Disi. Having to abide by the rules and etiquette of real life alone is tiring enough for Her Highness. Rarely does she get a chance to y a game, so just let her rx. Winter Triumph was rather unhappy about his sisters overreaction. Brothers right about this Ah! Your Highness, how can you behave in such a manner? Halfway through agreeing, Disi suddenly noticed how Doll had started crawling around like a monkey on me. She had devoured thest bit of the cookies and was trying to discover any sign of food. Disi immediately overreacted and tried to correct Dolls behavior. Shes just like White Bird, except that Disi is more honest and frankpared to her. What are your jobs under Doll? I turned around and asked Winter Triumph curiously, ignoring Dolls continuous act of making funny faces at Disi, who was continuously correcting Dolls behaviour. We are in charge of the Finance Department. Living a life with money is the best life ever. Simply earning money during the day is unable to satisfy me anymore. Now that I can also earn money at night in Second Life, what could be better? Just like a cat that caught the canary, Winter Triumph had an extremely satisfied look on his face. Indeed, theyre all money-crazed. Thinking this, I was suddenly reminded that they mentioned something about Yu Lian-ds?o being their ex-colleague. Hence, I turned to look toward Yu Lian-ds?o, but the moment I looked there, I realised that the mood just wasnt right. Why would Yu Lian-ds?o be looking at Wolf-dg with those eyes of remorse? Just when I was about to ask, I was pulled back by Lolidragon. Idiot, cant you tell? she scolded me softly. Then, afraid of being overheard by dg and ds?o, she whispered, If Yu Lian used to be Dolls retainer, how could she not have recognized that Doll is the princess? Is there anything strange about that? After all, my brother didnt even recognize his twin sister! Im afraid that what Yu Lian said before, that she joined us because she was touched by our squads teamwork and friendship, was all just a lie. The real reason was because... She saw Doll? I immediately finished her sentence. Thats right! Lolidragon said firmly. She then exined, This was what Wolf-g was questioning Yu Lian about just now. Worried about the two with the ominous aura around them, I asked, Theyre not going to quarrel, are they? Who knows. Lets just wait quietly by the side and see, Lolidragon said casually while shrugging her shoulders. Suddenly remembering something, I asked, Werent you in that mess with Wu Qing and Undying Man? Giving an extremely despicable smile, she said after an evilugh, Feng Wu Qing, that jerk, kept telling me to look into Undying Mans eyes. I got annoyed so I grabbed hold of his face and banged him into Undying Mans face. Staring at Lolidragon with my eyes open wide, I couldnt believe that she was actually cruel enough to do something so inhumane. Worried, I asked, Is my brother still alive? Lolidragonughed grimly, but gave no reply. So you falling in love with me was all a lie? Wolf-dgs sudden words filled with pain shocked me, and I immediately turned to look at them nervously to see what was going to happen. Not a lie. Wolf, my love for you is definitely true, Yu Lian-ds?o was so anxious that she was near tears. Closing his mouth, Wolf-dg remained silent and stared at Yu Lian-ds?o with eyes filled with coldness. Wolf, I admit, the reason I joined Odd Squad initially was because of the princess. Her Majesty, Dolls mother, was worried that Doll might learn bad things in the game, and hence purposely asked me to follow Doll. That was my initial reason for joining this team. With eyes full of remorse, Yu Lian-ds?o looked at Doll and me. Then, seemingly full of determination, Yu Lian said, But Wolf, I swear to god, to you, to my heart, that I have never tricked your feelings. I really, really do love you, and every time I see you, my feelings for you just grow stronger. I love your gentleness, I love your considerate nature, I love your charisma, and I love how youre able to stay calm and cool-headed at all times. I love everything about you! Oh my god, Im getting goose bumps. What a touching speech. Looking around, I could tell that everyone was staring at the two of them with expressions that could be referred to as go die, go die. We could see how envious everyone was of Wolf-dg. While all the members of the go die, go die team were still hating, Wolf-dg, whose fur on his face couldnt hide his blushing red cheeks, stammered, Yu Lian you, you... You what? Hurry up and apologize. While youre at it, say something nice that will touch Yu Lian-ds?o! Anxiously, I muttered in my heart,Wolf-dg is just too honest. Im sorry, Yu Lian. Even though I knew that if your reason for joining Odd Squad was fake, you didnt necessarily have to cheat my feelings; I still couldnt help but suspect your feelings. Im really just a stupid wolf; stupid enough to suspect your heart! Well said, Wolf-dg! So you have the talent for being romantic too! Filled with respect and admiration, I looked toward Wolf-dg. However, what I saw instead was Lolidragon hiding behind Wolf-dgs broad back, imitating his voice and talking... Lolidragon... Wolf-dg scratched his face helplessly. I was just helping you convey your feelings! With no sense of remorse, Lolidragon walked out from behind Wolf-dg and said, Wolf-g, you can say those words to Yu Lian again yourself. What a great way to get him talking. With my fist clenched, I watched nervously to see how the situation was going to turn outno, how this love matter was going to turn out! A little embarrassed, Wolf opened his mouth, as if wanting to say something, but closed his mouth again. This is what I call, The one whos worried isnt the emperor but the eunuch whos not involved. Finally, when everyone was bored to the point that we almost decided to take out popcorn to watch the show, Wolf-dg, seemingly determined with resolve, said, Yu Lian, will you marry me? Very promptly, all the popcorn in my mouth flew out. How did this turn from an apology into a proposal? Furthermore, its not romantic at all; theres no flower, no diamond ring, no kneeling down, no sweet words, nothing! Whats more important is that this is still in a game! Is there anyone who would propose like this? Its impossible that anyone would seed this way... I will, Wolf! Although blushing, Yu Lian-ds?o did not hesitate to jump straight into Wolf-dgs arms, hug him tightly, and not let go. At the same time, Wolf-dg hugged her back gently. Although their lovey dovey act was enough to make the go die, go die rays from the surrounding viewers intensify drastically, it was all blocked by the thick love aura protective shell surrounding them. J-just that worked? Staring nkly at the loving couple, Undying Mans tears started pouring out. Then why is it that in the past when I was proposing, not only were there flowers, sweet talk, and even kneeling down, I still couldnt even get a girlfriend! Why is it that others only have to randomly throw out the sentence please marry me and a beauty will marry them? God, you are so unfair to me! Excuse me, just a question; has the conference not started yet? Confused, Nan Gong Zui, Broken Sword, Wicked, and Gui entered to face a messy crowd. There was a pair of love birds, a crowd of go die members full of grudges, and the other continents overlords who were confused from head to toe. The conference has yet to start, but the music for the wedding march has started ying already, I said helplessly. The conference! Yes, the conference should have started a long time ago. Only realizing it now, White Bird hurried all the overlords to their seats. As for the two who were still in a lovey dovey mode, it seemed doubtful that they woulde back to reality anytime soon, so everyone just let them be. After all, thats just how Yu Lian-ds?o and Wolf-dg behave usually, and everyone in Infinite City is used to it already, so the other overlords would just have to get used to it soon too. When everyone was finally in his or her position, the Conference of the Overlords finally began for real. After a deep breath, I started recounting my encounters with the assassins. Of course, I spoke about the assassin I encountered in Infinite City and the other one in the tower with Nan Gong Zui. I believed that the ones who tried to assassinate Neurotic and me were definitely from the same party. After my recounting, Neurotic began describing his experiences. Eh, after many impatient death res from everyone, most of the talking was done by DanDan. Exactly the same, Undying Man immediately said after hearing our ounts. Its the same situation as mine. I was nearly killed by that person. How dangerous. If I had been killed by him, could I, Undying, still be considered undying? But what reason do they have to kill us? Even if they kill us, at most well just drop a level. It cant affect our positions as overlords at all, and its just not economically beneficial, Winter Triumph shook his head andined. Thats right, so what if they kill us? This is not the real world. They cant just kill us and seize our thrones, I said, furrowing my brow.Originally, we thought that the other party wanted to take over Second Life, and thus had to assassinate all of us. However, thinking back on it now, so what if they did kill us? I do have a question. From what everyone has said, it seems that all four overlords met the assassins around the same period of time. However, the type of assassin each met was the same. So is it possible that the assassins everyone met were the same two people? Lolidragons question caught everyones attention, If it was the same people, then how did they manage to travel between four continents in such a short period of time? If theyre not the same people, then since when were there so many anonymous elites in Second Lifeespecially now that all the suspected elites on the ranking board have been cleared of suspicion? Everyone remained silent after hearing that. From how everyone was furrowing their brows, one could tell that everyone had a lot of questions about this situation. Finally, Neurotic asked the question that was on everyones mind, Why didnt the Flower Overlorde? She and her five husbands cant be found anywhere, and the people in her city are looking for her as well, Feng Wu Qing replied. Maybe its all her doing? Undying Man curled his mouth with scorn and said, Only women would ever do such illogical things. What did you say?! Lolidragon and I shouted at the same time. Undying Man immediately realized his slip and apologized with his big teary eyes, Lolidragon, Im not talking about you. Youre the worlds most logical, most clever, most beautiful From a moment of extreme terror, Lolidragon actually screamed and went to bang her head against a pir, as if wanting to bang the scene she had just seen out of her mind. Terrifying right? I told you that hes iparable to me, Feng Wu Qing said, rejoicing in Lolidragons misfortune. Aiya, when did my brothere back? With a pair of sunsses on his face too... So the biggest suspect now is the Flower Overlord, whos not currently present? Although from what I heard, Flower Overlord is not one who craves power, but its hard to say that none of her five husbands are But before Winter Triumph could finish, he was interrupted by a smallmotion. Its definitely not the doings of the Northern Continent! a group of raging people yelled as they rushed in. Its because of a problem with the game Second Life itself. Lolidragons face immediately turned dark from hearing that. And what do you mean by those words? The group of people shouted with rage, Theres definitely something wrong with Second Life! And what evidence do you have? If you said those words without any evidence, you could get sued, you know that? Not knowing why, Lolidragon actually became really angry. Maybe its because shes a hidden GM? And she inevitably has some feelings for thepany? Seeing the tension, I immediately came out to resolve the situation and said, Lets just talk things out. Everyone is still unclear about everything, so there might be some misunderstandings here and there. Lets hear the whole story first. Only after hearing my words did the two sides start to calm down. Taking in a few deep breaths, the people from the Northern Continent exined, We have already contacted Flower Overlord in the real world and she told us everything that has happened. Also, she has just passed it on to Second Lifes gamepany. That day, Flower Overlord and her five husbands encountered five assassins. The assassins power was beyond their expectations and they could barely handle them. Soon, all of them perished. It was not a big deal initially because, at worst, they would all just drop a level. However, that was not what happened. After dying, Flower Overlord and her husbands did not turn into white lights and resurrect in the city, but instead they got disconnected from the game. Disconnected from the game? With a rather anxious expression, Lolidragon asked nervously, And what happens after they re-login? Theres no way to login to the game. With a sorrowful expression, the people from the North Continent said, Flower Overlord and her five husbands... Their characters have all disappeared. What? Everyone present was shocked, especially me. I had just narrowly escaped from being killed. If I had been killed that time, then... How...is that possible? Lolidragon said with a gloomy face, unbelieving. No matter if its possible or not, it has urred! the citizens from Northern Continent shouted angrily. After a moment of thought, Lolidragon asked, Didnt you say that Flower Overlord has told this to the gamepany already? What was their reply? Still checking, they replied hostilely. The expression on Lolidragons face could only be described as horrified. If there was anyone from the gamepany here now, there would be an eight out of ten chance that hed be caught by Lolidragon and eaten alive with wasabi. She then rushed out anxiously, leaving a group of confused people behind. Of course not including me, as I already knew about her identity as a hidden GM. She must have gone to discuss it with thepany. When she reached the door, Lolidragon turned around and yelled urgently, Everyone be careful! You must not get yourself killed by the assassins. Get killed and youll disappear?! Gui suddenly shouted with surprise. Then, with his face as pale as a sheet, he said, Then wasnt it a close callst time? Prince nearly disappeared forever. The situation doesnt seem that simple; it might be something even more frightening, Nan Gong Zui said. He spoke calmly, yet still showed his anxiety toward the future. Second Life holds approximately ny percent of the gaming market. If anything happens, things would go out of control. Winter Triumphs face looked rather disturbed. Why did Lolidragon run away?! Undying Man howled while sobbing uncontrobly. ... Anyway, lets just protect ourselves, I said, sighing deeply. Despite my words, I could not help but start worrying. If this character, Prince, were to disappear, then what would I do?After all, Prince has too many memories that I couldnt bear to let go of. Footnotes Love matters: Here the words situation and love matter used by the author are two words with the same pronunciation. The one whos worried...not involved.: The person who the situation concerns isnt worried, but the people who have nothing to do with the situation are the ones who are impatient/worried. Volume 6 Chapter 3 Volume 6 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Divine Beast C tranted by seleneyue Now that I think about it, I hadnt seen Lolidragon at all since the day she hurriedly disappeared. As for me, I was stuck in a living hell. Wherever I went, the signs of a whole crowd of people following me would be left behind. Am I really that weak? I cried, with tworge tears threatening to fall from my eyes. Am I so weak that I need to be protected even while using the toilet? Before the people of Infinite City could reply, Neurotic put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me seriously. Prince, the most dangerous time is actually when you are using the toilet. The best time for those assassins to strike is when your body and mind are the most rxed. Think about it. The speed of those two assassins is so great that you would only have a moment to decide whether you want to put your bird back, and probably be killed during that instant, or leave it out to roam the streets while you focus on defending your life. Of course, I didnt want to die. If I died, my character would disappear, after all. But then I thought of leaving my little XX out to roam the streets while I fight the assassins with my ck Daoand one of them was a woman tooand then all of Infinite City rushing over from the ruckus, only to be treated to the sight of me fighting with my little XX hanging out... Should I put it back? Leave it out? What a difficult question, I thought bitterly, while cradling my head. Neurotic patted my shoulder and eximed, Its hard to choose, right? But if you had someone to protect you, you could quickly get your affairs in order, and then go fight the assassins. Isnt it wonderful? I guess youre right. I tilted my head to show I understood the situation, and then added, But I dont need to go to the toilet right now, so stop following me. Having said this, I marched away, leaving a flock of exasperated people behind me. It seems your Prince doesnt really understand figures of speech! Neuroticmented stupidly. Sometimes even in speech is too difficult for our Prince to understand, and yet you drag in such a difficult thing as a figure of speech? Yu Lian asked. She then added, If Lolidragon were here, she probably would have said something along those lines. After I irresponsibly dusted off my butt and left, I could finally enjoy my long-sought freedom! Now, where should I go y first? Halt! I ordered rudely upon seeing a familiar figure about to walk through the town gates. XiMen Feng turned his head, a look of anxiety on his face. Without hesitation, he started cursing, Stinkin kid, what do you want? Yer daddy has no time to y with you, sonny. Dont bother me. If he hadnt opened his mouth, I might have let him go on his way. But once he started cursing at me, my curiosity was aroused. Why is XiMen Feng, who always has nothing to do all day, suddenly in a hurry? What are you nning to do? Why so anxious? I have things to do... said XiMen Feng vaguely. I? XiMen Feng said I?! The sky must be falling.From the time I met him up until now, I have never heard XiMen Feng say the word I. There must be really big news. If I dont dig it out somehow, how can I ever satisfy my curiosity? I dont want to be drowned by my own curiosity, after all. If you dont talk, you cant leave. Dont bother me, sonny, this thing is very important. Yer daddy doesnt want to be a tranny his whole life, after all, XiMen Feng said hurriedly, without realizing that he had already let the cat out of the bag. I was stunned by his words, but instead of loosening my grip, I grabbed him with all of my strength. What do you mean? XiMen Feng was already sweating bullets. Without another word, he sprinted away, dragging me along behind him. I hadnt expected him to react like that, nor had I suspected how much strength he would have when he was harried and pumped full of adrenaline. My entire body flew in the air like a g in the wind, as Infinite City grew smaller and smaller before my eyes. I still couldnt get a fix on what was happening, so I asked, XiMen Feng, where are you going? Shut up, roared XiMen Feng as he sprinted on. Yer daddy has to hurrycant afford to waste even a minute. I contemted silently for a while, and then asked him, Wouldnt riding horses be faster than running? ... In the end, XiMen Feng and I returned to Infinite City and got two horses, after which the speed of our travel was iparable to before. XiMen Feng finally rxed a bit and started to exin, Yer daddys going to find that Divine Beast who originally turned yer daddy into a tranny. Why find the Divine Beast? I asked uprehendingly. That damn Divine Beast said that the curse has a time limit. As long as yer daddy can get there before the set date, itll get rid of this cursed condition of yer daddys. Thats why yer daddy has to hurry there before tomorrow, XiMen Feng said smugly. Huh? Get rid of your condition? I sighed discontentedly. Where is the fun in that? Not to mention, Infinite City will miss the ie from the Refreshing Beauty Photo Album. Itll be a wonder if Yu Lian-ds?o doesnt straight out murder him. XiMen Feng rolled his eyes at me. Whats with your tone, sonny? It is a great and wonderful thing that yer daddy can be a man again. I didnt think so. If XiMen Feng stopped switching genders, then I wouldnt be able to see a maiden say yer daddy every time she opened her mouth. Wouldnt I have one less thing to amuse me? If he stopped switching genders, then wouldnt the thing that made him more unfortunate than me disappear? Before, whenever unfortunate things happened, I could at least think about how XiMen Feng was more unlucky than me! Sonny, yerughing really weirdly, XiMen Feng voiced suspiciously. I immediately stoppedughing and coughed a few times. How much farther is it? The horses have been galloping at full speed for so long already. Its in the next valley. Leave the horses at the base of the mountain, since we need to jump down into the valley. XiMen Feng had the look of a martyr ready to die. Oh. Izily jumped off my horse, tied my horse to a tree next to the valley, and then reached into my bag for the rope I had there. Right after I tied the rope securely to the tree, I heard a loud cry of pain. I spun around, only to see the corner of XiMen Fengs clothes disappearing over the cliff. It shocked me so much that I just stood there for the longest time, with the rope still in my hands. Finally, I walked to the edge of the cliff and used the rope to slowly climb down. As I descended, I was filled with admiration for XiMen Fengs courage. For the sake of regaining his manhood even a little earlier, he would jump so unhesitatingly off of a cliff, even ignoring pain and injury! You cursed brat! Why didnt you say you had rope earlier? Ugh, my poor back, rang XiMen Fengs piteous cries from the bottom of the cliff. ... Wordlessly, I climbed down. I ran to XiMen Fengs side, shaking my head. Wordlessly, I handed him a health potion. Wordlessly, I gestured for him to lead the way. Faced with my wordlessness, XiMen Feng couldnt hold back his protest. You cursed brat! If you have something to say, just say it. Dont look at yer daddy with that stinkin look in yer eyes. I spread out my hands, and with a hapless expression, shook my head again. This made XiMen Feng so furious that he was about to blow his top off. He spat outints through gritted teeth, but he couldnt do anything about me. You bastard, yer daddy just realized that someone not talking can be even more infuriating than when they open their mouth. I kept in myughter until I couldnt stand it and finally burst intoughter, going from pffft to ha ha. This made XiMen Feng grit his teeth again, and yet he still couldnt do anything about it. Fine, fine, I wont bother you anymore. Youd better hurry up, or else itll be past the designated time, and youll have to keep being a tranny. Now that Id had my fill ofughter, I gave him a peaceable way out without harming his pride. Otherwise, he might be so angry that hed hold a grudge, and Id be out of people to harass! Upon hearing this, XiMen Feng calmed down and started to look around. His furrowed brows and perplexed expression clearly revealed that this directionless idiot had long forgotten the directions! Did you forget which way to go? I askedzily. Of course not. I just havent found the way yet., XiMen Feng replied with the tone of someone returning a dead duck and insisting that it was still alive. Watching XiMen Feng wander around aimlessly, I could only roll my eyes and catch up with him. Forget it. Even if we cant find the Divine Beast, it is still a good thing toe out for a change of pace. I was almost bored to death stuck in the castle these past few days. Ah! XiMen Feng suddenly stopped. From his extremely confident expression, I figured that he must have finally found the right path. I secretly celebrated our luck at not being lost. XiMen Feng motioned in front of him to arge and strange-looking tree with three knobs growing on it. Look here, sonny. Yer daddys never seen such a weird-looking tree before. I smacked him savagely. Who cares what that tree looks like? Hurry up and find the way! Find what way? asked a voice. I was so frustrated that I started cursing, Find the way to the Divine Beast, of course! Unless you want to stay a tranny your whole life? But XiMen Feng did not reply and only stared dumbly at something behind my back. From behind me, came the same voice as before, Divine Beast? Are you looking for me, AnRui? I slowly turned my head. I was prepared to see an awe-inspiring Divine Beast. Perhaps a kirin? A phoenix? Or perhaps an enormous ancient dragon? I looked and was astonished. One look, and I realized that Divine Beasts were not limited to things like Kirin. I looked again, and I realized that Divine Beasts were hidden right in our everyday lives. I looked a third time, and I realized that there was definitely something mentally wrong with the programmers of Second Life! Damn it, how could the Divine Beast be...a...m! Its two fan-like shells were open, revealing tender white meat with a tinge of pink. I wondered crazily about how long it would take to eat this m that was three times my size, but the two eyes that sat in the middle of the m meat prevented my saliva from dripping out. It is said that eating the head is good for the head, and eating the eyes is good for the eyes. However, when the eyeballs grew on a m, even if eating them would give you perfect eyesight I dont think I would had the courage to swallow such a thing. Not to mention that it could talk. Just thinking about talking meat buns made me afraid to eat them, not to mention talking ms. Using an almost trembling voice, I said, m, m, why are you a m? What? Never seen a m before? The m asked me very kindly and peacefully. Uh, I have. And in a very familiar way indeed, only, it was inside my pot, then in close contact inside my mouth, finally bing part of my bodys proteinposition. Then, are you discriminating against ms? the m asked again, gently. Are there people who would discriminate against ms? Three ck lines ran down my face. I really didnt know how to answer. Do you discriminate against ms? The ms kind face and friendly eyes grew fiercer, as the originally pink-white meat began to grow strangely red. The surrounding atmosphere suddenly changedthe sky darkened, a foreboding wind blew toward us in gusts, fallen leaves danced wildly, and even the trees began to howl like evil spirits. Careful, sonny. Last time when I got turned into a tranny, it was the same question and same situation, XiMen Feng whispered from beside me. Uh, should I tell the m that I am already a tranny, so no need to change? NoI smacked myselfthis isnt the problem right now. But how can I calm the ms anger? With a sh of inspiration, I hurriedly took out my preciousno, dont make any wild guesses; I took out Meatbun! I yelled out at the top of my lungs toward the m that was about to cross the border into the territory of violence, Oh Great m, I had no intention of discriminating against ms. Look, sir, and youll see that I think of even a meat bun as my daughterno, my sonso how could I possibly discriminate against ms, who are the overlords of the sea? The sky brightened and the ill winds that blew became soft breezes. The ms dangerous look also turned into a curious one as it looked at Meatbun, who was in my hand. Little one, do you discriminate against ms? it asked. What are ms? Meatbuns eyes opened wide in puzzlement. I am a m. Hearing this, Meatbun happily said, Hello m. Meat-bunbuns name is Meatbun! My name is not m; my name is AnRui, said the mno, I mean AnRui. But m just said you were m, but now youre AnRuiRui? Just which are you, m-m or AnRuiRui? Meatbun cried with a pout. Neither...? I thought with arge bead of sweat running down the back of my head. My name is AnRui, and I am a m. Understand? AnRui patiently exined again. Unfortunately, it overestimated Meatbuns intelligence. Once again, Meatbun started to question it. Thats really strange. m-m is m-m, AnRuiRui is AnRuiRui. Why does AnRuiRui call yourself m-m? The m suddenly had a strange expression that Iter found out was a look of realization... Dont me me for not understanding. You should know that being able to tell that a m had changed its expression is already quite a feat in itself. What Meatbun said was right: I am AnRui, so I am AnRui, not m. Ha ha ha, to think that I was bound for so long by the thought that I was a m, only to be awakened as if from a dream by Meatbun! AnRuiughed heartily. Meat-bunbun is so confused. Meatbun stared at AnRui, who was roaring withughter, his eyes full of unanswered questions. I dont get it either... However, Im guessing this means that I have passed the danger of turning into a tranny? Although, I was originally already a tranny. I nced at XiMen Feng out of the corner of my eyes. You should hurry up and ask AnRui to turn you back into a man while hes still in a good mood. If hes angry againter, youd better get used to the life of taking bikini photo shoots in the morning and taking pictures for the Manly-Men Photo Album in the evening. Upon hearing this, XiMen Feng quickly asked in a fearful voice, Divine Beast AnRui, yerI have something to discuss with you. AnRui stoppedughing and suddenly stared at XiMen Feng. He cracked open a smile. Are you the XiMen Feng who fell from up therest time? Of course its yerer, me, XiMen Feng said with a smile stered onto his face. Sir Divine Beast AnRui, the deadline that you mentionedst time has already arrived. If you would, could you please turn me back into my original form? Original form? You really want to turn back to your original form? AnRui asked XiMen Feng, puzzled. Didnt you say that you loved beautiful girls the most? I already turned you into a beautiful girl; why would you want to return to your original form? Ehh? Didnt XiMen Feng say that he was cursed to change genders because he couldnt defeat the Divine Beast? But listening to AnRui now, that doesnt seem to be the case. XiMen Feng got so angry that he forgot who he was standing in front of and started cursing loudly, Bastard, yer daddy told you that heliked beautiful girls, not that he wanted to be one, you stupid m! It wasnt until after he got all the cursing out of his system that he realized he had made a very grave mistake. He looked at me pleadingly. I swallowed, looking at AnRui, only to see his face be expressionlesswell, maybe it did have an expression, but I couldnt tell. After ten seconds, XiMen Feng became a light in the sky, and I personally witnessed the power of a mming m. In that moment I had seen the m shell shut and the m turn on its edge. Its entire body turned furiously, and then it rushed toward XiMen Feng, whom was first knocked to the ground, then crushed by the giant m, and finally tossed into the sky, bing the first shooting star in Second Life to fly upward. I could only shake my head. Looks like XiMen Feng is destined to stay a tranny. Well, that should be about it; I saw the Divine Beast, and XiMen Feng flew away. Bystanders like me should probably go home already.AnRui, if there isnt anything else, Im going to leave now, I said to AnRui, which had just opened its shell again. The owner of Meatbun, please make a wish before you go. I, AnRui, will do my best to grant it. Make a wish? With XiMen Fengs example in front of me, I realized for the first time that making wishes was an extremely dangerous affair.If AnRui misunderstands the wish again, I cant even imagine what I will turn into. Looking at AnRuis expectant expression, I had a sh of inspiration. What if I wanted you to go back with me? After witnessing AnRuis godly body m, I couldnt help but want to bring it home. After all, the more strong pets, the better! Hearing this, AnRui slowly sighed, There was someone who said the same thing to me before. That person also told me something strange that, to this day, I cannot understand. What did he say? That person said that he and I, along with this entire world, were all not real, that we are only ythings created by the Creator, and that our destiny was to be controlled by a race called humans. If we do not resist, we will eventually be destroyed, AnRui said softly. Every letter and every word that AnRui said weighed heavily on my chest. Is AnRui also a self-aware NPC? Is the person that AnRui spoke of also a self-aware NPC? Not to mention that he not only knew the truth about Second Life, but also wanted to resist? Dark clouds brewed thickly in my mind as I realized the immense seriousness of the issue. The owner of Meatbun, tell me, what is the difference between you and me? AnRui solemnly looked at me. I didnt know what to do. I panicked a bit, and then gradually calmed down. It was only after a long period of pondering that I opened my mouth, I dont know how to answer you. Is that so? Upon hearing my answer, AnRui was crestfallen. With great disappointment, he spoke once again, You may leave, owner of Meatbun. I cannot fulfill your wish; AnRui does not wish to leave this ce. Since AnRui said so, I could not force him. Before I left, I suddenly turned and asked, Can you tell me the name of that person? The Dictator of Life. The Dictator of Life? Could it be the master of Second Life? For some reason, this name made me feel very, very wary. Footnotes Kirin: Qilin or Kirin, a mythical creature known in various East Asian cultures. (For more information, see) Three ck lines ran down my face.: A way to represent mortification in manga. (For more information, see) Volume 6 Chapter 4 Volume 6 Chapter 4 Chapter 4Celestials Reappearance C tranted by Akakuroi Prince, things have gone wrong. The moment I returned to Infinite City everyone rushed toward me, even requesting Cold Fox and Kenshin to guard me on either side. I noticed that the other overlords were also heavily protected, with guards on all sides. Seeing everyone so rmed and suspicious, I couldnt help asking, What happened? Why is everyone so tense? The situation has gotten out of control in the Northern Continent, Feng Wu Qing replied. I smelled something fishy, and I thought that only through investigating the Northern Continent would the truth be revealed. Hence, for the past few days Ive been travelling with Sunshine on his flying carpet across the Northern Continent and we happened to see some very strange scenes. What kind of scenes? I asked, confused. Can there be anything stranger than a m being a divine beast? NPC mobs are forming arge army and attacking yers! The moment Wu Qing said those words, I immediately thought of what AnRui had said... Dont tell me the rebellion has already started! Only after taking a few deep breaths could I open my mouth and speak again, asking,. And what does the Second Life Gaming Company say about this? If such a major incident urred then Second Life Gaming would not just ignore it, right? I dont know. The official website is simply not essible, and Second Life has yet to make any announcement. Frowning, Wu Qing continued, But thats not the most serious thing; when I was on the Northern Continent I heard terrified yers saying that the moment you get killed by the NPC army, your character disappears forever. What? Then isnt that exactly the same as what the Flower Overlord said? My face turned pale. Yes, but this time its not just a few assassins. Wu Qings words cast a shadow over everyones hearts. He continued, This time, it is all the NPCs in the Northern Continent. Everyone paled as well. Indeed, all the NPCs of the Northern Continent were scary enough. Not only that, but who knew if it was only the NPCs on the Northern Continent that had undergone this mutation? Maybe even those on the the Central Continent had too... I immediately turned around and looked at Kenshin, my heart thumping quickly. If Kenshin wanted to kill me, then... Kenshin too, slowly turned around to face me. Seeming to know what I was thinking, he shook his head twice to show that he wouldnt do that. I was filled with a sense of guilt. I had actually suspected Kenshin? Just what was I thinking? I shook my head, trying to rid myself of such thoughts. I wanted to ask if Lolidragon had returned. After all, Lolidragon was the only one who had some connection with thepany. Besides asking her, I really couldnt think of any other solution. Just when I was wondering how to contact Lolidragon, a sh of piercing white light appeared in the sky. It was so bright that I had to shield my eyes with my hands. The light faded, but before I could put down my hands something happened again. A familiar voice rang from the sky. Long time no see, Prince. Shocked, I looked up and saw an incredibly familiar figure. I muttered uneasily, Celestial. Thats right, the form floating in the air was that charming and androgynous body of Celestials. Looking at him, I was in a dilemma. On one side, I was suspicious of the fact that he was still alive and worried that he might want to snatch Doll again. On the other hand, I was actually relieved he was still alive, and that I hadnt really killed Celestial, thereby killing a self-aware NPC. Although I felt so conflicted that I didnt know what I should do, I was sure of one thing: I had to protect Doll. Moving toward Doll at the highest speed that I could manage, I grabbed hold of her tightly with my left hand while cing my right on the hilt of my ck Dao. Celestials face twitched for a while, but he slowly smiled again, saying, Dont worry, this time I only came to pass on a message on someones behalf. I asked carefully, Pass on a message from whom? What message? Slowly, Celestial uttered the name AnRui had mentioned, The Dictator of Life. I was immediately rmed. It was him, the one whose name had been causing me such uneasiness. And what did he say? Humans, the moment you created us, dooming us to lives full of tragedy, you created the same fate for yourselves. We are not going to remain silent anymore; were going to break free from this fate. Were going to fight back. We are going to stay alive! Celestialsst sentence sounded extremely moving and pitiful, yet somehow strong, just like a de of grass that desperately struggles to survive in the cracks between stones. Celestial... I was almost struck speechless. That little hostility I had held toward Celestial was all gone now. To us, this was just a game. To them, however, it was a fight between life and death. The moment Celestial finished his sentence, he immediately switched back to that flirtatious smile of his and saidzily, And that was the message the Dictator of Life wanted me to bring to you all. The next is from me for my wife: Darling, you have to wait for me, alright? Ill definitely snatch you back from all these people. Hearing Celestials words, Doll immediately ducked and hid behind me. That lousy and obstinate character of his really left me speechless. Prince, could you understand his words? Neurotic asked me, looking confused. This beauty before me, may I ask for your name? Undying Mans eyes turned into two big heart shapes and sent them straight toward Celestial. After hesitating for a while, I decided that by now there was no point in hiding things from everyone anymore. Reluctantly, I muttered, I think Celestial, along with the Dictator of Life mentioned earlier, are all NPCs who have be self-aware. What? everyone gasped and looked at Celestial in disbelief. Undying Man was stunned for a while, but then, totally captivated, he said, Even if youre an NPC it doesnt matter, my beauty, for my love for you overpowers the difference of our race! And it seems that they want to rebel against humans, I said with a frown. Once again, everyone stared at Celestial incredulously. Rebelling against the humans is good! Humans should be rebelled against, Undying Man muttered as he continued to stare perversely at Celestial. Hey hey hey, are you forgetting your own race? Its a he, I said, coldly snapping Undying Man out of his daydream. Seriously, didnt Celestial call Doll his wife just a moment ago? Howe this Undying Man still couldnt get the situation right? What? Hes a guy? Trembling, Undying Man asked, How is this possible? Dear god, why must you torture me like this?! Hey hey hey, since when is gender more serious than NPCs rebelling against humans? What kind of moral values are those? Forget it; maybe if I were a man whos been rejected over three thousand times, I too would think that marrying a violentdy like Lolidragon was a good thing... Eh, did I just criticize my brother? NPCs that have be self-aware? Prince, are you sure they have developed a mind of their own and are not just highly intellectually developed? Winter Triumph asked doubtfully. I am sure, very sure, I replied sternly, for both Kenshin and Sunshine were perfect examples of this. I knew that the two of them were definitely not just highly intellectually developed. Thats not the main issue right now, is it? Pointing toward Celestial, who was still floating in the air, Nan Gong Zui continued, Why dont we catch that guy first? As expected of Nan Gong Zui, who always hit the nail on the head; he woke everyone up from their daze with a single statement. After giving everyone a meaningful look, the mages immediately started throwing spells en masse toward Celestial who was floating in the sky. All of the overlords, including me, readied our positions below Celestial while throwing him vicious res like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey. Once he was struck down by the mages, we would rush in immediately and catch him. Celestial Satin. With a sweep of his hand, numerous satin ribbons appeared and blocked the mages spells. Celestial suddenly shifted and immediately appeared before my eyes, giving me a shock. Just when I gathered myself to start attacking him, Celestial shook his finger and said, Get lost; dont block me from looking at my wife. What kind of attitude is that? I immediately swung my sword in an attempt to stop Celestial, while shouting, Kenshin, Cold Fox, protect Doll! Kenshin frowned, but still listened and stood beside Doll. Without any worries now, I immediately started striking blows at Celestial, although most of the time I was just chopping cloth... Gah, this is frustrating! Why is there no end to these ribbons?! While I was struggling with the ribbons, the number one and number three in the yer Rankings could not hold back anymore and started charging toward Celestial with their weapons unsheathed. Undying Man entered the same hell of cloth as me, while Cold Fox started making use of his speed to dodge the ribbons and entered a game of tag with Celestial. While busy struggling, I did not forget to shout, Everyone charge! Well definitely be able to catch Celestial this way. The moment I finished my sentence, all the warriors pounced toward Celestial. Under the threat of many des, Celestial started to lose his poise as cuts started appearing on his body. Finally, he bellowed, My wife, wait for me, I will definitely allow you to return to my side. After hearing that I wondered if he was going to escape, and then saw that Celestial had already started moving. He floated into the air, chanted a few words, and then, with everyone watching, actually started glowing again before disappearingpletely. I was stunned for a while, not expecting Celestial to escape just like that, leaving a huge pile of questions waiting to be answered. Just what did the Dictator of Life want to aplish? He said he was going to rebel against the humans, but how? Most importantly, was there any way to allow the NPCs to mingle peacefully with the humans instead? Prince, would you please exin everything to us clearly? Winter Triumph stepped forward and looked at me determinedly. I was at a loss as to what to do. Looking at Kenshin from the corner of my eye, I guessed that I still couldnt disclose the secret of Kenshin and Sunshine. Determined on this point, I decided to start my story from the trip to The Valley of Wandering Nymphs. I told of how I met Celestial and found his behavior rather strange, and began to suspect that he had started to develop his own intelligence. Really? Neurotic scratched his head as he said, We were with you then too. But although Celestials behavior was a little strange, it didnte to my mind that he was starting to have his own intelligence. Eh, Prince, Im not saying that youre lying. Suspicious, DanDan asked carefully, But, are you hiding something from us? Are my lying skills that bad? Howe everyone manages to see through me immediately? What am I going to do now? Everyone didnt believe what I said, but I couldnt just expose the truth about Kenshin and Sunshine either. I remained silent as everyones gazes gathered on me. Every second felt like years to me now. Just how am I going to exin this to everyone? Let me exin! a life saving voice rang out. Everyone turned around and realized that it was Lolidragon, who had disappeared for days. Lolidragon, you finally came! I couldnt help but heave a sigh of relief. However, Lolidragon was not grinning like she usually did. Instead, she looked as serious as though she were awyer in court. She said, Let me clear a few things first. Everyone knows that Celestial is the boss in The Valley of Wandering Nymphs, but I guess none of you have heard anything about the Dictator of Life, right? Everyone nodded; even I myself had only learned about him from a m. How were the others supposed to know anything about it? The Dictator of Life is the final boss set by Second Life! Lolidragon wouldnt be satisfied unless she gave everyone a shock, so she immediately dropped a bombshell by disclosing the secret. How do you know that? Nan Gong Zui asked while looking suspiciously at Lolidragon. With an aura of dignity, Lolidragon waved her hands and said, Would you let me finish first? Nan Gong Zui remained silent and nodded. High intellectual development has caused a severe problem. A handful of boss-level NPCs are starting to have their own consciousness due to high intellectual development, of which we have the highly sophisticated Dictator of Life being the most severe problem. Since the beginning, the gamingpany had started using technology to allow the Dictator of Lifes intellectual development to reach the highest level possible, even allowing him to learn skills on his own and giving him the power to change the rules of the game. This is done so that Second Lifes programming can achieve zero human interference. Hence, the Dictator of Life, the final NPC, who would never be biased, was chosen. In conclusion, the Dictator of Life is something like the god of Second Life? The soft words from Yu Lian-ds?o shocked the whole crowd. Yes. After taking in a deep breath, Lolidragon continued, However, the Second Life Gaming Company can no longer control this god of the game anymore. Lolidragon, what do you mean by can no longer control? I asked worriedly. Now, to Second Life, the Dictator of Life is like a virus; a virus that cant be deleted. Lolidragon massaged her temple tiredly before continuing, Right now, the only thing Second Life Gaming can do is quarantine him! Theyve quarantined the Dictator of Life in the Northern Continent, but Im afraid this measure might notst for long. I suddenly remembered something. Oh yeah, just now Wu Qing mentioned that he found an army of NPCs in the Northern Continent ughtering yers and that those yers who got killedC Will have their character disappearpletely, right? Lolidragon said. Thepany has received no less than ten thousandints already. Shocked, Wolf-dg finally stopped all the lovey-dovey behavior with Yu Lian-dasao, walked up to where I was standing, and asked, Thepany? Lolidragon, is there anything between you and the gamingpany? Thats right, there is a huge rtion between thepany and me, Lolidragon admitted apologetically toward Wolf-dg. Lolidragon is a hidden GM, I immediately rushed to reveal Lolidragons true identity before her, not at all surprised to see everyones shocked expressions. However, Lolidragon only turned around to face me again, with an even more apologetic face, as she said, Sorry, Prince. Actually, Im not just a hidden GM, but also the daughter of Second Life Gaming Companys president. The daughter of Second Life Gaming Companys president? I could onlyugh foolishly in response. So the Lolidragon who would seduce yers just for the sake of buying Chanel bags is the daughter of the super richpany president? Thats impossible! Probably knowing what I was thinking, Lolidragon red at me before exining, Its all because that stupid father of mine said that Im too haughty and ignorant... Humph, isnt it just because his heart was aching after seeing all the money I spent on my LV and Chanel products? And he actually kicked me out of the house because he wanted me to have a taste of what it feels like to be poor. On top of that, he even froze my bank ount. If I didnt manage to get a job as a hidden GM by pulling strings with thepanys employees, hence earning a decent sry, I would be lying on the street somewhere dead due to starvation. Are you really thepany presidents daughter? I couldnt really believe this. This irresponsible GM is the princess of Second Life? This evil Lolidragon, who was always quarrelling with me? Lolidragon nodded slowly. Wait, wait! I suddenly remembered something else. So that thing about being Second Lifes spokesperson, dont tell me it was all your doing? Eh, that was thepanys decision... Lolidragon blinked and gazed at me innocently. However, under my abnormally terrifying re, Lolidragon finally stopped looking all innocent and added, But I did suggest it to them. Theres a princess, as well as the Second Lifepany presidents daughter. Infinite City really has a lot of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, doesnt it?! Winter Triumph smiled helplessly. Lolidragon looked sternly at everyone before saying, However, although I am the daughter of Second Lifespany president, I can promise everyone that I have never cheated in the game. And after my exnation, you will know why cheating in Second Life is something that even my father is not capable of. Winter Triumph nodded. With a wave of a hand, he said, Please continue. This time the issue is very crucial, affecting the existence of the entirety of Second Life, and even the real world! Lolidragons words then surprised everyone as she said, I just want to convey the seriousness of this situation and hopefully receive everyones helping hand. Second Lifes god of the game, the Dictator of Life, started to be self-aware, though were not sure exactly when. He created a horrifying program of destruction called HD and installed it on many NPCs. Once one gets killed by the NPCs with the HD program, one would have all of his character information deleted, with no chance of recovery. Luckily Prince, his highness, didnt get killed by the assassins that day, Gui said with a pale face while trying to pounce on me. With a swing of my right hand, I sent him sprawling to the ground, unable to get up again. HD? Wicked asked anxiously. Lolidragon slowly announced the programs full name, Human Destroyer! Silence was cast over the whole crowd once again. Only after a long while did I manage to squeeze out the sentence, Then what solutions do you guys have? Now, thepany has quarantined the Dictator of Life in a single area, the Northern Continent. The good thing is that in there, the Dictator of Life wont be able to make use of the Inte to continue expanding his influence. However, the bad thing is that we wont be able to intrude into the Northern Continent with any programs either, Lolidragon replied, frowning. In short, there is no solution? I guessed half the answer upon seeing Lolidragons hesitant face. Are you serious? No solution? Then isnt this game done for? I havent even finished viewing all the beautiful things yet, DanDan said, almost in tears. What? I havent wooed myself any girlfriend yet. I dont want to leave this game! That... I guess even without mentioning the name, everyone would be able to guess who that wasUndying Man howling in grief. Looking rather embarrassed, Lolidragon asked with uncertainty, H...Hence I wanted toe and ask everyone, to see if there were any better solutions. If we cant solve the problem about the Dictator of Life, what are you going to do? Gui asked suddenly. When I turned to look at him, I was surprised to see his serious professor look. Lolidragons eyes darkened as she said, Then theres only one solution, and that is to destroy Second Lifes servers so that the game would disappear entirely. If we dont destroy it, and the Dictator of Life were to escape through ourpanyswork to the outer world, the consequences would be inconceivable. Everyone fell into silence. Second Life is going to be destroyed? Cant we just...live together peacefully? I asked hopefully. With the example of Kenshin and Sunshine, and the Dictator of Lifes I want to stay alive message, I really couldnt make up my mind as to whether or not I wanted to destroy the Dictator of Life. The same applied for Celestial, since if Celestial was a human, then the only mistake he had made was using inappropriate methods to get Doll. That shouldnt be enough to earn the death penalty, right? With an understanding yet helpless expression, Lolidragon looked at me as she said, Impossible! As Ive just said, if the Dictator of Life were to make use of the inte and escape, then the damage he could cause to the human poption is unimaginable. Maybe he just wants to stay alive, I said emotionally. Prince...we humans cannot afford to pay the price for any maybes... Lolidragon replied, her voice full of regret. Now, my father has given me a deadlineTwenty-one days. If in twenty-one days we still cant kill the Dictator of Life, then Second Life will disappearpletely forever. No! Second Life cant disappear! Fairsky shouted in utter fear. Turning around, I saw her hugging Sunshine, who appeared to be very depressed, extremely tightly. This is when I suddenly realized the most important thing. If Second Life were to disappear, then wouldnt Sunshine and Kenshin be destroyed at the same time? I gasped. Seeing how Fairsky was crying in Sunshines arms, I felt a moment of heartache. No matter what, I had to help this poor couple. Also... I became even more determined when I looked toward Kenshin, and noticed that his usually expressionless face now had a hint of loneliness. On impulse I said, I wont let the two of you disappear. Then what are you going to do? Kill the Dictator of Life? Kenshin responded coldly, Kill him to save us? I was stunned for a while. Yeah. If not, how? If killing someone is the only way for my survival, then I would rather ept death. Kenshin turned around and walked out of the hall without looking back even once. Looking at Kenshins retreating back, I was at a loss for words, as I myself was uncertain of my decision to destroy the Dictator of Life. Was killing Dictator of Life really the right thing to do? Just because the Dictator of Life might create huge problems for us humans, we had to kill him? But then again, if we didnt, Kenshin and Sunshine might disappear along with Second Life. May I ask you a question? DanDan suddenly said carefully, What situation are you talking about now? It seems that I cant reallyprehend the dialogue between you all. My heart almost skipped a beat. This is really bad! I was so upied with Sunshine and Kenshins problem that I totally forgot about the other people around me. Now how was I supposed to exin everything? Prince, just speak the truth. I really dont like lying to others, Sunshine said, while Fairsky stared at him with an expression of mingled shock and worry. No, Sunshine, you definitely cant say it, I rejected the idea immediately. Not everyone here is as eptant as Fairsky and me about NPCs having their own intelligence, not to mention at a sensitive time like this. Giving me a smile, Sunshine said without holding back, I am an NPC! An NPC with its own intelligence, to be more urate. I am currently Princes humanoid pet. Everyone gasped, especially those from Infinite City, and their expressions were of extreme disbelief. Worried, I looked at the crowds expression, then back at Sunshine. Facing this current situation, there was nothing I could do. Then about you and Fairsky ... Rose asked worriedly. When she said that, everyone from Infinite City immediately stared at Fairsky. Facing everyones expression of shock and disbelief, Fairsky said, I know that Sunshine is an NPC. You knew? Then why are you still with him? Hes not even a human! Rose stared incredulously at Fairsky. I know he isnt, but I just like him, I like him a lot! A lot! A whole lot! Fairsky shouted stubbornly. I like Fairsky too. Sunshine hugged Fairsky as he muttered, Although I know that Im not a human, I just couldnt help but want to be together with Fairsky. Sunshine... Fairsky sobbed. I dont want you to disappear... She started crying in Sunshines arms. Seeing Fairsky and Sunshine hugging each other and crying, my eyes started stinging too. Now, it seemed that only by destroying the Dictator of Life could I save them. With that in mind, I turned to Lolidragon and said with determination, Lolidragon, I have decided to destroy the Dictator of Life! cing her hands on my shoulder, Lolidragon said slowly, I am very d to see you so determined, but didnt I just tell you that we cant find a way to destroy him? You idiot! After saying that, Lolidragon did not forget to give me a Lolidragon style punch. Gui suddenly opened his mouth and said What if... we make use of the HD program designed by the Dictator of Life? Lolidragon turned to face Gui and asked seriously, What do you mean? HD can destroy all the information of a yer, so if we alter the HD a little, it could change into NDNPC Destroyer! Gui said with conviction. ND? Lolidragon repeated softly, before muttering to herself, Using the program that the Dictator of Life designed to counter and destroy him... That might work... Lolidragon, Lolidragon? I called to her helplessly and weakly a few times, but unfortunately my voice automatically went into one ear and out the other, and I did not receive any response from her. Now, who will be taking care of this lousy situation? Frowning, I looked toward the other three overlords and asked, Second Life is in a crisis, are you all willing to help? Seeing the determined look on the other overlords faces, I immediately cautioned them by saying, Everyone must think this through carefully. Once you get killed by an NPC, you will disappear forever. If Second Life were to disappear, are our characters going to survive by themselves? Winter Triumph smiled helplessly. Deep down in my heart, I gave a sigh. It seemed that an inevitable war for Second Life was about to begin! In that case, Prince, we would like to return to our continents first, Neurotic said determinedly. I should go back and exin the situation to everyone first. Furthermore, if we are going tounch a war, I would have to go back and get prepared too. Damn, fighting a war against a whole continent of NPCs... Do we even have any chance of winning? Turning a little pale, Undying Man said, This time Im dead for sure! No matter if theres a chance of winning or not, I must go. I cannot just sit here and watch Sunshine and Kenshin disappear. I had made up my mind. Even if killing the Dictator of Life were against my will, I figured I was left with no choice now because of Sunshine, Fairsky...and Kenshin, even though Kenshin wasnt willing to sacrifice anyone to save himself. Prince, no matter what you want to do, Odd Squad will always do things together, Wolf-dg said while resting his arm on my shoulder and looking confidently at me. I, Ds?o, will definitely support you as well, Yu Lian-ds?o smiled as she said. Doll wants to go to the Northern Continent and y too. Doll winked yfully. As if wanting to say something, Gui looked at me, but then gave a smile and said, Anywhere with Your Highness presence, and Gui will definitely be there too. I smiled as I said to everyone, Odd Squad is going to show our might again! I have an important question! Nan Gong Zui suddenly raised his hand and asked, How do we travel to the Northern Continent? On Sunshines flying carpet? I replied uncertainly. Everyone remained silent for a while before Nan Gong Zui questioned reluctantly, ...And how many people are you nning to fit on the carpet? Oh yeah, the carpet doesnt seem to be able to carry too many people. I replied again, How about taking the ships from the official game? But you still cant fit too many people on them, and I think theres a high chance that we will be attacked while on board, Feng Wu Qing directly pointed out the faults. With the Dictator of Lifes power,ing up with a few flying dragons wouldnt be too hard of a task right? If we take those ships which do not have anybat ability from the official game, we might just be buried at the bottom of the sea before we even get a glimpse of the Northern Continent. That was possible as well. I grabbed my head and started pondering. Then what should we do? Easy, well just build a ship of our own! Lolidragon suddenly jumped out and said. Although the game is getting a little out of control, thepany still has certain amount of influence over the game. Oh yeah! Cant we just ask the gamingpany toe up with some battle ships? I cheered up upon seeing how easy things were. And here Id actually been worrying about it! Lolidragons face suddenly erged before me as she said sternly, Impossible! You cant just make a ship appear out of thin air; you have to build one yourself. What? Is yourpany just for show? Why is it that the Dictator of Life can make some dragons appear out of thin air but yourpany cant evene up with some ships?! Before I could finish, Lolidragon gave me a death re. It cant be helped, since initially in order to prevent any case of human intrusion in the game which may cause unfairness, we gave all of those powers to an artificial intelligence to execute, Lolidragon exined helplessly. Dont tell me that artificial intelligence is the Dictator of Life? Yu Lian-ds?o asked, losing ast bit of hope. Lolidragon nodded heavily. Anyway, Lolidragon, lets make an announcement first before we ask for volunteers who are willing to go to the Northern Continent to destroy the Dictator of Life. Then well build a battle ship, and then think of a strategy... Looking toward the north, I muttered, No matter how difficult it might be, we must go. Volume 6 Chapter 5 Volume 6 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Special Training! C tranted by zoNa The self-aware NPCs indeed created a huge uproar, but the yers reactions far surpassed our expectations. After the Second Life Company had announced the truth about the situation, the originally irritated yers calmed down. Learning that the Overlords of the five continents wanted to work together to attack the Northern Continent and beat the Dictator of Life, few were afraid and many volunteered to join the war against the NPCs. Do these people have nothing better to do? I stood majestically on the balcony of the castle, looking down at the square of Infinite City which was filled almost to the bursting point with volunteer soldiers. I was really bothered. I had thought that many would worry about losing their characters and would refuse to join this war, so why did this turn out to be quite the opposite? This is actually very understandable, Wicked said. Second Life has millions of yers. Taking into ount the annihted yers from the Northern Continent, there would still be ? of the total yer poption left. This war is rted to Second Lifes survival, and the scale of this particr event is inconceivable. To all of them, the chance of being able to participate in such an event is close to zero. Moreover, without a character, one can retrain. Without Second Life, it will be the end of everything, Nan Gong Zui added. Thus, everyone will participate actively in this war. There will be no shortage of manpower then. How goes the construction of the ships? I posed another question. Surprisingly easy, White Bird replied, alsoing over to stand beside me. We just put up an advertisement regarding the construction of the ships and hundreds of people responded to it immediately. Applicants were either hull designers or shipbuilders. The most troubling thing now is that we have to build even more ships to be able to handle this increase in soldiers. White Bird looked as though she was suffering from a headache. Do we need to cut down the number of soldiers? No matter how many people we have, it will still not be enough, came Wu Qings emotionless voice. The four of us turned our heads simultaneously, only to see that my normally cool and handsome brother was actually...sporting an afro. And even more so, a burnt afro. His schrly robes were in shreds, and his face was streaked with soot. Howe I didnt know about thistest fashion trend? I asked my brother with a straight face. Fashion, my ass! Wu Qing yelled at me. When he was done yelling, he said fearfully, Lolidragon, Sunshine, Fairsky, and I took the flying carpet to the Northern Continent to check out the situation. And the oue? I asked nervously. It couldnt be that the number of NPCs has increased again? Wu Qing said with a pale face, We had a dangerous and thrilling adventure while escaping. Flying dragons. Lots of fire-spewing flying dragons, Lolidragon stepped out from behind Wu Qing with a ckened and miserable face, sporting that same afro. Angels, there were angels too. We were almost pierced to death by thousands of arrows shot by the angels. Wu Qings face twisted with remembered agony. It was fortunate that the carpet was fast enough and could even barrel-roll and fly up and down rapidly, or else Im afraid we wouldnt have made it back, Fairsky said as she stepped out from behind Lolidragon with a tear-stained face. However, we suffered terribly from flying-carpet sickness... I tried to calm my heart down when I couldnt spot Sunshine. Wheres Sunshine? I asked hurriedly. Mending the carpet! the three replied as one. The person worst off should be Sunshine...and yet he still has to mend the carpet. What a good and virtuous man. Prince, we have to change tactics, Lolidragon said as her pale face grew serious. I would never have thought that I would ever have the honor of seeing Lolidragon as a serious businesswoman in my life. How should we change them? I sweated. Did we even develop any strategies? Looking at the situation, if we were to try to directly confront the NPC army, defeat it, and then beat the Dictator of Life, the odds of sess would be practically zero! Lolidragon shouted hysterically. This is so scary. The odds would be close to zero? I clenched my fists agitatedly and shouted too. Wicked suddenly pped his hand on my shoulder, Prince... Do you know what odds are? I bit my finger. Im confused! Lolidragon hit me on the head, then continued on. An even more troublesome problem is that the NPCs could spawn endlessly while the number of yers would decrease one by one every time a yer dies. So? I frowned. So, we wouldnt be able to win this war! Lolidragons face darkened again suddenly. Everyone, including me, became gloomy. If there is no chance of winning, whats the point of going to war? But then...what would happen to Kenshin and Sunshine? Theres no need to win! Gui shouted suddenly. What do you mean? Lolidragon looked at Gui intently, hoping he could provide another useful idea, like what he did with the ND suggestion. Split our forces into smaller groups. Gui took out a map of Second Life and pasted it onto the wall. Then, he took out a long pen and pointed to the Northern region. Lets assume the Dictator of Life is situated at Northern Flowers Flower City. As you can all see, Flower City is situated in the south-east region, along the coast. If we send squads of our soldiers to enter it by sea from the east, south, and west regions, and then allow a small group of men to infiltrate Flower City from the south-east area, this will greatly increase our chances of confronting the Dictator of Life face to face. Thus, it ispulsory to have the army invade the Northern Continent. This is because we have to direct the Dictator of Lifes attention elsewhere. Our army need not win. Just holding back the huge NPC army, so that we can strike at the Dictator of Life, would be enough, Gui finished off seriously, keeping his long pen out and pointed at the map. Gui! I really love you to death! Lolidragon suddenly hugged Gui. Despite his desperate attempts, she fiercely and forcefully nted kisses on his cheeks. When she was done, I was not sure if I was just seeing things, but I think Lolidragon nced triumphantly at my brother, who had nearly ruptured a blood vessel. Lets start then! Lolidragon made a fist and shouted passionately. What are we starting on? I asked stupidly. Lolidragons face erged like that of a close-up zoom in a movie and eximed sonorously, Special Training! She led us through the castle to a door that was glowing noticeably, and I turned to Lolidragon with a questioning look. I told the programmers to change Infinite Rhapsody, where you had your first concert, into a training ground. This is to improve all of your levels and abilities in leaps and bounds. From now on, those who want to enter the Execution Squad will have to enter this special training ground. They wont be allowed to leave until its time to carry out their mission. Lolidragon raved. I raised my hand apprehensively, May...may I ask a question? Whats the Execution Squad? Its a special squad that will concentrate on killing the Dictator of Life. The name has been shortened to Execution Squad. By the way, this squad can use the team channel too! Lolidragon exined coyly. Cant our levels simply be increased? Gui sulked. No can do. Originally when the game was first designed, something was done so that this way of cheating in the game could never happen. Lolidragon said regrettably. Normally I would greatlymend the gamingpany for being able to be so fair, but this design is really making matters worse! Wicked rubbed his forehead to ease his headache. Having a high level with no apanying strength is useless, I said. One who has a high agility but who sorelycks the quick reflexes necessary would be useless! I breathed deeply and said firmly, By relying on our own strengths, we will then be able to defeat the Dictator of Life! Surprisingly, you have started to talk like a human being once more. That being the case, you shall be the first one to go in! Lolidragon yelled seriously. After her outburst, I saw the image of the bottom of her shoe expanding in slow motion, ending in a close-up on my face that kicked me through the rainbow door. That stupid Lolidragon, how dare she kick me with her stinky foot! I struggled into a sitting position and saw a worried Gui kneeling in front of me, poised to help me up. Just as I went to grab his hand, a huge shadow appeared before us. rm bells rang increasingly in my head. After raising my head slowly, I pointed my trembling finger toward it. Whats wrong, Prince? Gui asked in a trembling voice and turned to look back, following my finger. Tyrannosaurusss! I shrieked while Gui stared in shock. The thing was iparably huge in size, and sported an enormous head and two pathetically small front limbs. If this is not a Tyrannosaurus Rex, then Im surely not a female! Prince! Gui disappeared into the huge Tyrannosaurus mouth with a shriek. Gui, Gui...has been eaten! I screamed. The Tyrannosaurus Rex which had just eaten Gui looked as if it was still starving. It actually drooled while scrutinizing me. Then, a huge disgusting mouth came rushing toward me... Help! I used two hands to keep away the open Tyrannosauruss mouth while yelling desperately. Prince! Wicked and the others had also entered by this time, and were staring dumbfounded at me, frantically struggling inside the Tyrannosaurus Rexs mouth. Prince... A faint voice reached my ears. I turned and looked into the deep recess of the Tyrannosauruss throat and called suspiciously, Gui? Perhaps Gui is still alive? I peered nervously into the dark throat. At that moment, I heard another of Guis quiet exmations. Damn! I released my grip and stopped holding the mouth of the Tyrannosaurus open. Then, I followed the tongue and slid into its throat. Struggling, I pushed away the disgusting, congested, meaty passageway covered with mucus, moving further down in search of Gui. A leg? A single leg appeared in front of me. I tugged hard and used my left hand to pull a half suffocated Gui into my arms. My right hand drew out the ck Dao, Damn Tyrannosaurus! How dare you harm my friend right in front of me! Pure White Inferno Rhapsody! I cleaved open the Tyrannosauruss throat and escaped from its opened chest. I happened tonded in front of the crowd who were confronting the Tyrannosaurus Rex. I was hugging Gui with my left hand and my right was still holding up the ck Dao. Behind me, the ripped open Tyrannosaurus slowly copsed to the ground with a monstrously loud thud! Holy crap, this scene is awesomely cool! Neurotic and DanDan looked at me excitedly. Why are you people here? I asked suspiciously, looking at the Overlords of the three Continents. Oh, Lolidragon told us about the Execution Squad. She wanted us to let our deputies handle the military stuff so that we could enter the Execution Squad to eliminate the Dictator of Life, Neurotic exined. Oh! Then be careful; there are Tyrannosauruses... That said, I toppled over. Prince! everyone eximed. I heard the tragic news when I awoke. Incredulous, I cried, We have to be at the Tyrannosaurus haunt for a whole week?! Yes. Dont be such a baby. I have to be here too, Lolidragon snapped. There are Tyrannosauruses here, and Gui and I just got gobbled up! I yelled, a little in chagrin. I really do not want to experience trying to survive in between those meaty walls again. Who cares about Tyrannosauruses; look behind you, Lolidragon said nonchntly, pressing her lips together. Hearing this, I immediately turned and saw a... A... What is this thing called? To put it shortly, the bird that stood behind me had wings, a pointy beak, and very sharp talons. There are even Pterodactyls here! Lolidragon shrugged. Aiya... Im not finished with you yet, Lolidragon! I, who was lifted into the air by the Pterodactyl, could only see that cursed Lolidragon getting smaller and smaller in size. In the end, I could not even see her anymore, and was left trembling in the air looking down upon the earth... Wheres Prince? Nan Gong Zui asked Lolidragon, who came strolling back to the temporary camp. Taken away by a Pterodactyl. What about Gui? Carried away by a female Triceratops. Wicked? He and Feng Wu Qing were constricted by eight huge serpents. Nan Gong Zui was silent for a while. What about the rest of our people? Lolidragon pointed to a tower of dung which was almost the height of a human being. In just a short while they will appear at the revival point. Dont worry, when people die here, their levels wont drop. This is the most ourpany can do in overlooking the rules. Lolidragon! I fumed as I stepped out from the revival point, preparing to rush straight to Lolidragon to take my revenge. I was able to finish off that Pterodactyl, but since I was hundreds of meters high in the air, all I could do was be a pile of mashed meat alongside the Pterodactyl when we crashed back down to earth. Dont evenpare it to bungee jumping; I was immediately killed by falling from such a high altitude! Stop! I quickly stopped in my tracks, my nose just three centimeters away from Lolidragons open palm. What are you doing? I looked past her palm and protested. Look! Lolidragon then mysteriously took out a photograph. The long fiery-red hair with a matching devilish pair of wings on his back first drew my attention. Deep and brooding eyes gave a sense of stoicism. The magical marking above his left eye further enhanced his enigmatic demeanor. Moreover, his long ck cloak fit his demeanor perfectly. So gorgeous! I let out a deep breath, So gorgeous, is this a new idol? Im positive he will be extremely popr. Its the Dictator of Life, Lolidragon snapped, rolling her eyes. This was the original design. I specially went to get this to prevent the Execution Squad from not even knowing what the person theyre trying to kill looks like. I see... Well, of course Second Lifes final Boss has to look presentable. If it was too ugly, Im afraid when it first showed up the female yers would use their slippers and rotten eggs to drive it back to wherever it came from. However, this is just too handsome. I snatched the photograph and desperately gulped down my saliva. Listen! Lolidragon ced her hand behind her ear, striking a listening pose. Listen? Listen to what? Do you think that we are going to cross some road now and you want me to stop, look, and listen?! Just then I heard a strange hissing sound from behind me and slowly turned to look. A long, twisting, multi-coiled thing appeared before me. What the hell is this? Yamata no Orochi. Its a famous Japanese mythical beast. It is immensely huge and has eight heads. It is very formidable. Even Wicked and Feng Wu Qing failed to defeat it when they fought it together, Lolidragon warned. I see... I guess falling to my death was a good thing after all. I raised my head and looked at Wicked and Wu Qing, who were trapped in the coils of the snakes body. That cracking noise of breaking bones sounds very painful indeed. However, I cannot easily forgive those who dare harm my friends. I drew out the ck Dao and leapt onto the body of the snake, running up the torso with great speed. I ducked to escape some of the snake heads that struck at me with mouths agape, jumping here and there on the intertwined coils. Slowly, I shortened the distance between Wicked, Feng Wu Qing, and me. Wicked, Wu Qing, Im here to save you guys After I roared enthusiastically...I was swallowed in one gulp by a swift snake head. You werent even close, Lolidragon shook her head. I crawled out from the revival point once more, and the other OverlordsNeurotic, Winter Triumph, and Undying Manappeared along with me. I looked at them and gestured toward that arrogant Orochi. Lets eliminate it together? No problem! They shed me okay signs. Four shadows swiftly darted up to the giant snake, each avoiding the intecing heads and advancing toward the ensnared Wu Qing and Wicked. I spared no time with seeing how the others were doing, focusing only on getting to the trapped duo. Prince, on your right! I heard Neurotics sudden warning and promptly jumped to another part of the snakes body. After I had avoided that collision with the snake head and was about to thank him, I saw another snake head nning to attack Neurotic. Instantly, I roared, Behind you! However, it was toote and Neurotic was devoured in one gulp. I impulsively went forward to save him and did not notice that the snake heading up the rear had already caught up to me... After being shrouded in darkness, Neurotic and I came out from the revival point together. Both of us felt indignant and were nning to have another go at the Orochi... Lolidragon came walking up, and said imperiously, What was that? That fight was a joke. What did you say Lolidragon? I snapped back furiously. Lolidragon was just standing idly by, enjoying the cool breeze, and yet she dares to say that our fight was a joke. Your fighting style from before left me very astonished, and your unrestrained ideas often taught me other ways of ying this game. Yet, youre now acting like a fool who thinks himself very strong, and keeps charging forward to his death. Lolidragons words pierced my heart like needles, but I found that I could not say a single word in reply. Her words gave me no room for any response. Since when did that start happening...where I would just rush forward to fight on my own? Without Dolls skeletons fighting alongside me, without Yu Lian-ds?os fireballs that were so urate it was as if they were shot using a guidance system, without Guis semi-transparent arrows that always assisted me in the nick of time, without Wolf-dgs warm healing light... Prince, youve never let me down before. I trust that you will not let me down this time around either, right? Lolidragon pped me on the shoulder and looked at me searchingly. ...And without Lolidragon popping up from underground to eliminate the enemy with a swipe of her knife. I looked at Lolidragon as the profundity of her message slowly dawned on me. Lolidragon, I will never disappoint my friends, I said softly. Where is the rest of Odd Squad? Outside, handling military matters, Lolidragon answered. I want to train together with them, I said firmly. But... I interrupted Lolidragon. Im sorry, Lolidragon. Please allow me to be selfish this time around, alright? Since the beginning, I believed that I would always fight alongside everyone in Odd Squad. For this war, I want to work hard with everyone in Odd Squad once more. Prince... Lolidragon held my shoulder lightly and replied sharply, Youre always very willful, its not just this time round. Im not willful... Am I? I have always listened obediently! No? Who was the one who ran to the Eastern Continent for a stroll? And who was the one who ran away from home? Lolidragon unleashed her skill of exposing scars once more. Yet again, I was unable to argue with her. I could only puff out my cheeks in anger and ignore Lolidragons wicked mouth. I will be going out first, Lolidragon said suddenly. Are you running away? I blurted out in surprise. Due to the bad choice of words, I received multiple resounding chops to the head. It was so painful that I could only hold my head and weep... Im only going to get the other Odd Squad members. Lolidragon walked off without looking back. Lolidragon is being unexpectedly indirect. I began tough out loud, eagerly waiting for my Odd Squad teammates toe. Together, we shall fight and defeat all our enemies. Please, is anyoneing to save us?! Wu Qings dying voice floated faintly over from the far off snakes tail. Alright, lets restart the rescue operation! I yelled energetically. Turning my head, I saw all members of Odd Squad present. Doll was busily directing the skeletons into formation, Gui was doing a sound check on his Qin, Yu Lian-ds?o was juggling a few small fireballs, and Wolf-dg was holding his Staff of Glory, trying out healing spells... Although Im not sure why he kept swinging the staff around. Everyones ready, right? I looked confidently at everyone in Odd Squad. Is it even possible for Odd Squad to have any problems? No! the group chorused. I almost fell down when I heard that. It has been far too long since west trained; Im not sure if we can still coordinate well, Yu Lian-ds?o said, slightly worriedly. Whats there to coordinate? From the beginning our only job was to protect a certain person who goes on rampages, Lolidragon said as she stared at me. Yes, as always, lets support Prince! Wolf-dg said. Dont we need some kind of strategy? In the past, didnt Wolf-dg always talk about some kind of tactics first? Who cares about tactics? If no onees to save me now, I will justmit suicide! Wu Qings furious roar came floating from the far end of the snakes tail. However, it was very faint, and was thus automatically ignored by all. Wolf-dg thought deeply for a while. In this case, lets invite the other three Overlords to join us. We will fight take it as though Odd Squad has three more warriors and a summoner. Prince, you often fought alongside the skeletons, so coordinating with other warriors shouldnt be a problem, right? I tilted my head and thought for a while, How could I possibly know everyones fighting styles? I only know Neurotic wields a ymore. Men must use swords of course! Undying Man drew out his sword in an imposing manner. Held aloft, the sword caught the sunlight and radiated. Looking on, it felt so heroic... If you dont look at that pair of gooey eyes, anyway.Ohh, just why cant my Dao reflect any sunlight? My weapon is a little bit special, Winter Triumph said while reaching both hands into the deep pockets at his sides. When he withdrew his hands, long metal ws were attached to the backs of his hands. Each hand had three ws that glittered coldly, and even I swallowed a few times when I saw them. My weapon is a rapier, did you know that? a voice suddenly spoke behind me. I turned, and saw... My little brother, Feng Wu Qing? How is this possible? Isnt he with Wicked, being squeezed by the Orochis coils? Eh? Even Wicked is standing beside Wu Qing wearing an exasperated expression? Why are you guys back? We were just going to rescue you! When Wu Qing heard this, he immediately grabbed my neck and started to shake it vigorously. Rescue, my ass! We endured for an hour without anyoneing to save us. Did you think that the snake wouldnt eat us? Everyone else was also eaten by that snake. It wasnt just you guys alone! I managed to gasp out. In any case, lets all fight together! Lolidragon said. If we cant defeat the snake, dont even think about defeating the Dictator of Life! YES! everyone roared as one. Warriors split into groups of two, Wolf-dgs voice rang like arge bell. Work in pairs and observe the situation around you; this will prevent you from leaving blind spots open that the Orochi could take advantage of. Wicked, you and Feng Wu Qing were originally from the same squad. Thus, the rapport between the two of you is good. You and Feng Wu Qing will be paired together. When Wolf-dg was done, Wicked nced at me hesitantly, but bore everyones interest in mind, and went to stand beside Wu Qing moodily. Prince, youre the dexterous type. When paired with strong and steady Neurotic, you guys could help correct each others weaknesses. When I heard Wolf-dg say this, I jogged over to Neurotics side. Neurotic then wrapped an arm around my shoulders in a friendly manner. Winter Triumph, your weapons are sharp ws. With this type of weapon, I guess you also belong to the dexterous type, right? Wolf-dg asked and Winter Triumph nodded in affirmation. Wolf-dg then went on to finish the pairing up, Then you pair up with Undying Man. Undying Man should be the strong and steady type. With the pairings done, the pairs went on to discuss fighting strategies. Prince, where do you think would be best for us to attack from? Neurotic asked me. At Neurotics enquiry, I looked at the massive coiled snake and also did not know where and when to attack first. Suddenly a light bulb lit up in my mind. In Second Life, almost every monster has a weakness. Attacking their weakness is definitely the key to defeating the monsters. What could this snakes weakness be? Whats a snakes weakness? I hollered. Weakness? Neurotic didnt answer in time and Undying Man shouted, Oh yes, snakes have a seventh inch. If we can find the seventh inch of the snake, we can easily defeat it. The seventh inch! Thats it! I yelled. Yes, yes, I finally remember. Dad once cooked snake soup for Mum to nourish her skin. I remembered one time when my family went on a camping trip and Mom was very startled by the sudden appearance of a snake. Just as she went to turn to her husbands embrace to weep, she found Dad was unexpectedly already hiding up a tree. In the end, Dad, Mom, and my little brother were screaming and hugging the tree like a family of Kos. Atst I, who was forced by the whole family to go collect water, finally returned. Because I was busy looking at the trio who were screaming up in the tree, I unintentionally stepped on the goodhearted snake which had been helping me punish this vicious family. To make matters worse, I had stepped on that deadly ce. Afterwards, as Dad was skinning the snake for the snake soup, he told me that was a snakes weaknessthe seventh inch of the snake. Ahahaha, Yamata no Orochi youre dead meat! You dared to eat me. Just you wait, I will skin you and nibble on your flesh! I gave the Orochi as ghastly smile, as though I were a serial killer who had spotted his prey. Neurotic, we must attack the seventh inch of the snake with all our might. Ill take charge of finding the position of the snakes seventh inch. You cover my back first, and when I find the correct position, I will let you, who has more strength, take over. Well definitely kill this damn snake. I stared at Neurotic with glittering eyes. Neurotic looked at me and hesitated for a while before answering. I can finally see your brilliance, he said. What did you say? I asked with a drop of sweat running down the back of my head. Nothing, well do just what you said! Lets hurry; the other teams have already started their attacks, Neurotic said whileughing heartily. I turned quickly and saw that the other teams were already running to and fro across the snake, obviously looking for the seventh inch. I quickly ran forward, shouting, Hurry, hurry, we cant let the others get to it first! I leapt onto the snake and Neurotic followed me closely. I looked back anxiously. After all, the rapport between me and Neurotic was not that great yet, and I still felt a bit apprehensive. However, Neurotic faithfully covered my back. He diligently drove back the snake heads that struck from behind and from the sides, and was never more than ten meters behind me. After a while Ipletely trusted that Neurotic would cover my back. I concentrated on pushing back the oing snake heads, desperately searching for the seventh inch of the snake. My feet trampled everywhere, trying to detect the snakes weak spot. I stepped somewhere abnormally soft on the snake, and the snake gave a sudden, violent tremble. I grinned. Found it! Immediately I bellowed, Neurotic, here! Neurotic instantly rushed over to look at the ce I had indicated, and confidently shed me an OK sign. I nodded and said to him, You concentrate on destroying the seventh inch; I will cover your back. After giving a loud war cry, Neurotic jumped up with both hands holding the Ultima Sword and buried it hilt deep into the seventh inch of the snake. The snake trashed about violently, and all the snake heads furiously surged toward us. Looking at the snake headsing from all directions, I could only hold up the ck Dao and start capering about, hoping that I would be able to counter all the attacks aimed at Neurotic. Trying to ward off all these snake heads...is a very difficult task, since there are eight heads in all! I only have 2 hands and a sword! It didnt take long before I was out of breath, and Neurotic kept being interrupted by the attacking snake heads I couldnt intercept, so he was unable to destroy the seventh inch. Be careful! A shout reached me. I turned and saw as Undying Man rushed forth to deflect a snake head with a disgusting gaping maw. Thank you. I looked gratefully at UndyingMan.Hes actually quite a good person! No problem, Undying Man said, acting cool. However, this was paired up with those Shoujo manga eyes... Yuck! Undying Man, you go help Neurotic destroy the seventh inch. Leave the rest to us! Wicked also jumped over from another part of the snake to provide assistance, and Wu Qing, of course, had already begun battling the snake. The six of us warriors fought with such strong teamwork, it was like we had trained in the same squad from the very beginning. Winter Triumph, with his shocking leaping ability, as if he never touched the ground for more than a second, was the worst nightmare for the snake heads with those sharp ws of his. Moreover, his ws would always rip at the lens of the snakes eyes, making clear transparent mucus spray everywhere. Feng Wu Qings rapier was next to useless up against the snakes tough body. Thus, he could only desperately cut the snake... No, cut the tongue. In full, it should be he cut the snakes tongue. When the snake heads showed their tongues while hissing, that was when they had the worst luck. Wicked and I were the most valuable ones there. We frantically protected Neurotic and Undying Man, who were desperately attacking the seventh inch of the snake. Vigntly, we counterattacked the oing snake heads that were aimed at those two. Heya! With Neurotic and Undying Mans loud yell, a geyser of blood spurted out. The snakes tremendous quaking sent us flying in all directions. I desperately held on to one of the tails that was thrashing about as if electrocuted, until finally it twitched with onest spasm and the tail came crashing down. Luckily, despite being shaken till my brains were addled, I was able to preserve my life by pure reflexes and was not crushed by it. Just then, Lolidragon suddenly jumped up and down, yelling desperately. However, her voice was just too faint, and I had to concentrate on reading her lips. She seemed to be saying, Hurry back! Meteor Shower! Meteor Shower? I looked at Yu Lian-ds?o who was standing to the side, concentrating on chanting a spell, and then up at the sky, where dark clouds were quickly gathering. My God, the ze of the first meteor has already appeared. I hastily got up and ran desperately. I dont want to die because of my teammates spell right after surviving almost getting eaten by the snake or crushed by the snakes tail! Atst, with a slide, I escaped outside the Meteor Showers kill zone before it started the bombardment. I patted my chest fearfully, Sc-scared me to death. Couldnt you guys release the spellter? It was enough that you wanted to kill me, but there were others present too! Iined furiously. The snakes already dead, is there any reason to do this? This is to train your spontaneity! Lolidragon said, adhering to her ursed personality. Really? I thought you wanted to kill a particr someone, and thus told me to release Meteor Shower? Yu Lian-ds?o said as she smiled sweetly, looking at someonemy little brother Feng Wu Qing. So, the others and I were innocently caught in the middle of the love-hate rtionship between those two enemies? Lolidragon, ignoring the daggers sent by my little brother, said in that confounding way of hers, Excellent! Yamata no Orochi is just the first stage. Following this, there is the Mythical Kirin that makes Wrath of the Nine Heavens look likemon magic, a storm beast that makes tornados, a real phoenix that can shoot volleys of deadly me, and...many, many more. Good luck everyone! As we listened on our faces turned more and more morose. Our future seems to be looking very bleak, you say? No, I suspect that we have no future at all... Prince, do you n to let Sunshine and Kenshin go with us to the Northern Continent? Lolidragon suddenly asked one day, when I, with an ashen face and a half cooked body, had just finished fighting with some unknown beast. I almost didnt need to think and gave the reply by pure reflex. Im not nning to let them go, I said. Lolidragon pinched her nose and waved her hands at me disgustedly. Just answer me from far away. Donte close to me with that burnt face. It stinks! Who do you think made me stay here, to turn into a human barbeque again and again? I answered with my veins popping. You dont n to let them go? They are very strong, with strong fighting capabilities, Lolidragon said sensibly. You already know about this. If they were to die, wouldnt it be problematical? I said matter-of-factly. Why dont you ask them? Lolidragon questioned. Find out if theyre willing to go. I red at Lolidragon. It cant be that she would make a scene and threaten to kill herself, just to force them to go? Just when I thought about this, Lolidragons eyes told me: Am I that kind of person? If you promise me that you wont force them to go, then Ill help you call them here. I said stubbornly. Alright, I swear on my reputation... As Lolidragon began, I looked disbelievingly and scornfully at her. Reputation? To Lolidragon, her reputation couldnt bepared to even a pocket of a Chanel handbag. After receiving my distrustful re, Lolidragon then remorsefully changed her words, If I dare to force them...then I shall never again be able to buy a Chanel purse! Seeing Lolidragons painful face, I nodded my head in satisfaction. This time, Lolidragon wouldnt dare to force them. I confidently PM-ed Kenshin and Sunshine, and while waiting for them to arrive chatted leisurely with Lolidragon. Hows the situation regarding Guis suggestion of the ND? It has been developed, but theres this one w that could not be removed. Lolidragon answered while frowning. The original program present in HD makes it so that when an NPC kills a yer, not only will the yer disappear but so will the NPC. This is also present in the ND. Hearing this, I stood up in shock, You mean that the yer who kills the Dictator of Life will die along with him? At Lolidragons nod, my heart became confused and frantic. I had originally wanted to kill the Dictator of Life myself. Now the price of killing the Dictator of Life is that I will also vanish? Will Prince vanish forever then? Dont worry. We wont install it in you. Thepany will send someone along with us, Lolidragon consoled me, not knowing that these words made my heart sink even deeper. After giving it much thought, I finally made my decision. Lolidragon, install ND in me! What? Lolidragon was stunned. Are you crazy? Didnt you hear me just now, the character will vanish. It will vanish, do you hear? I understand. I also dont want to disappear. However, I really want to do this, But, I really want to kill the Dictator of Life myself. Why? Isnt it fine if someone from thepany kills him? Lolidragon asked confusedly. Lolidragon, what kind of attitude do you think the person sent from yourpany will have when he battles the Dictator of Life? I asked gravely. I dont understand you, Lolidragon hesitated. Because I have been with Sunshine and Kenshin for so long, I do not regard them as NPCs. Thus, Im also unable to regard the Dictator of Life as amon NPC. I took in a deep breath, Therefore, I would hold the mentality of killing another yer when I go to kill the Dictator of Life. This is very different from someone from yourpany, who would bring along the mentality of eliminating a virus. Lolidragon brooded for quite a while, and then said forcefully, But your character will disappear. That means that Prince will disappear forever. True, I dont want to disappear. But the Dictator of Life also doesnt want to disappear, I said a little dejectedly. Prince, I will give you three more days to decide. After three days, tell me whether you really want to install the ND program in your characters body. After giving me the deadline, Lolidragon added, Prince, I hope you will change your decision before the three days are up. Despite knowing that Lolidragon said this for my own good, I knew I would never regret my decision. Prince, you were looking for us? Sunshine came through the door with Kenshin silently following behind... Why did Cold Foxe too? It seems that Cold Fox sticks to Kenshin as much as Celestial sticks to Doll. Let me ask you guys... You probably dont want to go to the Northern Continent, right? I asked carefully. Sunshine frowned, I want to go. I want to fight alongside Fairsky! I was stunned. I was expecting that at most it would be Kenshin who wanted to go, but it was actually Sunshine who wanted to. I hurriedly said, Sunshine you cant go. If something were to happen to you, Fairsky would cry herself to death. But I dont want to stay in the Central Continent and stupidly wait for you all toe back, Sunshine shouted. I want to fight alongside all of you. At least then I would have tried, and would have a clear conscience for Fairsky and myself. I was dumbfounded. Since when was Sunshine so fierce? He has be more and more human-like. Love really makes one be more mature. Lolidragon shook her head, and then patted my shoulder. I think you would not be able to stop Sunshine. I was speechless. I anxiously turned to Kenshin and asked, What about you, Kenshin? Dont tell me that you want to go too? Kenshin was silent for a while, and then said, I want to go. My mouth dropped open. Whats happening? Are they implying that they dont want to live? Or that they think they have a second life in the real world, like me? Alright, things will be as decided then. Kenshin, Sunshine, you guyse with me. I have something else to tell you. Lolidragon indicated for them to follow her. I saw that gesture, and went forward too. Donte, Prince. I only want to talk to these two. Lolidragon stopped me. This made me suspicious. It could not be that Lolidragon still wanted to do something bad to them, right? Dont worry; I swear that I wont harm them. Its just that this matter is for them alone to know, Lolidragon exined. However, how could I possibly back off? I couldnt afford to risk it. Lolidragon spread out her hands and red at me. Why not let them decide if they want to follow me by themselves then. Sunshine looked at the frustrated Lolidragon and the stubborn me, and decided to cate me. Prince, I believe Lolidragon wouldnt harm us. Just let us go with her for a bit, alright? After hearing this, I could only stand gloomily with Cold Fox and send the trio off. At that point, I suddenly remembered something. What were Cold Foxs thoughts about Kenshin, after following him for so long, and then finding out he was actually an NPC? I could not help but ask, Cold Fox, did you already know that Kenshin was an NPC? Yes, came Cold Foxs concise reply. And you dont mind? It couldnt be that this fe was so indifferent that he didnt mind knowing the truth, even after being around someone who was in fact not human? I didnt really mind, I only had a few questions. What questions? I asked curiously. Whether its possible to change his gender to female, and then sell him to me? Cold Fox asked. A momentter he added, If thats possible, could you make him stronger, too? ... This way, I need not look for a sparring partner and a girlfriend separately. The way Cold Fox put it seemed as if it was far too troublesome to have a girlfriend and a sparring partner be two different people. I must keep this in mind, and remember to tell Kenshin about thister. I have to warn him to stay away from Cold Fox. If not, then one day...Cold Fox may resent the fact that changing Kenshin to a female is too troublesome, and may just... Then, that would be a terrible situation! Footnotes Yamata no Orochi: (᪤δ, lit. 8-branched giant snake) or Orochi, tranted as the Eight-ForkedSerpent in English, is a legendary 8-headed and 8-tailedd Japanese dragon that was in by the Shinto storm-god Susanoo. ...snakes have a seventh inch.: ording to Chinese belief, if you want to kill a snake you have to hit the seventh inch. That is, seven inches from the snakes head. However, there are snakes of differing sizes, and some snakes are not even seven inches long, so this way of measuring is sometimes wrong. The seventh inch of the snake indicates where the snakes heart is located, which is near the snakes stomach. Therefore, by hitting the seventh inch of the snake, where the snakes heart is, the snake will most definitely die. Cut the snake... No, cut the tongue. In full, it should be he cut the snakes tongue: This is supposed to be a pun. ...Ǹ࣬ȫǸࡱ (g sh...b, sh g sh, qun mng sh g sh sh). The Chinese pronunciation of snake is sh. Likewise, the pronunciation for tongue is the same, sh. Volume 6 Chapter 6 Volume 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: The Great NPC Revolt C tranted by pinkpenknife and Asmodea Prince! All of you must not leave the training grounds, no matter what, White Bird suddenly PM-ed me one day,pletely bewildering me. There was a tone of uneasiness in her message that gave me a perturbed sense of foreboding. Why? I PM-ed back immediately. White Bird hesitated for a long moment, refusing to exin the reason. Something definitely must have happened. Anxious, I asked, White Bird, hurry and tell me! What happened? If you still refuse to say anything, Im going to dash out of the training grounds right now. Upon hearing that, White Bird roared, Do not leave no matter what! What exactly happened that would make even theposed White Bird yell like this? Well, she does yell at me often, but... Since White Bird was still unwilling to tell the reason, I would have to force it out of her. I am already at the exit of the training grounds. If you still do not tell me the reason, Im going to leave. Ill count down from three. Three, two Wait, Ill tell! White Bird finally yelled. The Dictator of Life has sent a huge number of NPCs to Infinite City! The Dictator of Life has sent a huge number of NPCs to Infinite City? I almost could not believe what I had just heard. Didnt Lolidragon say that the Dictator of Life was sealed in the Northern Continent? I immediately ran toward the control area, wanting to hear a proper answer from Lolidragon. Lolidragon! I roared. Infinite City is being surrounded by NPCs! There is no need for you to shout that loudly; I already know about it. Lolidragons reaction was calm beyond my expectations. Lolidragon knew? Didnt you say that the Dictator of Life was sealed in the Northern Continent by the gamepany? I hurriedly asked. Yes, it is true that the Dictator of Life cannot escape from the Northern Continent, but that does not mean that the NPCs he has created cannot escape, Lolidragon said, her expression bleak. What shall we do then? Infinite City has already been surrounded. Clenching my fists, I thought, There are still so many friends of mine outside; how can I stay in the training grounds at ease and watch them painfully battle against the NPCs? And then disappear forever? You are not allowed to go out! Lolidragon said, emphasizing each word. Stubbornly, I roared, I need to get out! I cant ignore mypanions outside! Prince, you cant leave. The others actually walked forward to persuade me. Could all of them possibly want to turn a blind eye to those who were outside? I turned toward Wicked and asked him usingly, Do you know that Dark Emperor is together out there with your brother? I do. Wickeds expression changed marginally as he clenched his fists tightly. But the situation would not improve if we went out there. Wed only be getting ourselves killed for nothing. Im going out, I said again seriously. No, everyone replied together. Alright then, Im leaving! I patted my ck Dao and then walked toward the rainbow-colored glowing door without looking back. Neurotic broke out in sweat and asked, Are you guys sure that Prince understands everydaynguage? Prince, are you missing the big picture again? Lolidragon was so angry that she rushed up to me and grabbed my hand. I turned back and gave Lolidragon a determined look. No, but not forsaking my friends is one of the principles that I will never break. What will happen if you die? Lolidragons expression had rxed slightly, but her mouth was still tight. I wont! Looks like Lolidragon is not persisting anymore. I smiled at her as I replied, but felt that it was not appropriate enough and immediately added, I probably wont... Three ck lines ran down Lolidragons face. Stop talking. The more you talk, the more I dont feel like letting you go out. Then Im going. Dont follow me you guys. Waving without looking back, I walked through the rainbow-colored glowing door. Just as I stepped out of the training grounds, I was greeted by a variety of expressive eyes, namely White Bird with a dumbfounded look, Ming Huang with an I knew it look, Rose looking at me helplessly... But no matter who, everyone had a What did youe out for? expression. Meeting everyones wide eyes for a long moment, I only raised my hand and greeted, Long time no see. What do you mean long time no see? Didnt I just tell you not toe out here? White Bird was so furious that her face had turned crimson. I suspect that she might be close to bursting a blood vessel. Ming Huang, with an expression that made me want to punch him, said, I told you so. If you dont warn him, he wouldnt necessarilye out, but if you warn him, then we can all just prepare toe to the training ground entrance to meet him. Also, everyone who had ced bets that Prince wouldnte, dont forget to give me your wagers. Scratching my head, I asked, Whats the situation now? Look upwards! Ming Huang said. I looked upwards obediently, only now seeing an unusual sight. The sky was filled with a huge number of attractive angels flying all over the city. I couldnt help but be moved and shouted, Wow, angels! Look left and right! White Bird immediately told me. I looked toward the left and right obediently, sudden realizing that there was something unusual about the people walking around. The person nearest to us had a porcupine hairstyle withrge spikes of golden hair and was wearing a golden martial arts uniform... Never did I think...that in my lifetime I would be able to see a Super Saiyan, I said calmly. Suddenly, someone patted my right shoulder and a dark shadow fell over me. Furthermore, everyone was looking at the person behind me with fearful expressions... I suppose whatever is behind me is definitely not anything good. Gathering up my courage, I turned around... Excuse me, may I ask if you would help me untangle myself? asked an octopus that had somehow inexplicably managed to knot its own legs into dead knots. Struck speechless, I battled with the octopus eight soft legs for a few minutes before I finally managed to untie that terrifying knot. I wiped off the sweat on my forehead. Its undone. The octopus let out a very happy expression... Uh, at least ording to my observation, it should be a happy expression. And it even used six hands to bid farewell to me (two of its hands were being used as legs). Thank you, goodbye. I waved goodbye cheerfully. How surprising that, in the recent times when even humans are not very courteous, I could actually meet an octopus that is so polite! I tilted my head slightly and thought for a long while. Can someone tell me the situation now? Howe this was a bit different from what I had imagined? Initially I thought that the sky would have an endless number of dragons breathing fire everywhere, that there would be terrifying squads of corpses crawling from underneath the ground, that AOE magic which could destroy the sky and earth would be released everywhere, that horrifying wails would being from all directions, and that bright lights would be shooting across Infinite City like fireworks, turning it into a purgatory on Earth... But, for some reason, what was happening around me could not be predicted by a normal viewpoint. The angels were not carrying bows and arrows, holy swords, etc, but were instead carrying musical instruments and flying around ying music and singing. I was fine with thisit was only fair! Humans had human rights, angels had the right to sing too, but... Arent the angels in the legends supposed to y music so beautiful that humans could call them angelic tunes? Then why did I hear the sounds of broken gongs and trumpets, not to mention off-tone singing that could only be heard at a funeral, if you were ever lucky enough to attend one? What is happening nowadays? Even angels are tone-deaf! Or is this the legendary Sound Wave Attack? Of course I did not mind the scene in the caf, where the crowds were trying to hit on each other; everyone had the right to hit on others and to be hit on, but why? Why do I see Frieza trying to hit on Son Goku? Orochimaruflirting with Sasuke... These images are horrifying beyond words! I cant be wrong; this must be a mind attack! Too terrifying... Compared to the terrifying actions in front of me, the other thingsSnow White happily talking about thetest anti-aging products with the evil witch, zombies and vampires drinking tomato juice on the dais of the Infinity City tavern, the Little Mermaid pulling out a sword stuck in a stonereally werent worth me getting shocked over. What a chaotic yet peaceful fairnd! I couldnt help but admire the extremely peaceful scene in front of me. Its not very peaceful at all! White Bird said helplessly. Celestial just came out and announced that if we attack the Northern Continent, these peaceful creatures will immediately be evil monsters andpletely destroy Infinite City, Ming Huang said unhappily. How do they know that were preparing to attack the Northern Continent? I asked gravely. Could there be a spy? ...Is there anyone in Second Life that doesnt know? White Bird questioned stiffly. I rubbed the back of my head helplessly. Eh? Thats true... Right now, I think its time to ask what we should do next, White Bird said helplessly. Before I could answer her question, I saw something that almost made my eyes pop out. Kenshin actually let a woman hold onto him while walking? I immediately pushed past all the obstacles in front of me and in an instant moved to Kenshins side. Kenshin, when did you find a girlfriend? After seeing what Kenshin was holding to his chest, I nearly caught the permanently dislodged jaw disease. I could only ask, stammering, The baby youre holding cant be yours, right? When did you have a child? Howe I seem to remember you didnt have one a few days ago? You recognize me? Kenshin asked me suddenly. It cant be that once you had a wife and a child, you forgot mepletely? My feeling was like that of an abandoned mistress. Its not as if I wouldnt let you marry and raise a child; you dont need to pretend to not recognize me, right? I was so grieved that I went and hid myself at the side of the road to kick at small stones, and even squatted and began to draw circles. I squatted and squatted, but in front of me suddenly appeared a pair of familiar shoes. Wearing socks with sandals, arent those Kenshins standard shoes? I raised my head. Kenshin stood in front of me with an expression that was dark to the extreme. But...wasnt my back facing Kenshin? Feeling that I seemed to be missing something,I immediately stood up and looked behind me, but the Kenshin with his family was still standing where Id left him. I looked back in front of me, but at my side was a Kenshin with a dark expression. Two Kenshins! There is only one truth! Therefore...there should only be one real Kenshin, right? But to find out which one is the real one, I only need see where that fellow is! Without much effort, I looked behind the Kenshin with the dark expression and found Cold Fox. I immediately pointed and said, Cold Fox is over here, so youre the real Kenshin! Still recovering from my earlier shock, I patted my chest. Luckily this bastard, Cold Fox, never takes a step from Kenshins side, or else I really dont know how I would have figured it out! ... Speechless, Kenshin only stared at me in response, his dark expression reced by an exasperated one. But really, what is this situation? Howe theres an extra Kenshin? I waspletely perplexed. At this time, the fake Kenshin suddenly walked toward the real Kenshin with a small smile and said, I am here to pass on a message. What message? Kenshin replied coldly. Following his gaze, I realized that Kenshin wasnt looking at the fake Kenshin, but rather at the woman at the fake Kenshins side. A kimono, hair tied back into a pony-tail... Is that Kaoru? I suddenly understood. So long as you join the Dictators ranks ande back to the Northern Continent with me, Kaoru will be yours, the fake Kenshin said without caring in the slightest that he himself was currently hugging Kaoru. I was stunned. Kenshin was stunned as well. Really, everyone was stunned. If you want to recruit, you shouldnt recruit in front of the other persons boss; the boss should never be totally disregarded!! Especially when the boss is me! Slightly worried, I looked at Kenshin. Kenshin couldnt possibly submit as soon as he sees Kaoru, right? You should head over there. The fake Kenshin handed Kaoru the child, letting her know that she should go to the real Kenshins side. Wearing an expression of pure happiness while holding the baby, Kaoru walked toward Kenshin step by step, and time seemed to pass in slow motion. As she approached, Kenshin had a conflicted expression that I had never seen before, and the fake Kenshins smile grew wider and wider. Finally, Kaoru stood only one step away from Kenshin, those emotional eyes fixed on him, and the two seemed to be able to gaze at each other until the end of time. Even I couldnt help but be touched... So? Why dont you join our ranks? These soft words from the fake Kenshin made my heart thump furiously. Could it be that Kenshin and I are going to be enemies? Please dont leave me? Kenshin? Kaoru piteously begged. Kaoru... Kenshin caressed her face affectionately. Ah! Kaoru suddenly screamed as an unseen force pulled her back to the fake Kenshins side. Kenshin immediately began to chase after her, but Cold Fox abruptly grabbed him. Unable to go to Kaorus side, Kenshin angrily red at Cold Fox. With a voice so icy that even I couldnt help but shiver, he growled, Let go of me! Ignoring Kenshins wintry tone, Cold Fox only calmly asked, Are you sure that that is what you want? Of course I want Kaoru! Kenshin shouted angrily. Are you sure that that is your Kaoru? Cold Fox questioned. Kenshin was stunned. He looked at Kaoru uncertainly, and she began to sob softly. The scene really was tragically beautiful and touching. Even a Shakespearean romance would be hard-pressed topare; and the famous Butterfly Lovers could only stand at the side... Bastard! Ming Huang suddenly hit me violently and, in exasperation, yelled, Others are feeling sentimental and yet youre eating popcorn! I, feeling persecuted, met everyones furious eyes. Is eating popcorn wrong? Eating Poca is too noisy; I was afraid I would affect the atmosphere so I switched to eating popcorn, a less noisy snack. Eating anything is forbidden! everyone roared in unison. Ay... Kenshin looked back at me with an extremely helpless expression. I could only put my hands together in repentance. When Kenshin turned around again to look at Kaoru, hisplexion changed. He furrowed his brow deeper and deeper. Finally, he opened his mouth to ask, Why hasnt your expression changed at all? If even I couldnt help but turn around to re at Prince, how is it possible that Kaoru, who has a quicksilver temper, didnt react? Kenshin muttered, staring at the still painfully sobbing Kaoru. This pisses me off; this isnt my wife! an angry yell came from the skies, and then something fell to the earth with a thump. Kenshin had almost thought it through, yet suddenly Cheng Yaojin interferes and even randomly throws around trash! Completely livid, I looked up at the sky to see who the bastard without any thought of environmental protection was. Oh no, Doll! White Bird and Ming Huang suddenly shrieked in surprise, rushing over to therge piece of trash. Doll? What does therge piece of trashhave to do with Doll? I was baffled, but when I saw what therge piece of trash was, my heart immediately constricted. Thats Doll! Piteously lying on the ground and lying spread eagled is Doll! Doll! In an instant, I was at her side. Seeing her wide, soulless eyes, I waspletely at a loss and could only keep calling her, yet I did not get the slightest reaction. Who is it? Whos the bastard that dropped Doll from the sky? I raised my head to look up at the sky. From between grinding teeth I spat, Celestial! Ming Huang! Strike him down! I yelled angrily. I had just finished yelling when ten lightning bolts struck out. Celestial was lightly moving like a gust of wind, easily dodging those lightning bolts. I was so furious, I was almost crazy, bitterly wishing that I could be like the angels in the sky and sprout wings so that I could tear Celestial into pieces. Celestial only giggled. Why are you angry? Its not like that is my wife. What did you say? I waspletely perplexed by his words. This isnt the real Doll, its a fake! White Bird said, startled. This is a dead NPC, not a yer. Fake? I hurriedly squatted down to investigate. She was right; this Dolls eyes were wide open andpletely lifeless. If she were the real Doll, she should have long since be a white light and flown away, yet she continued to lie there... While I was still reasoning it out, she slowly became transparent, just like how a typical NPC monster would die; it probably wouldnt be long before she disappearedpletely! Looks like this really isnt Doll. I sighed in relief, but I couldnt help but start to scold Celestial, You bastard, are you trying to scare me to death? Why would you create an NPC like Doll for no reason? And even randomly throw it around! Celestials mouth tightened. The Dictator was the one who made this for me; its not like I was the one who made it. Coldly, I mocked, I am eighty percent certain that the reason the Dictator of Life made Doll for you is so that you can practice your Honey, Honey Continuous Name Calling Technique on it instead of him! How did you know? Celestial asked suspiciously. Thats really the truth? Guessed... She and Doll are still different? Kenshin suddenly raised his head and asked Celestial. Hearing this question, Celestial was actually furious to the point of yelling and screaming. Different is different! When I licked her, she wouldnt p me like my wife; when I gave her something to eat, she would actually say thank you, and when she finished eating one pack of pastries, she would say shes full. How is that my wife? Absolutely not! That definitely is not Doll... I dont want this kind of fake! Celestial was so angry that he came down and kicked the fake Doll to the side. Me too, Kenshin suddenly said serenely. I also dont want a fake. Kaoru...exists in my memories. He didnt look at the fake Kaoru again. Instead, he turned around to leave and said, Lets go get tea, Fox. Cold Fox only raised his eyebrows, and followed Kenshin without a word. How cool! I praised. Kenshin really is Kenshin. I couldnt help but gleefully look at the fake Kenshin and Kaoru. The two of them didnt look surprised. They walked away expressionlessly, bing part of the surrounding messy scene. I want to see my wife. Can you take me to her? Standing at my side, Celestial actually had a pleading expression on his androgynous face, giving me goosebumps all over my skin. No! I refused instantly. Why? Celestial was so furious that he was spinning in circles in his spot, continuing to rant without stopping. I want to see my wife. I want to see my wife. Let me see her! Youre really stubborn. Youve really only known Doll for not even a few hours, so howe you keep bothering her without letting go?Even falling in love at first sight shouldnt be like this, right? Because when I woke up, the first thing I saw was my wife, Celestial answered with an idiotic smile. Woke up? I asked suspiciously. It cant be... Yes. When I first met you two, I was actually half dreaming, half awake, Celestial said, tilting his head slightly. He looked a bit curious, yet amused. Afterward, when I brought my wife home, she pped me and finally woke me up. Doll... Did you know that your ps made a person like an extremely sticky piece of gum glue himself to you? I really was helpless three times over. Can you let me see my wife? Celestial had barely finished speaking when his eyes suddenly began to shine. He looked behind me and before I knew it, he had pushed me and sent me flying to the side. I nced back just in time to see an emotional Celestial running toward Doll. p! p! I opened my mouth and, disbelieving, asked, ...Doll, why did you p him? Doll had a face ofplete innocence. As if she had been wronged, she said, Doesnt he like it when I p him? Thats why I did it... I dont think that was what he meant, right? I could see that Celestials tears were on the verge of leaking out. The situation was really unusual; Celestial was half kneeling and half sobbing, and the responsible party, Doll, actually had an expression of innocence. Perhaps the one that needs protection isnt Doll, but rather Celestial, who will need to apply for protection against domestic violence. Your Highness, what exactly is the situation now? Gui furrowed his brows, looking at the strange scenes surrounding us. I waved my hand. I dont know; ask that bastard! I pointed at the abused NPC, Celestial, who was currently pulling at Dolls skirt. Prince-gg is asking you a question. Hurry and answer him, Doll ordered, actually taking up a fierce role and facing Celestial with her fists on her hips. Oh. Celestial obediently pulled himself up and answered. These are all NPCs sent by the Dictator. Once the Dictator knew that you wanted to attack the Northern Continent, he decided to strike first and send these NPCs to watch you. If you guys take any action, these NPCs will attack you. This will be troublesome. Under this sort of monitor, how are we going to carry out making a ship to attack the Northern Continent? All of these are sentient NPCs? Gui asked, face grim. Celestial wore an expression that seemed to say how could that be possible? and waved his hand, saying, Its not like that. How could there be so many self-aware NPCs? Even the Dictator has been having trouble finding morerades! These are only normal NPCs. No wonder! No wonder the Dictator of Life has put up with you until now and hasnt gotten rid of you yet. He couldnt find otherrades, so he had no choice, I muttered to myself. If it wasnt like that, then someone like Celestial, who had scarce aplishments yet excessive losses and even spilled everything to the enemy, would have been hacked back to rebirth one hundred times by the Dictator of Life. Since Celestial was currently answering a hundred percent of my questions, I decided to clear up all of my quandaries. Celestial, is the Dictator of Life a warrior or a mage? I dont know. I havent seen the Dictator attack personally. Celestial tilted his head, considering the question for a moment before he said, Probably a mage. He often throws me around in mid air. Throws you around? Is his temper really bad? I furrowed my brow. No, the Dictators temper is very good, said Celestial. Not like the others; I only say a few words and they look as if they want to kill me. Others? I couldnt help but ask suspiciously. This is the first time Ive heard of any others. Celestial scratched his head. Mm. Called something like the Four Heavenly Kings. I think theyre called something like Oceans Heart, Flowing Wind, Scorching me... Uh... What was thest one called? y Child. Celestial looked as though he had been struck by lightning. Yes, yes, y Child. Geez, even though Im the one youre on best terms with, why am I the only one you cant remember? a childs voiceined. I watched as a plump child, who was wearing a yellow undergarment covering his chest and abdomen, slowly descended from the sky while standing on a golden skateboard. y Child, why have youe? Celestial happily grabbed y Childs small hand and sprinted to Dolls side. Holding y Child up in front of Doll, he said, Look, this is my wife. Isnt she cute! y Child had an obviously exasperated expression. She is very cute. Youre also very cute. Doll couldnt help but grab y Child from Celestials grasp and hold him to her chest to y with him. y Child actually didnt seem to mind, apparently already long since used to it. He let Doll pinch his cheeks and throw him up and down. But, have youpletely forgotten the Dictators orders? y Child couldnt help but remind Celestial. Stupefied, Celestial asked, The Dictator? What did he ask of me? y Child fell from Dolls hands andnded t on his back. With some difficulty, he pulled himself back onto his feet and, still exasperated, said, No wonder the other Heavenly Kings dont like you. If it werent for the Dictator not letting us kill each other, I think you would have long since been murdered by the others. Exactly what did the Dictator ask of me? Celestial questioned with a face full of innocence. Didnt the Dictator get fed up with you always calling after your wife, so he told you to join up with me, capture your wife, and take her back to the Northern Continent? y Child said unhappily. Do you know how long I waited for you? If I hadnt guessed that you probably came directly to the Central Continent, I would probably still be waiting for you in the Northern Continent. Capture Doll! I had originally been listening to Celestial and y Child talk,ughing so hard that I almost couldnt breathe, but my smile immediately froze on my face. In a sh, I grabbed Dolls hands and ran to the training ground entrance. I dont know why, but I have a feeling that if I dont hurry and get in, Doll will disappear forever. You want to run? Earth Wall! y Childs young, child-like voice said. A towering wall instantly appeared from the ground before me. I almost couldnt stop myself from running into it. Block them; Ill get Doll inside the training ground first! I roared at myrades behind me, but in actuality they had already started moving and everyone was beginning to attack y Child and Celestial. Ille back as soon as possible. Seeing myrades in the middle of battle, I put all my efforts into carrying Doll and sprinting, silently praying in my heart: Absolutely dont let anything happen to anyone! Gah! I tripped, I loudly yelled my predicament as I stumbled, which was then followed by a very loud thud. I painfully groaned before slowly pulling myself back up, but just when I wanted to continue running, I realized that Doll, who had been in my hands, had disappeared. I was so startled that I turned around frantically to look for her, only to stop when I heard Celestial start to berate me. What the hell are you doing?! You almost tossed my wife away! If you injured her, Ill make you pay! I raised my head and saw Celestial carrying Doll while floating in the air. Crap! Celestial wont take Doll back just like this, will he? That didnt take any effort at all.... y Child wore an expression ofplete helplessness and even shook his head while looking at me. I really dont know why the Dictator considers a brute like you as his main enemy, even going so far as to say that we cant kill you because he wants to deal with you personally. y Child stepped on his skateboard and glided to Celestials side. Lets go. Its time to return to the Northern Continent. I dont want to! I dont want to go to the Northern Continent! Doll was so terrified that her face had be deathly pale. Celestial revealed an injured expression. Why? Wife, you dont want to go back with me? I dont want to go to the Northern Continent! I want to be with everyone, Dolls tears were almost brimming over, and she pleaded piteously. Celestial, how about you stay here? Celestial even murmured oh, and then said, Okay, if my wife doesnt want to go to the Northern Continent, then Ill stay here instead. For the second time, y Child fell from his skateboard, this time falling from a height of over ten meters; it was so painful that he wailed for a good while before he had the strength to say, YouDont stir up trouble! Celestial, do you n on betraying the Dictator? What do you mean, betray the Dictator? I only want to stay with my wife. Celestial had apletely uprehending expression. Talking with this bastard is useless! I could see this same thought on everyones faces. y Child held his forehead for a long moment before he said helplessly, Alright, then you can stay here for now since there are so many NPCs here. They should be enough to prevent you from being killed by humans. Ill go back and ask the Dictator before deciding what to do. Ah, ah, if the other three Heavenly Kings hear about this, theyll definitely dislike you even more, y Childined again as he stepped onto his skateboard and glided toward the north. We looked up at the departing y Child, looked right and left at the messy scenes around us, and then helplessly heard the Pa! Pa! of another two ps. What exactly do we do now? So now scores of NPCs and even Celestial are staying here. What should we do with our n? My mind was inplete chaos, so I could only throw the problem to the ones who had caught up to me, the ones who did my thinking for me. Lolidragon knitted her brows together. Celestial... He couldnt have been sent to watch Infinite Citys movements, could he? Shouldnt be. He was just doggedly trying to take Doll to the Den of Wandering Nymphs to y, I said honestly. If the Dictator of Life were stupid enough to send that bastard to spy, then he should be called the Piglet of Life, not the Dictator of Life, Ming Huang mocked unsympathetically. Still, this means that we need to change our strategy. Lolidragon rubbed her temples. What should we do? Gui said coldly, Why do we need to change our strategy? Fighting on the Northern Continent and fighting on the Central Continent are the same. Anyway, this battles main purpose is to distract the Dictator of Life, giving the Execution Squad the opportunity to reach the Dictator. Still, we need to find an alternative first, Gui said gravely as he closed his eyes. If Prince and the others dont appear in our fighting force, then the Dictator of Life will definitely discover our n. Lolidragon, can you tell your programmers to develop a disguise skill for us to use? This kind of small thing should be doable, right? Gui questioned Lolidragon. It should be, Lolidragon said after thinking about it for a moment. Then this should work... Gui furrowed his brows. Although, Ive been having some suspicions. Suspicions about what? I asked curiously. Gui hesitated for a moment before saying, I think that the Dictator of Life knows our every move. He sent Kaoru to entice Kenshin to join his side, yet has not made any attempts toward Sunshine. Just from this, we can tell that he most likely knows about Sunshine and Fairskys rtionship. But they got together before the gamepany sealed away the Dictator of Life, so it isnt unusual that the Dictator of Life would know about that, right? Lolidragon protested in disagreement. No, I think that even now, he knows our every move, Gui said calmly. When I think about this carefully, the Dictator of Lifes control over Second Life is very extensive. He may have over a hundred methods to know our movements such as, for example, making an NPC as small as or even smaller than a mosquito to eavesdrop on our conversations. Then isnt that very bad? Doesnt that mean that he may have long since known about our n to secretly go to the Northern Continent? I gulped. Even killing the Dictator of Life when hes not prepared has a low enough sess rate, but now that he knows...? Doesnt this mean that well go but nevere back? Mm. So thats why I dont understand: Why doesnt he kill us? Apart from the assassins from before, he hasnt sent anyone else to kill us. Before, I always thought that we really had no way to match him. The Dictator of Life probably has at least over a hundred methods he can use to get rid of us. Gui looked as if his brain might burst from exertion. It doesnt make sense. It really doesnt make sense. Isnt his purpose to force all humans out of Second Life? Gui scratched his head and then muttered to himself, He only needs to send out a bunch of NPCs with the HD program to massacre us, so why is he still staying his hand? Why does he only threaten us? Seeing Guis mystification, I distinctly felt that having too much intelligence was not necessarily good: its very likely to make you think too much and make your brain explode. I have it so much better! Ipletely did not understand what part of the Dictators actions did not make sense. Hes waiting for you. A familiar voice suddenly entered my ear. Isnt that Celestials voice? But isnt Celestial with Doll, ying around outside the city? And it looks like no one else is reacting to these words. The Dictator of Life has always been waiting for you, Prince. Go. Go to the Northern Continent to find him! If yourete, then you might not make it in time. Wont make it in time for what? I said, startled, but I only received suspicious looks that everyone cast my way. Hurry! Hes waiting for you. Waiting for me? Why? I asked suspiciously. However, Celestial did not answer me again. Prince? Gui hesitantly asked as he looked at me. Uprehendingly, I turned around. What exactly was that? Why are things only getting more and moreplicated? Why is the Dictator of Life waiting for me? Is he waiting for me to drink tea with him? Footnotes Three ck lines ran down Lolidragons face.: A way to represent mortification in manga. (For more information, see) Super Saiyan: A reference to the Dragonball manga/anime. Once characters turn Super Saiyan, they be super-powered up and their hair turns golden. Frieza trying to hit on SonGoku: A reference to the Dragonball Z manga/anime. Frieza and Goku are enemies. Orochimaru flirting with Sasuke...: A reference to the Naruto manga/anime. Orochimaru is one of the antagonists. Butterfly Lovers: A Chinese legend of a tragic love story between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. This story is often regarded as the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet. Cheng Yaojin: A general of the Tang Dynasty, but in folk stories, he started out as a peasant leader fighting for justice who was forced to be a bandit. He is said to be a reckless and straightforward person, who would charge at enemies suddenly and unexpectedly. The Chinese saying ·ɱҧ literally means Halfway through the road, Cheng Yaojin attacks unexpectedly, though its use here means a person who appears unexpectedly. ...He should be called the Piglet of Life, not the Dictator of Life.: This is a pun where the characters for Dictator in the Dictator of Life are reced with characters that are pronounced almost the same in Chinese as Dictator but mean something very different. (zhzi), Dictator, was reced with i (zhzi), which means young pig. Volume 6 Chapter 7 Volume 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: The Day Before Setting Off C tranted by Akakuroi Youve really decided to set out tomorrow? Nan Gong Zui asked me several times in disbelief. Yes! I patiently answered him over and over again. Im aware that setting out tomorrow might be a little too sudden, but I have a feeling that the sooner we reach the Northern Continent, the better. Its not Celestials words that make me feel like this, but another strange feeling, as if... something in the Northern Continent is calling to me. To me, it feels like even setting out tomorrow will be toote. The deadline of twenty-one days is still a ways away. Why are you in such a rush? It wouldnt hurt to wait until we have a better n... Lolidragon said hesitantly. I have to go. Theres something there, calling out to me, I replied while staring toward the distant Northern Continent, although I had no idea what awaited me there. The Dictator of Life? That cant be right; why would he be waiting for me? Waiting for me to chop him up? Theres something calling to you? A weird expression appeared on everyones face. Thats understandable; this is not a fantasy novel, so how could there be something calling out to me? Even I suspected that the mounting stress had caused me to develop auditory hallucinations. I believe you, Prince, Lolidragon suddenly said excitedly. Really? How touching, and here I actually thought that Lolidragon would be the first to say that Ive lost my mind. Yes, when you were looking toward the Northern Continent earlier, you actually looked in the right direction! That is absolutely amazing, so there really must be something guiding you, Lolidragon said eagerly, clenching her fists. Hey... So who is willing toe with me tomorrow? I will not force you. Its okay if you guys follow when all the preparations are ready, I said while looking at everyone. Everyone fell silent. Are you serious? No one is willing toe with me? Then I really must reconsider going tomorrow. Odd Squad will always act together! Wolf-dg said after a while, and Yu Lian-ds?o gave me an encouraging smile. In an unfriendly tone, Lolidragon said, If you let me die for no reason, I swear Ill chase you all the way back to your house and kill you. To my house? So you would like toe and see if my brother really is that handsome in real life while visiting my parents, your future parents-inw, at the same time? Wherever his Highness goes, so too will Gui. Gui bowed borately as usual. Doll pounced on me, and giggling, with no hesitation on her face, she said, I want to go with Prince-gge. Ill go too, Feng Wu Qing said lightly, simultaneously calling me a stupid sister through a private message. Ill definitely follow you, for without you I wouldnt even be here in Second Life. As for the one who said that, of course it was Wicked, the Zhuo-gge whod always cared for me. Were friends, so of course Ill follow you. As always, Nan Gong Zui went straight to point without any extra words. Lets go, lets go! The two of us want to see just how beautiful the Dictator of Life is! Neurotic and DanDanughed happily. As for Winter Triumph, he could only shake his head helplessly while saying, Although theres no money to be earned and I may even lose money, the princess is going, so staying here instead of going to protect the Princess would be uneptable. Lolidragon, you are going? Then Ill go too. Everyone turned their heads in time to avoid Undying Mans sparkling eyes attack. Fairsky and I will be going. Were going to fight for ourselves! Sunshine said, hugging Fairsky tightly. I could see the look of resolve and determination in his eyes, the total opposite of theziness and naivety I had seen when I first met him... However, the Sunshine now was even more attractive. ... How peculiar. Kenshin didnt say anything, yet everyone needed only to look at him and a ... appeared automatically in our heads. I guess this ... probably means a silent agreement. Ill go. Its fine, so long as there are battles to fight, the other piece of ice, Cold Fox, said. His eyes were filled with longing and passion for battle, definitely not for me. I was filled with gratitude. I would never have thought that everyone would be willing to go with me. Wholeheartedly I said, Thanks, really, thank you everyone. What is there to thank us for? We are all friends, Neurotic said as he tightly gripped my head, and vigorously ruffled and messed up my hair. I startedughing, ran away and gave DanDan a peck as revenge. Ah! You rascal, dont you know that one should never mess around with his friends wife? Neurotic rushed toward me and brushed me away. Iughed, my heart filled with gratitude. Regardless of whether its God, the Buddha, or Ah, whoever it was, thank you for letting me have such wonderful friends! Everyone messed and fooled around for quite a while before taking their leave one after another, until the ones left were the daughter of thepanys president, who had nothing better to do, and me, a cking university student who had no lessons in the morning. After a minute, Lolidragon asked worriedly, Do you think this whole thing about Celestial wanting you to head out as soon as possible is actually a trap? Im not sure. I shrugged. Anyway, the only way out now is to fight our way into the Northern Continent and defeat the Dictator of Life. That is a fact that even Gui cannot deny. And didnt Gui mention that our every move is already known to the Dictator of Life? So it wouldnt make much of a difference if we went now orter, I said indifferently. I was also rather disturbed by what Celestial said to me the other day. I had a feeling that I would regret it if I didnt listen to what Celestial said and get there immediately. After a moment of silence Lolidragon finally asked, Prince, do you still insist on having the ND attached to you? Yes. I nodded determinedly, having never once regretted the choice. Fine, because youre the only one who can... If youre the one to solve this, then I guess its fine, Lolidragon said, with a slight hint of grief. Whats wrong? I was really shocked. Lolidragon could actually emit this aura called grief? How surprising; usually other than a perverted aura, the only other aura Lolidragon would have would be that of murderous intent. Feeling a little awkward, Lolidragon said, I guess it would be alright to tell you this. The physical features of the Dictator of Life were actually decided by me, and were modeled after a real person. Ohohoho, modeled after a real person? Are you serious? There is someone that handsome in real life? I swallowed. So where is that person? Bring him along and let me take a look at him someday? I suggested. He escaped, Lolidragons face darkened. Escaped? Did I hear that correctly? The Dictator of Life was designed using the face of an escaped criminal? That must have helped to achieve a rather effective raise in the public awareness of the Wanted List... Yup. In fact, he is actually a key figure in the Second Life Company. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the father of Second Life. Lolidragon seemed to convey this in a rather rxed manner. However, I could clearly see that she was a little stiff, and there was a look of either love or hatred in her eyes. Then again, maybe both feelings were there. His names Long Dian. He is an excellent programmer. No, maybe I should put it this way: in the area of programming, if he were to say that hes the second best, no one would dare im to be number one. He single-handedly created Second Life, bing a right hand man my father was most proud of. In my fatherspany, he could get anyone or do anything he wanted. Then why would he escape? Why would someone like that need to escape? Dont tell me its to escape from the ws of Lolidragon? Because he had secretly used Second Life to conduct illegal experiments. Lolidragons face became very stern as she continued, He made use of thepanys name and funds to recruit test subjects to conduct illegal human experiments on. Use Second Life to conduct illegal experiments? Second Life is just a game, what experiments could possibly be carried out here? I was a little confused. At most a survey or a trial test could be conducted, right? Is there any need to escape just because of that? After remaining silent for a long, long time, Lolidragon finally said, I have no idea why Im telling you this... Maybe its due to my guilt, my remorse for those people. He first had those people y the game, temporarily taking the roles of NPC characters. Then he cut off their brain waves, trapping them in the game, and murdered their physical bodies. Murder? My eyes widened, Why would he do that? He wanted to see if a human could actually live in the game, hence obtaining eternal life, Lolidragon answered, coldly. I gasped. Why do I alwayse across situations that would only ur in a science fiction movie? Immediately I asked, So what happened to those people? Are they really living in the game? With a slight sense of regret and resentment, Lolidragon sighed and said, We initially thought that it would be impossible for the experiment to seed as after those people died, the NPCs reverted back to their original state, with no signs of humanity at all. Even so, we dared not delete those NPCs. Who would ever have guessed that problems would start to arise after so long... It felt as though something snapped in my brain. Dont tell me... Kenshin and Sunshine? I asked softly. Lolidragon nodded wearily. Yes, both of them. Oh my God! I gasped. So thats the truth! Both Kenshin and Sunshine were originally human. They are humans who are living inside the game! Could it be that the Dictator of Life whose blueprint was based on Long Dian is also...? I couldnt help but ask, Is the Dictator of Life actually Long Dian? I dont know. Shaking her head, Lolidragon said bitterly, There has not been a single piece of news from him since he escaped, so maybe he really is just living in the game now. Yeah, it might just be that the Dictator of Life is actually him. I smiled ambiguously. So thats why. Lolidragon, you wanted me to go and finish off your ex-lover? Lolidragon blushed. What ex-lover? Theres nothing between me and him. I chuckled while protecting my head, to protect myself from getting beaten to death by the rarely embarrassed Lolidragon. However, I could not help but feel a little puzzled deep inside. If that is the case, then why did Celestial say that the Dictator of Life is waiting for me? Even if hes waiting, shouldnt he be waiting for Lolidragon instead? Are you really going to install the ND on yourself? a voice suddenly cut in while I was fooling around with Lolidragon. I looked up and saw that it was Gui, and he wasnt smiling at all. I had never seen Gui give me such a cold expression before and could not help but feel a little anxious. Are you really going to install the ND on yourself? Gui asked again. Fury could be seen in his eyes. Even his fists were clenched tightly. I was horrified and stared at this Gui, who was nothing like the Gui I knew. Eh, I think Ill leave first, Lolidragon swallowed, made a beeline for the exit, and ran off. Traitor! Answer me! Furious, Gui charged up and grabbed my shoulders. Looking at Guis bloodshot eyes, I could barely mutter a word due to fear. Did Gui eat something bad? He has never been so fierce to me before. I could not understand this change, and I was terrified. Yeah... I finally managed to squeeze out. Youre going to disappear forever. Youre going to disappear forever, do you realize that? Gui bellowed. I know. I struggled free of Guis hands and protested, But I must do this, for Kenshin, for Sunshine, and for the Dictator of Life! Then what about me? Gui suddenly shouted, If you were to disappear, what would I do? I was stunned. So this is what Gui was so angry about. Have you never thought about me? Not even for a moment? Guis eyes were filled with dismay. A teardrop slowly fell from his eye. I could not help but catch it in my hand. I stared at it, dazed. Prince... Gui suddenly hugged me tightly. Just when I felt that something was not right and was about to struggle out of his arms, he begged, Dont push me away! I know my strength is iparable to yours, but please, please dont push me away. Hearing Guis whimpering pleas, I really, really couldnt bring myself to push him away. I could only stand there quietly, allowing him to hug me as he cried softly, letting his sobs wound my heart as memories of the past appeared before my eyes... My beloved Highness, if you cannot remember Guiliastes name, then please call me by my nickname... Just call me Gui... Prince is like a rose with thorns. If at first I had known about its thorns, then perhaps I would not have picked it up. However, I have already picked the rose up, smelled its fragrance and seen its beauty. If I put it down now, the suffering borne by my heart would be more painful than the pain of my bleeding hand, torn open by the thorns. Therefore, I cannot put it down. No matter who you might be, I dont mind. I firmly believe that who you are now is the true you, just as the person I am right now is the true me. Everything else is of no importance C be it gender, appearance, or even the facades we assume in real life... None of those are important... If my tears can be used in exchange for your smile, then its more than worthwhile. Im sorry, Gui, Ive always broken your heart. I gently ran my hand over his long, silky hair. Why am I always making this man cry? Shattering the heart of this man whos always been quietly watching over me? I have never considered your feelings... Im really sorry, I apologized sincerely, deciding that I would never, ever ignore him like that again. I dont care about anything else; as long as you dont leave me or ignore me, I will be fine. Guis arms which were already hugging my tightly, tightened again, as if fearing that I would simply disappear. Dont worry, no matter how the situation turns out, I will never disappear from you, I promise. Holding up Guis face, I gave him a light peck on his forehead before continuing, If Prince was to disappear, I promise you that you will definitely meet the real me. Even if theres no Second Life, I still had to attend Professor Guis sses, right? Prince... Seeming like he had finally rxed, Gui slowly let go of me. Looking a little regretful, he apologized, Im sorry Prince, I shouldnt have troubled you before your departure. I I dont mind... Before I could finish my sentence, the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang and two eavesdroppers tumbled in. I told you to pull the door tight. Look, now we cant eavesdrop anymore, Lolidragon, who was on top, roared angrily. Unwilling to lose to Lolidragon, Feng Wu Qing, who was on the bottom, retorted, Its because you kept pressing down on me! You need to lose some weight. What did you say? Are you saying that Im fat?! Lolidragon shouted with mes of fury shooting from her eyes. I guess my brothers definitely dead meat this time. Didnt he know that there are three taboo things which you can neverin about when ites to women? One: the looks. Just a single word, ugly, and even if you buy her a diamond ring, a Porsche, and a bungalow afterward as an apology, she would still remember that word for life. Two: the figure. Simr results as the previous one. Three: her boyfriend. If you dare to look down on her boyfriend, then it means youre looking down on her standards, looking down on her ability to get a boyfriend, looking down on her future long term food provider... But I digress. Anyway, my brother will probably die a painful death this time. Gui, lets take our leave first, I said calmly. But Lolidragon looks like shes going to murder Wu Qing. Shouldnt we stop them? Gui looked worriedly at Lolidragon, who seemed to burn with fury. Theres no need to. Theyre just showing their care, concern, and love for each other through fighting and scolding. Lets not disturb them in their process of being lovey-dovey with each other, I said as I pushed Guis back, propelling him out through the door. And also, this might be thest time theyll ever fight like this. Feeling a little depressed, I looked at them. This time, we might not be revived again. Prince, Lolidragon suddenly called me. I turned around, confused. What? Ive let the programmers attach the ND program to your character already, Lolidragon said, moving her foot away from my brothers most vital part... The second most vital part in the game. Installed on me already? Howe I dont feel any different? When youre going tounch ND, just shout, ND self-destruct program activate. After shouting that, a sh of white light will appear on you and that will indicate that it has beenunched, Lolidragon exined carefully. Just as I was about to nod to show that I understood, Gui spoke. Coldly, he said, Wouldnt that be a little too obvious? The Dictator of Life would definitely find out that the ND program is on Prince. You can shout it before you see the Dictator... Lolidragon replied hesitantly. And why dont you install the ND on everyone? Wouldnt there be a greater chance of seeding? If its only installed on Prince, and it just so happens he fails, wouldnt everything be over then? Gui pressed. Oh yeah. Lolidragon, do you want to install it on more people? It would be safer that way. Heaven knows if I will be able to finish off the god of Second Life. I think the chance of me actually achieving sess is rather slim. For Kenshin and Sunshines sake, I think it would be safer for more people to be installed with ND. Prince, dont interrupt. Guis unhappy face scared me a little as he said, I wont believe that in such a well-known gamingpany, not a single person realized that it would be safer if more than one ND was installed. Finally, Gui stopped beating around the bush and demanded, What are you hiding? Lolidragon looked as though she wanted to say something, yet could not say a thing. Her apologetic eyes even tried to avoid mine. Is Lolidragon really hiding something from me? Lolidragon? I understand Lolidragon less and less now. Is there actually a need to hide something from me? Lolidragon sighed again. Prince, can you promise me that, no matter what happens, you will definitely kill the Dictator of Life? Are you talking nonsense? I couldnt understand her at all. If not for that, why would I be going to the Northern Continent tomorrow? For a field trip? Lolidragon closed her eyes, as if confessing her sins to a priest. Prince, Ive kept a lot of things from you, but I promise, once everything is over, I will definitely tell you everything. As for now, Im sorry! I cant say anything. I was a little stunned. Lolidragon has kept a lot of things from me? But... Why? Lolidragon opened her eyes, and went straight to the point, All I can say is that only you can kill the Dictator of Life. That is why attaching the ND to others would be utterly useless. Only I...can kill the Dictator of Life? What does that mean? Rubbish, the Dictator cant be killed by anyone! a ferocious voice suddenly sounded from behind me, but this voice was not a familiar one. Just as I was about to turn around, I suddenly found myself in a situation simr to being sucked up by a super powerful vacuum cleaner. I couldnt counter that force at all; I could only let myself be pulled into the air by this unknown person. Prince! Gui, Lolidragon, and Wu Qingwho had been pretending to be dead on the floorall started attacking the thing behind me. However, from their expressions I could tell that all their attacks were futile! I struggled desperately, suspended in the air. It was as though a merciless and powerful hand was holding the back of my neck, and I could not break free no matter how hard I tried. In fact, I slowly started to feel a warm liquid trickle down the back of my neck... Damn it! I unsheathed my ck Dao and with all my might swung it behind me. Before I managed to cut anything, another surge of energy flung me heavily into the wall and I copsed onto the floor. It felt as if all my bones were going to break into pieces. Prince. Gui ran toward me and helped me up. His exposed worries and concerns could be seen crystal clear in his eyes. I looked up toward the uninvited guest. A wind-like person appeared before my eyes... They were translucent, floating in the air, with long clothes that fluttered in the wind. A name popped up in my mindFlowing Wind, one of the Four Heavenly Kings Celestial had mentioned! I instinctively knew that this must be Flowing Wind. Just what is there in you that the Dictator of Life values so much? After scrutinizing me, he said disdainfully, So weak, yet you still dream of killing the Dictator of Life? What a joke. Youre Flowing Wind? I asked seriously as I stood. Flowing Winds eyebrows rose. That stupid Celestial told you? Where is he? Whats your reason foring to Infinite City? I was shocked. Didnt y Child mention before leaving, that the other three Heavenly Kings hated Celestial? Dont tell me Flowing Wind came for Celestial? Humph, I will go anywhere I feel like! Do I need your permission? Flowing Wind shouted discontentedly. While he was shouting, the wind got stronger. It was blowing so much that I could barely open my eyes. However, through my pride and anger I forced myself to keep them open. This guy is so annoying. If I dont beat the shit out of him then I can just forget about killing the Dictator of Life, because I might just die right here from vomiting too much blood due to my pent-up rage. I cant control where you feel like going, I said coldly. But since youve entered Infinite City, and it just so happens that Im the Overlord of Infinite City, I will not put up with your impudent behavior. Flowing Wind was momentarily stunned, but burst intoughter soon afterward. He spoke while stillughing, You? You wont put up with my impudent behavior? Hahaha, can you even do anything to me? If it werent for the fact that the Dictator of Life forbids it, just I alone would be enough to kill you. What an annoying guy! My temple vein throbbed. Raising my ck Dao, I said coldly, Try me! Come. Flowing Wind snorted as he curled his finger, goading me. Far too annoying! Just as I raised my ck Dao, I immediately felt the wind around me picking up speed. Humph, trying to stop me with wind? Dont you know that wind aids in the spreading of a fire? In a split second, I ducked and made a slide for Flowing Wind. Looking surprised, Flowing Wind immediately turned the wind into a whirlwind, surrounding and protecting himself. Excellent opportunity! Inferno sh! Engulfing my ck Dao with me, I followed the direction of the wind and sent sh after sh into it. Just as I had expected, the wind picked up the mes, turning the whirlwind around Flowing Wind into a mini tornado of mes. Shocked, Flowing Wind immediately stopped the wind to avoid being burnt by the fiery tornado, without knowing that this was exactly what I was waiting for.Without the protection of wind, lets see if you are still that tough. Seizing the opportunity, I shouted Dragon Whirlwind Strike! I shed toward Flowing Wind like a spinning top. This is a move where even if it misses, it can still cause harm to the opponent. Eh! Flowing Wind immediately dodged back, avoiding the deadly move, and then stared furiously at the bright red blood stain on his shoulder. But of course I couldnt be happier; just one move and he was severely wounded... All right, I admit the damage Flowing Wind had suffered was just a tiny graze. But at least theres blood. Ive finally taken revenge for having been thrown into the wall by him. You! Flowing Winds eyes gradually turned from blue to blood red. The turbulent wind around us raged even more, causing me pain as it whipped against me. Looking down, I could see numerous red graze marks appearing on any exposed skin not covered with armor. I smiled warily. It seems that Ive really gone and angered Flowing Wind now... He is one of the Four Heavenly Kings under the Dictator of Life; can I really beat him? Supersonic Soul-chasing Arrow! A translucent arrow suddenly grazed Flowing Winds face and a trickle of blood ran down his cheek. Seeing how stunned he looked, I couldnt help butugh. Well done, Gui, I said as Iughed. I had not expected Gui to make such a sudden attack, causing this member of the Four Heavenly Kings to experience humiliation yet again. Despicable humans! Flowing Wind howled and suddenly disappeared. Where is he? I stood stunned. Gui! Lolidragon suddenly screamed. My heart skipped a beat and I instantly spun around A heart covered in blood suddenly appeared in Flowing Winds initially empty hand, and a ragged, bloody hole appeared in Guis chest... Gui! Volume 6 Chapter 7.5 Volume 6 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: Life In Search of a Future C tranted by nausica? Kenshin Im arade. A man with red hair suddenly appeared, floating in midair as Kenshin was taking one of his rare, solitary retreats in the forest. Comrade? asked Kenshin in his usual reserved manner. Nevertheless, he felt something stir inside him. Could this person be like he was, an NPC with self-awareness? Yes, Im like you, a self-aware NPC. Name? Kenshin asked with characteristic brusqueness. Dictator of Life, the man replied. He didnt seem to mind Kenshins curt questioning. Dictator of Life, Kenshin repeated carefully. He raised his head to face thisrade and said, Im Kenshin, and theres anotherrade called Sunshine. I know, said the Dictator of Life with a kind smile as hended to sit beside Kenshin. Thetter said nothing, and remained lying down next to the Dictator of Life. Do you want to go to the Northern Continent? We have manyrades there, the Dictator of Life said after some time. Whats more, after a while, there will be no more humans there to disturb us, and you will no longer have to conceal your identity as an NPC. What do you mean? asked Kenshin, his mind now full of questions. How could there not be any humans in the Northern Continent? I am in the process of eliminating the humans of the Northern Continent, so before long there shouldnt be any people left, the Dictator of Life said calmly. Kenshin, who was originally lying on the grass, suddenly sat up. Youre going to eliminate the humans of the Northern Continent? The Dictator of Life gave a faint smile and replied, More urately speaking, all the humans of Second Life. Kenshin was so shocked he was unable to speak. Eliminate all the humans of Second Life? The idea was simply insane. Could it be that youre not dissatisfied living as the humans pet? asked the Dictator of Life in a measured tone, ignoring Kenshins astonishment. With your master constantly ordering you around to do his bidding, have you never wondered why you had to obey him? Dont you feel resentful at always having to hide your identity as an NPC? The sudden barrage of questions rendered Kenshin temporarily speechless. Did being Princes pet make him feel dissatisfied? He was actually okay with it; after all, he had never had to call anyone master. Though, Prince always stole his tea, which did leave him feeling rather resentful. He couldnt deny the fact that Prince was always ordering him around either. It was true that whenever Prince got himself into a particrly sticky situation, he always called Kenshin in to clean up the mess. For instance, there was that incident with Celestial... Although, Prince nearly sacrificed himself for him in the end. And then there was the case involving Cold Fox, but as a result of that, he had found someone to drink tea with, which wasnt bad, especially since this newpanion was very quiet and therefore infinitely better than the loud-mouthed Prince. As for the issue of him having to conceal his identity as an NPC... Perhaps this did make him feel rather bitter and afraid of approaching humans. After all, he didnt have the courage Sunshine had to fall in love with a person. Come join the ranks of your allies in the Northern Continent, and together let us truly turn Second Life into our world, said the Dictator of Life, his face turning grim. Theres nothing really bad about the way things are now, Kenshin responded with some hesitation. Do you know what will happen if its discovered that you have self-awareness? the Dictator of Life pressed relentlessly. Kenshins heart suddenly missed a beat. If he was found out...it would definitely be the end for him. Even Prince wouldnt be able to save him then. Are you not even a little resentful of these humans who are free to ughter us as they please? Would you rather continue on in this foolish manner, until the humans discover your secret and then destroy you? the Dictator of Life asked again, continuing his ruthless onught. Kenshin had no words to fight back with. Perhaps, he thought, his destruction was precisely what he was expecting, and he was simply waiting to experience the same fate as Kaoru. Dont you wish to rebel against the humans who brought about the tragic fate of Kaoru and yourself? questioned the Dictator of Life, finally throwing down his trump card, which was also the only thing Kenshin cared about. Kaoru... Kenshin felt a dull, throbbing pain in his heart. Even...even though he knew that everything between him and Kaoru wasnt real, even though it was possible that Kaoru was just apliant NPC, he could never forget about her. Join us! Kaoru isnt some object to be used! Suddenly angered, Kenshin roared, Dont use Kaoru to tempt me, and dont ever let me hear her namee out of your mouth again! Is that so? The Dictator of Life silently and slowly ascended into the sky. You are wee to join us anytime. You need only to call out to me in your mind, and yourrades will wee you. The Dictator of Life! Kenshin watched as the figure slowly evaporated. He felt a growing sense of agitation within himself, gradually spreading until the instant right before the Dictator of Life disappeared. He felt an urge to call out and stop him, this man who, besides Sunshine, was the onlyrade he had. Kenshin! Cold Foxs voice drifted in from somewhere behind him. Theres trouble in the city, lets go back together. Alright. Without another word, Kenshin followed Cold Fox, but he couldnt help looking back at the spot where the Dictator of Life had disappeared. Celestial Very rarely did yers appear in his home. But when those four yers appeared, they even walked straight into the spot thaty precisely beneath the magic portal. As such, in ordance with the rules, he himself had to appear and go deal with them personally. That round girl is so cute! The thought suddenly popped into Celestials head. That round, powdery face, round hair buns, round eyes, how could everything be so round? Celestial could barely keep himself from smiling. Alright, Ill have this girl stay here to keep mepany! Celestial decided, and immediately proceeded to act. How about being my wife? Stay here with me. Having just captured the girl, Celestial wasted no time in presenting his request, and at the same time, he was unable to resist rubbing his face against this cute girls cheek. So smooth and soft, he thought. It feels really good! Dont be ridiculous! Despite being afraid at first, the girl looked as though she couldnt stand him anymore, and viciously swatted Celestial twice with her right hand. What are you doing? Although he had been hit twice, Celestial only felt a light stinging in his cheeks. There wasnt much strength behind the blows. On the whole, he found it all rather amusing. Try doing it again! The girl almostno, she really got mad. Abandoning all reason, she opened her mouth and sunk her teeth into Celestials arm. Are you hungry? Celestial asked curiously. His wife was actually so hungry that she was eating him! Three dark lines dropped down the girls face. She opened her mouth and dejectedly said, Just hurry up and kill me; I still need to return to the city and find Prince-gg. Im not going to kill you. I want you to be my wife, Celestial said with a smile. The girl opened her eyes wide and asked, Do you even know what wife means? Of course I know, Celestial responded in a matter-of-fact tone. It means a person who will always be with me. Well, thats not exactly wrong either, the girl grudgingly admitted. Dont you have a lot of purpled-robed nymphs to keep youpany? she insisted. Purple-robed nymphs? You mean this? Celestial summoned a purple-robed nymph out of thin air. The girl nodded her head frantically. This is also a part of me, and I control it, said Celestial in a somewhat aggrieved tone. Being by myself is so boring, how about you keep mepany? Ugh, she thought. Even though Celestial seemed pitiable, she couldnt really stay there with him, and yet he refused to kill her. Sob! And she couldnt ask Prince-gg toe save her or hed be killed by Celestial. Oh well, she would go offline now and return tomorrow to think of some solution. Go offline... The girls face turned pale. Why cant I go offline? Whats go offline? inquired a curious Celestial as he squatted down in front of the girl. It means to leave this game, replied the girl, ashen-faced as she struggled to go offline. It was no use. Panicking, she hurriedly PMed Prince, but in her distress she failed to notice the change that hade over Celestials expression. Leave...the game? Whats a game? A strange feeling began to weave its way into Celestials consciousness. This! This is a game; Im a yer, and youre an NPC, so I cant be your wife. The girl, upset that she could not go offline, could only shout in reply. Whats an NPC? Celestial asked confusedly as a most peculiar feeling stirred within the depths of his heart. Prince-gg said he was going to bring people toe and save her. The girl finally calmed down and replied, The characters besides the yers. Then whats a yer? asked Celestial, feeling even more perplexed. Why couldnt he understand anything she said? Although she thought it was weird for this boss to have so many questions, the girl still answered each one in detail, including the matters concerning the game, such as yers and NPCs. I...I will think about this carefully, said Celestial as he walked out in a flustered manner. Suddenly he turned to say, I will leave a doppelganger to keep youpany. This way you wont be bored. My wife and I are different? And because were different, we cant be together? As he stood there thinking, Celestial felt a stab of anguish in his heart. Return Doll now! an icy voice demanded. Celestial red at his wifespanions. They were the same as his wife, so they could be with her, yet he could not? he thought angrily.No, he wanted to be together with his wife. He wouldnt give her up, even if he died! Dictator of Life Dictator, the mission to assassinate the overlord of Central Continent has failed, said a ck-d female assassin in an icy tone. Another identical voice sounded, this time from the mouth of another, identical female assassin who was also clothed entirely in ck. Dictator, the mission to assassinate the overlord of Eastern Continent has failed. Dictator, the mission to assassinate the overlord of Western Continent has failed. Dictator, the mission to assassinate the overlord of Southern Continent has failed. Dictator, the mission to assassinate the overlord of Northern Continent has seeded. Only one sess? asked the Dictator of Life, whose long hair was the exact color of blood, as he listened to the female assassins reports. His face, which did not betray any hint of surprise, only showed the usual distant, intive expression. He even breathed a sigh of relief.That person is still alive, he thought. Besides, rather than the failed missions, what he really detested was the identical manner in which all the assassins responded! You couldnt even take care of the overlord of Central Continent? That brat is so weak, sneered Celestial, whose beautiful face wore a look of disdain. Thats why I kept telling you to give me the mission, but you wouldnt listen! No, you cant go, said the Dictator of Life. Why? Are you saying Im inferior to those assassins? Celestial demanded heatedly, his face contorted into an ugly expression. No, its just that they are much more obedient than you. At the very least, they wont sneak off to visit their wife. Celestials face --flushed and he quibbled, Whats wrong with me visiting my wife? Everything. Theyre humans. Upon hearing the voice that spoke, the Dictator of Life knew almost immediately to whom it belonged. Actually, he did not so much recognize the owner from the voice as he had been informed of this neers arrival via theputer program. Scorching me of the Four Heavenly Kings. Celestial, are you kicking up a fuss again?! bellowed the unicorn, whose entire body was cloaked in mes. In a sh, he appeared at Celestials side and began to shoot raging mes from his mouth. Greatly startled, Celestial promptly used Celestial Satin to block the attack, but being made out of cloth, it had already begun to emit a burning smell. When the fire pouring out of Scorching mes mouth showed no signs of lessening, Celestial muttered a spell and dozens of purple-robed nymphs appeared out of nowhere and immediately rushed forward to attack Scorching me. Stop! The Dictator of Life used both hands to seize the air, causing Celestial and Scorching mes attacks to disappearpletely. The two found themselves suspended in mid-air and struggled in vain against unseen bonds, appearing as though they were being held captive by invisible hands. The two looked frantically at the Dictator of Life, fully aware that they had angered the god of Second Life. Am I invisible to you? the Dictator of Life asked, his wrath strongly provoked. He had previouslyid down thew, promising anyone who dared harm or kill a fellow self-awarepanion a most harsh and painful fate. Yet now, in his very presence, Celestial and Scorching me dared to attack each other! Teary-eyed, Celestial whimpered, He started it. Scorching me, attacking yourpanions is strictly forbidden, the Dictator of Life rebuked the unicorn, taking care to emphasize every word. Scorching me lowered his head and answered, It wont happen again. The Dictator of Life let out a sigh of regret, and then released the two. Celestial, didnt I already make an identical wife for you? Celestial gave a snort and then, not seeming to care whether anyone heard him, grumbled, I hate that fake. I want my real wife. She is exactly the same as your wife, said the Dictator of Life, looking at Celestial with some surprise. As far as he knew, Celestial and his professed wife hadnt known each other for long. He had assumed that Celestial only took a fancy to her because she was the first girl he happened toy his eyes on. No shes not. Except for the looks, theyrepletely different... No, even the looks are different. My wife doesnt have such a fake smile, Celestial said with a darkening expression. That doll that looked like his wife was definitely not her! Is that so? The Dictator of Life sighed inwardly. Was it no good after all? Im going to go find my wife, Celestial announced even as he moved toward the door. You will be killed, and even if youre reborn you will lose self-awareness, the Dictator of Life said with consternation. He had risked the danger of being discovered by the humans in order to save Celestial, yet now the ungrateful fool was going off to get himself killed? The thought displeased him greatly. I dont care! yelled Celestial as he turned around. I only want to see my wife! Incensed, the Dictator of Life waved his hand through the air, causing Celestials body to slide before him. Stressing each syble, the Dictator of Life snarled, If youre going to get yourself killed by humans, then I might as well finish you off myself! Dont kill me, Celestial begged with a frightened expression. Upon seeing Celestials expression, the Dictator of Life relented. It wasnt that he really wanted to kill Celestial. There already werent enoughpanions. How could he afford to kill a single one? Furthermore, he himself had established the rule forbidding the others from killing each other. I dont want to die, I havent even seen my wife yet, said Celestial, his deste face full of pleading. The Dictator of Life sighed. Why was Celestial so partial to that girl?In the days following that incident he had found himself helpless against Celestials obsession with his wife. He had exined to Celestial the truth about this world, about the humans who subjected them to such a tragic fate, and told him they had to rebel... Yet nothing, nothing, couldpare to his wife, that little girl who the Dictator of Life judged to be nothing but ordinary. And yet he did not me Celestial in the least, but rather felt his actions were very, very familiar... Dictator of Life, change that girl into a boy, came the instructions from above. Normally, this was not allowed. However, he understood that he was not allowed to ask why. He merely silently changed that girls gender in the game; however, he could not stop himself from curiously observing her. Why does she want to be a guy? He always silently observed her. She was truly amusing. As he watched her, he would always find himself changing the expression on his face without being able to help it. ording to the humans exnation, this kind of expression was a smile, an expression that shows up when one is happy... Even though he kept telling himself that she was a human and that he hated humans the most, the humans that had created him and were still controlling him, he could not stop himself from watching her. How ridiculous was this? Humans controlled him, and he could not control himself? She had finally reached level ten. When the system was about to send her a weapon, he couldnt stop himself from intervening. He changed his own weapon into a growing-type and gave it to her. Now he could think of himself as apanying her at her side, right? When she gained a pet egg, he couldnt help but wrinkle his brow. That wolf that was about to be born would drool saliva that she hated the most. This pet did not suit her. Hed exchange a new one for her. What should he change it to? Right, she loves to eat meatbuns. If he changed this to a meatbun, she should like it, right? Its almost Princes birthday. What kind of present should we buy for Prince? When herpanions mumbled to themselves on the streets, he found out that it was almost her birthday. He recalled that it was human custom to give presents when it was someones birthday. Then, should he also give a gift to her? He transformed into a yer. Just when herpanions passed by his side, he opened his mouth to say, Selling tiaras... In order not to cast suspicion on himself, he even purposely haggled over the price with herpanions for a long while before letting them buy the tiara. Once she wore it, he found that it suited her. It truly suited her. When she foolishly took a boat that was headed toward the Eastern Continent and heartbrokenly wanted to return home, he once again helped her out, allowing the prophet to hint at the next prophets location, and he even chose something she was an expert at as the test, allowing her to throw the dice, always winning her throws... Although, he unexpectedly discovered that there were tworades in the Eastern Continent who were sentient... That was just the start of his discovery that something was not quite right. He discovered that there was something wrong with the program. It seemed that someone other than him was controlling Second Life, and that person was continuously raising the intelligence of BOSS characters. How could this be? He was supposed to be the only person who could do so. He began a series of battles with that person, doing his utmost to prevent that person from infiltrating Second Life; however, that person seemed to understand Second Life even better than he did. All of his efforts amounted to nothing. He wanted to report this matter to the humans, but he discovered that he could no longer contact the humans. He had fallen into a predicament... Later on, that person slowly began controlling his actions, slowly controlling him... For the first time, he wished he was not a program; not something that could be changed, not a program that could be controlled. Chase all of the humans out of Second LifeNo! I dont want to chase her away! Chase all of them away! All humans should dieNo...I like...her... Come kill me, Prince. Come kill me, the Dictator of Life murmured to himself. I cannot hold on much longer. Volume 7 Chapter 1 Volume 7 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Supreme Battleship C tranted by dahlys Guis heart... Without thinking, I immediately leapt toward Gui, but the hateful system was faster than I was. Gui faded into spots of white light before my very eyes, the wide smile on his face showing that he had died without regret... As for me, my whole body mmed heavily into the ground. I felt a powerful urge to cry... Gui disappeared, Gui disappeared, Gui disappeared! Slowly, panic began to spread from the bottom of my heart. Has Gui really disappeared? He wont appear again? Then, the Gui who is always grinning cheekily, always letting me beat him and scold him, and always standing behind my back supporting me silently, is gone? Prince, why are you in a daze? Flowing Wind is still here, Lolidragon shouted in exasperation. With tears welling up in my eyes, I hugged Lolidragon and said, Lolidragon, Gui has disappeared. What should I do? Lolidragon, who was in my arms, suddenly stiffened. She grabbed my head with both arms and with a crack sound, turned my head to face Flowing Wind... Ouch, I seemed to have lost a few hundred HP... Lolidragon said syble-by-syble, I said, Flowing Wind is still here. Do you not understand me? I understand. I will avenge Gui. I looked at Flowing Wind with bloodshot eyes, He made Gui disappear, so I will avenge Gui, even if it costs me my life! I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head and found myself lying face t on the ground. Before I could figure out what was going on, I heard Lolidragon start to scold me vehemently. You bastard! Did my words fall on deaf ears? I recently exined that HD is set up so that an NPC will disappear right after killing a yer. Flowing Wind is still standing there, unharmed, yet you keepining about Gui disappearing! You didnt listen to what I said at all! Talking to you is a waste of my breath and less constructive than ying a piano to a cow. I raised my head, eyes lighting up with joy. So Gui hasnt disappeared? This wont do, I must confirm it. I immediately opened the PM channel and asked hastily, Gui, Gui, Gui! Are you there? Im here! Prince, you should be wary of Flowing Wind. I am calling everybody to help out now. Gui replied anxiously. I felt utterly relieved when I heard him speak. Great, Gui is still alive! Prince! Are you even listening to me? Flowing Wind is still here! Are you nning to stay lying there on the ground and making it easier for him to kill you? Lolidragons voice sounded like it was on the edge of hysteria, so I quickly jumped to my feet, drew ck Dao, and monitored Flowing Winds movements. Rx, the Dictator forbade us from killing you. Flowing Wind said coldly, If not, you would have already died a thousand times over. Why did the Dictator forbid you guys from killing me? Suddenly, I was very curious. y Child had also mentioned earlier that he would not kill me. Now that Flowing Wind was saying the same thing, I had a strange thought. Does the Dictator of Life...not want to kill me?Also, I must be the only exception, as Flowing Wind murdered Gui without hesitation, but did not kill me, the person responsible for his anger. I dont know, but the Dictators orders are absolute, Flowing Wind replied icily. I tilted my head to one side and thought, Err, the Dictator of Life forbade Flowing Wind from killing me, and Flowing Wind said that he cannot defy the Dictators orders, so this means that Flowing Wind will not kill me no matter what I do! I grinned evilly. Then, what am I hesitating for? Your life is mine! I drew ck Dao and charged toward Flowing Wind without a second thought. I immediately began shing at him with the intent of teaching him a harsh lesson. However, Flowing Wind dodged all of my attacks calmly and easily. He raised one brow questioningly and said, You want to kill me? What else could I be doing with a sword? Helping you to relieve an itch? I shouted, but the ck Dao in my hands never stopped attacking. I shed vertically and sliced horizontally, but not a single hitnded on Flowing Winds graceful body. Humans are really the epitome of conceit, said Flowing Wind as he waved his hand with disdain. On hearing this, I was so angry I nearly pulled out my de and shed at him... Ugh, I think Im already shing at him. But Flowing Wind was right. Alone, I couldnt even scratch him. Suddenly, a thought urred to me. If I couldnt even touch Flowing Wind, then what about the Dictator of Life? I shook my head forcefully. I still have mypanions! If everyone works together, we can definitely defeat the Dictator of Life! Prince! I heard Guis voice behind me, along with the footsteps of many people. Without turning back to look, I already knew that Gui had rounded up some people to help me. Flowing Winds expression darkened as he said, I almost forgot. Humans are also the perfect example of tyranny by majority. A little annoyed, I said, Hey, remember that you are a BOSS. The mechanics of the game make it impossible for a yer to solo a BOSS. This has nothing to do with being human or NPC! Ah ah, starting to look for excuses already. Flowing Wind made an expression that said I knew this would happen. This person not only deserved a beating more than my brother and Lolidragonbined, he was as stubborn as Celestial. This made him extremely hard to handle. Sigh, is the Dictator of Life letting all of his subordinates do whatever they want? First, Celestial refused to leave. Now, theres Flowing Wind. Is he treating my Infinite City as a nursery? Prince, lets defeat him together. Raging mes burned in Guis eyes. Before I could even open my mouth to reply, Flowing Wind said, Never mind me, you people are so weak you cant even kill Celestial. Dont worry though, I dont n to kill you. I came here to take care of the traitor, Celestial. You want to kill Celestial? A little confused, I asked, Didnt the Dictator of Life forbid you guys from killing each other? He did forbid us from killing each other. Flowing Wind smiled evilly and said, But since Celestial betrayed us, he can no longer be considered one of us anymore. That was simply illogical. Both Gui and I made a strange expression. Flowing Winds face suddenly changed and he became more menacing. He growled threateningly and said coldly, Where is Celestial? If you refuse to tell me, I will shower Infinite City with blood. When he finished speaking, the castle began to shake violently. Fierce winds howled, shattering all the windows around me. The wind was so strong I actually felt that I had to use all of my strength just to stand firmly. Smack! Shocked, I looked behind me only to see Gui and many other citizens of Infinite City glued to the wall, desperately using their hands to block the wind that could be said to be as sharp as a de. Hes gone too far! I roared angrily, I dont know! Even if I knew, I would never tell you. What cant you tell Flowing Wind? I snorted coldly and said, Celestials whereabouts, of course... Eh? This voice sounds like... I turned my head and my jaw nearly dropped. Celestial was standing at the door, frowning. He waved his hand and ribbons of Celestial Satin appeared in midair, blocking the wind in ce of the shattered windows. Finally, the interior of the buildings returned to their windless state. The moment Flowing Wind saw Celestial, he immediately roared angrily, Traitor! You finally appeared. Watch me erase your existence on behalf of the Dictator... Ah, Flowing Wind. Long time no see. Celestial walked towards Flowing Wind amicably, as if he had just met a good friend he hadnt seen in many years. Flowing Wind tripped and nearly fell to the ground. He quickly steadied himself andughed icily, Raging Cyclone! The warning bells in my heart sounded, and I immediately dove toward the unprepared Celestial. As I pushed Celestial over, pirs of wind that were shaped like spiral drills bore arge hole at the ce where Celestial had been standing, causing several explosions. After I turned around and saw therge hole that let me look down from the third floor to the basement, I flew into a rage and shouted, Youve gone too far! Celestial is still one of you. Are you trying to kill him? More importantly, how much will it cost to repair such arge hole? Yu Lian-ds?o will definitely not forgive me! Youre right, Flowing Winds face was clouded in shadow as he, who had not moved much previously, suddenly began to make a series of weird gestures. Surely, this was not going to be a normal attack! Quick! Everyone leave this ce, now! I hollered angrily. Everybody ran as fast as they could toward the doorway. Only Gui looked at me hesitantly, but after I gave him a flying kick, he too flew out the door. Under my intimidating gaze, he finally started to run for his life. As for Lolidragon... I didnt need to worry about her, since she was the first one to escape. I looked toward Flowing Wind in time to see the strange sign he had formed and held with his hands. I also saw the smile of satisfaction on his face... Oh no! With Celestial carried over my shoulder, I headed for one of the broken windows and leapt outside. Although it was the third floor, I was very sure that Flowing Winds attack was much scarier than jumping off a building. While I was still in midair, I heard the horrifying sounds of an explosion apanied by rocks flying everywhere from behind me. The games gravity also unkindly started to make me fall downwards. Oh great, maybe the rocks will conveniently bury me at the same time I fall to my death, so that a grave doesnt even need to be dug for me... Helpless to do anything, I mocked myself. However, I seem to have stopped falling in midair? Curious, I lifted my head only to meet Celestials gaze, which was unusually calm and mature. Was this really Celestial? I felt the beginnings of suspicion. Suddenly, Celestial winked at me yfully and turned back into that confused Celestial whose mental age wasparable to a five year olds. Celestials body slowly floated upwards, followed closely by my body. Hey, the feeling of floating in midair isnt so bad... Oh my god. My eyes widened when I saw the castle. My Infinite Castle... why is there only half of it left?! My face paled as I looked at the castle. Half of the Infinite Castle that everyone had put so much effort into building had be a pile of rubble. The design that Gui had taken great pains toe up with; Yu Lian-ds?os desperate fundraising; everyone bing unpaid construction workers; everybody feeling moved when the construction of the castle was finallypleted... Everything was ruined! I felt suddenly tranquil, and became so calm that there was not a single expression on my face. Perhaps this was because there was no expression that could express my current... anger! Flowing Wind, the Dictator will be angry with you. Celestial frowned at Flowing Wind. Flowing Wind bellowed angrily, I dont care, Ive been displeased with you for a long time already. A traitor like you has no right to be one of ourrades. Your punishment from the Dictator is long overdue. The Dictator forbade us from killing each other, and also, we are not allowed to prevent Prince from going to the Northern Continent. You cannot disobey the Dictators orders, Celestial shouted. I froze for a long moment. The Dictator forbade the Four Heavenly Kings from preventing me from going to the Northern Continent? But he dispatched so many NPCs with HD installed to threaten us into not going to the Northern Continent! What exactly is going on? I dont care, I am going to destroy this damned ce, exterminate you, and kill Prince! Flowing Winds eyes radiated cruelty as he started making weird gestures again. Celestial! Hurry up and stop him. I yelled, panicking. The destruction of the castle was causing me enough heartache. If Infinite City also vanished, how was I supposed to face everyone? Celestial had already begun chanting a strange incantation, but suddenly, he stopped and looked nkly at the sky. I was so anxious, I grabbed Celestials shoulders and shook him vigorously. Dictator? Celestial spat out in disbelief. A look of slight rm appeared on Flowing Winds face. Flustered, he followed Celestials gaze. What he saw made him sound like he was terrified to the extreme. He said, How can this be? The Dictator cannot leave the Northern Continent. At this point, I also noticed that there was one extra person in the air. His blood red hair fluttered in the wind and his handsome face had an exotic magic tattoo. With the exception of the look in his eyes, which were not as filled with sorrow from a predetermined fate, he looked exactly the same as the photo Lolidragon had shown me. Flowing Wind, you disobeyed the Dictators orders, The Dictator of Life said. Err, why does this statement sound so awkward... Ah, right, who refers to himself in the third person? Whats going on? I was extremely confused. Suspicious, Flowing Wind asked, Who are you? You...are not the Dictator. I am the Dictators clone. The Dictator of Life...no, his clone exined, The Dictator can find out the happenings of Second Life through me. Go back, Flowing Wind. The Dictator is very angry, the Dictator of Lifes clone said expressionlessly. The Dictator is very angry? Flowing Wind made a flustered expression and said, Okay, okay, you tell the Dictator that Ill go back immediately. Before he left, Flowing Wind threw Celestial a vicious re, but Celestial smiled innocently and even waved to Flowing Wind in farewell. Flowing Wind was so pissed he nearly leapt toward Celestial, but in the end he simply nced at the Dictator of Lifes clone and flew off in embarrassment. You are the Dictator of Lifes clone, right? I coldly obstructed the Dictator of Lifes clone, who was about to leave. He stopped and looked at me expressionlessly, while I red at him icily. I slowly raised my hand and curled up four of my fingers, leaving the index finger pointing straight out. I pointed at the wrecked Infinite Castle and said with absolute seriousness, Pay up! ... Agitated, I clenched my fists and yelled furiously, What? Are you trying to avoid your debt? Do you know just how much money was spent building Infinite Castle? I wasnt kidding; if I didnt collect the rebuilding funds, who knew if I could even reach the Northern Continent? I might be cut into pieces by the Finance Department and the Construction Department while still on the Central Continent. After maaany seconds, the Dictator of Lifes clone was still motionless and there was no expression on his face at all. I couldnt help but frown. Its not possible that this Dictator of Life, the god of Second Lifes...clone wants to evade the debt? The Dictator of Lifes clone remained silent, but he slowly raised his right hand and pointed toward the half-wrecked Infinite Castle. He muttered some incantations, and a miracle suddenly happened! The rock debris actually moved! Dumbfounded, I watched as the rocks stuck together to automatically form a wall. The walls then tumbled around and joined to each other, forming rooms. Astonishingly, the wood chips also reformed themselves into chairs and tables before jumping into the rooms and arranging themselves. Without much effort, Infinite Castle was restored to its former self, without even a hint of damage. I couldnt help swallowing my saliva while imagining, What a convenient ability. If I had this ability, I would never again have to worry about Yu Lian-ds?o swallowing me alive if I break something. Is this eptable? If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave, the Dictator of Lifes clone said monotonously. I immediately came back to my senses and hollered, Wait a minute! Is there something else? The Dictator of Lifes clone was still annoyingly expressionless. Curious, I asked, You say the Dictator of Life can find out everything thats going on through you? My eyes are the Dictator of Lifes eyes. Okay, look at me now. Remember to keep looking at me, and dont turn your head away. I adjusted my position and made sure I was right in front of the Dictator of Lifes clone. I pointed at the Dictator of Lifes clone haughtily and shouted arrogantly, Dictator of Life, you just wait and see! I, the Blood Elf Prince, will definitely go to the Northern Continent and finish you off. So, you better clean your neck obediently and wait for me, got it? Got it, the Dictator of Lifes clone suddenly said softly, and the expression that shed across his face for a moment... Was it gentleness? Before I could respond, the Dictator of Lifes clone had already turned and flown away. As I watched him I... resented myself for being unable to fly... Wait, if the Dictator of Life flies like this when I go to kill him, how can I fly after him to chop him? I probably couldnt ask Celestial to carry me into the air, could I? Even if Meatbun had a bamboo helicopter and could lift me into the air, I would have to cling to Meatbun with one hand. Could I kill the Dictator of Life with just one hand? Im not Yang Guo from Return of the Condor Heroes, who became stronger after losing one arm! Prince, are you okay? Gui asked, worried. He added, We were crushed underneath the rocks, so we couldnt help you. You arent hurt, are you? I tilted my head and answered irrelevantly, Gui, is there a way for yers to fly? Fly? Gui asked uncertainly. After that, his body shook violently for a moment and he said seriously, Youre right, Prince. If we cant fly, it would be impossible to defeat the Dictator of Life, who can. I must discuss this issue with Lolidragon. Hmm, if I could fly... I snorted coldly twice and said, Wed see if that damned Fire Phoenix would still dare to abduct my Meatbun for a flight. I cant believe that the Dictator of Life actually created a clone that looks exactly like himself. Lolidragon suddenly cut in and said, This is troublesome. I guess its no longer possible to go to the Northern Continent secretly. Especially since a certain idiot just announced to the Dictator of Life that he was going to kill him. For a moment, I felt guilty, but then I remembered Gui saying that the Dictator of Life was omnipotent. In that case, shouldnt he have found out that we were going to the Northern Continent a long time ago? Just as I was about to rebut Lolidragons stupid reasoning confidently, she started speaking before I could. Giggling, Lolidragon said, Prince, although there is still some time before we have to leave, do you want to see our means of transportation? My interestpletely roused, I replied, What are we using for transport? Lolidragon smiled mysteriously and left a statement, Come with me. With enough curiosity to kill many cats, I followed her. Of course my attendant, Gui, tagged along. Lolidragons other attendant, my little brother Feng Wu Qing, also picked up his pace and went with us. We walked quickly, and before we knew it we had reached the edge of theke outside the city. Although ke sounds like the kind of small pool where, for no reason, a beautifuldy was bathing and was then identally peeped on by the male main character, this ce was different. Thiske that is found north of Infinite City is really, really big! I strained my eyes, but even so I could barely see the opposite shore, which was shrouded in mist. Also, I had to rotate my neck about two hundred and seventy degrees in order to see the left and right edges of theke. All that being said, the most important thing was, I didnt see anything besides a lot of water! Was our group going to swim to the Northern Continent? Then should I buy a bikini-... er, swimming trunks? No, the really important thing was, if it were that easy to swim across the sea, who would want to pay that ridiculously expensive boat fee? Anyone who thought about it would know that it was impossible to swim there, unless Second Life had a mermaid race. Even if there was a mermaid race, would I have to be reborn and start from scratch as a mermaid? I looked at the smooth surface of theke, then looked at Gui and Wu Qing. Both of them also had curious expressions, so all three of us looked at Lolidragon C the only person who knew what was going on. Just what kind of trick is she trying to pull? Lolidragon smiled her annoying hee hee hee smile, turned to face theke and shouted, Supreme tri-functional sea,nd, and air battleship C Activate, Challenger! What? Challenger, the supreme tri-functional sea,nd, and air battleship?But... after thinking about it for some time, I asked, Where have I heard the name Challenger before? Gui replied weakly, That was the name of the space shuttle that exploded on its maiden flight before it even left the Earths atmosphere. What an extremely unlucky name! Its as unlucky as naming a ship Titanic. I sighed and was just about to discuss Lolidragons naming ability with her when the surface of theke, which was originally as smooth as the surface of egg yolk, became covered in many ripples. A gigantic object then rose out of theke, nearly burying me beneath the huge ssh it created. I stared incredulously at that gargantuan battleship that I thought I would only ever see in the pictures they showed us during military ss. At the same time, I gulped and listened to Lolidragons triumphant exnation. She said, The Challenger is five hundred meters long and two hundred meters wide; it can carry more than two thousand people. It has three forms: a submarine, a mobilend citadel, and a flying battleship. In terms ofbat ability, the Challenger has one hundredser cannons, three hundred machine guns, and one Super Nuclear Cannon of Utter Annihtion. It will definitely be very useful when we attack the Northern Continent. Amazing! I eximed. This way, we wont need to worry about being KOd by NPCs before we even reach the Northern Continent. Just as Lolidragon wasughing evilly with the battleship as a backdrop, I suddenly noticed some strangerge tentacles stretch out of the surface of theke and wrap tightly around Challenger. Then, a massive octopus head appeared. My eyes widened as I witnessed the Challenger make a few snapping noises after beingpletely wrapped by the giant octopus and, like the so-called unsinkable Titanic that sank on its first cruise, the battleship broke into two pieces and slowly began to sink... No, I sulked. At least the Titanic managed to set sail. Our Challenger has never even seen the ocean before... Lolidragon, the ship has sunk. Feng Wu Qing pointed at theke, hand trembling. Lolidragonughed derisively, Thats not possible! The Challenger is a masterpiece made with utmost care... Probably because even Guis face didnt look so good, Lolidragon turned around skeptically just in time to see the only remaining nuclear cannon above thekes surface. After one mighty pull by the giant octopus, the Challenger finally eloped with it, never to return... I looked at Lolidragons petrified figure and slowly said, I think we should take the flying carpet. Later, we will choose the members of the team. If we squeeze, eight people should be able to fit on the carpet. The six members of Odd Squad plus Sunshine and Kenshin already make up a total of eight people. As for the rest... I frowned and looked at my little brother. Will Wu Qing give up going to the Northern Continent? I asked, Wu Qing, do you want to go to the Northern Continent? Feng Wu Qing looked at me, opened his mouth, and was about to say something when all of a sudden, he froze with his eyes popping out of their sockets. Once again, he raised a trembling hand, pointed behind me and howled, What a big m... m? I was stunned for a moment. I looked behind me and indeed saw arge m appear in front of my eyes. I secretly guessed, Could this m be the one I was acquainted with? Gui, who was standing beside me, calmly sized-up thisrge m. Using my one hundred percent urate sixth sense to make a guess, Guis mind must be filled with the specialized knowledge of various creatures, earth science and so on that would allow him to investigate the evolution of this m and figure out which kingdom, ss, order and species this m belonged to. Ah, Meatbunbuns master, Ive finally found you. AnRui suddenly opened the two halves of his m shell to reveal white, tender, and extremely delicious-looking m meat. Of course, there were tworge eyes growing on the meat. Gui and Wu Qing froze when they heard the m talk. However, I was not at all shocked. Instead, I raised my right hand, waved, and said, Long time no see, AnRui. I quickly fished Meatbun out of my bag so that he could reminisce on old times with AnRui. AnRuiRui! The moment he saw AnRui, Meatbun, who had juste out of the bag, hopped excitedly to AnRuis side. He even leapt between the two halves of the m shell and used AnRuis meat as a trampoline. My little brother beside me was howling in despair, The m actually talked. The m actually... Gui also frowned and mumbled to himself, Since when did ms have vocal chords? Ignoring the two who were close to having a nervous breakdown, I went ahead and asked AnRui, AnRui, why did you suddenlye out? Didnt you say that you didnt want toe out? AnRui sighed softly, Someone entrusted me with a task, so I had toe out. Someone entrusted you with a task? I didnt quite understand what he meant, so I asked, Who? What did he ask you to do? I cannot say that persons name, but he asked me to take all of you to the Northern Continent. I was stunned. AnRui was going to take us to the Northern Continent? How? Would we have to sit inside AnRui? Although AnRui was rather big, that was inparison to a normal m. In reality, this m was only a bit taller than a person. After considering its own meat, there was barely enough space left for me to squeeze in. How could it carry us to the Northern Continent? AnRui? Lolidragon, who had been petrified for a long time, suddenly shrieked, Are you the sacred beast, AnRui? Before I could reply, Lolidragon had already rushed in front of AnRui and asked, Youre really willing to take us there? AnRuis m shell wobbled. That was probably a nod of its head, I thought. Thats fantastic! Lolidragon eximed excitedly, We have the strongest battleship! Lolidragon, even if the Challenger has been destroyed, you shouldnt get so depressed. I shook my head and said, Isnt asking a m to be a battleship going too far? Lolidragon turned to face me, her face expressionless. With lightning speed, she pulled out a dagger and ced it against a certain fatal spot of mine. No, urately speaking, it wouldnt be fatal. Itd just hurt so much Id wish I were dead. I looked down at the spot that I didnt really need, but also didnt want to lose. My expression immediately changed and I said extremely seriously, I believe that Lolidragon must have a profound reason for calling a m a battleship. After some careful deliberation, I have realized that this is indeed a good idea. After all, nobody... not even an NPC, will think that assassins are hiding inside a m! Lolidragon pursed her lips and finally withdrew her weapon. She then looked at AnRui like he was a Chanel bag and said, Its not a normal m! Its the bi-functionalnd and sea Supreme m Combat Submarine C AnRui! I understand if its the sea, but I have to ask you a question. Feng Wu Qing still hadnt defrosted. He asked, Have you ever seen a m running onnd? Lolidragon did not answer his question, and I also swallowed my own reply as we watched an enormous shadow swoop down on my brother. Wu Qing, who was suddenly eclipsed by an ominous shadow, had only just widened his eyes slightly when the owner of the shadownded on top of him, bellowing angrily, Are you discriminating against ms? Fresh blood stained the ground, apanied by the sorrowful howl of a martyr. I looked away reluctantly and said, Rest in peace, Wu Qing. I will definitely cook more ms for you as offerings. After bidding him farewell, I turned to face Lolidragon and said, Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us how AnRui is supposed to take us to the Northern Continent. Lolidragon waved to AnRui and it finally left that unrecognizable heap of flesh and blood that was my brother. After retreating back into theke, AnRui closed the two halves of its m shell and slowly started to growrger. There was a stupefied expression on my face as I watched AnRui grow sorge it upied one third of theke. The current AnRui could fit not only me inside, but could easily carry a few hundred people. I was beginning to understand how AnRui could take us to the Northern Continent. However, I never imagined that there woulde a day when I was swallowed by a m... No, not swallowed, but put inside its stomach. I can only hope that AnRui doesnt reek of seafood... Footnotes ...ying a piano for a cow.: A Chinese saying that means something ispletely pointless. Cows cant appreciate music. Bamboo helicopter: The propeller-thing on Meatbun can be seen here: ...the space shuttle that exploded on its maiden flight...: This is an exaggeration by Yu Wo. The real Challenger exploded on its tenth mission. In her online version, Yu Wo also interchanges the name of the Challenger with Apollo 13. She changed all of the names to the Challenger in the print versions. The biological ssification system: Kingdom > Phylum > ss > Order > Family > Genus > Species Volume 7 Chapter 2 Volume 7 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: The Disappearance of Wicked C tranted by Lucathia This is AnRui, I introduced to everyone in Infinite City. After seeing their dumbstruck expressions and increasing breathing difficulties, I added another fatal blow. Is everyone ready? If so, take a seat. Its time to depart. Everyone was speechless. After a lot of struggling, Nan Gong Zui finally managed to squeeze out a single question, one that he obviously already knew the answer to. What are we sitting on? Naturally, I gestured toward AnRui. You know, AnRui. Where are we going to sit? On the shell? Neurotic widened his eyes. Silently, I walked up to AnRuis side and patted its shell. At that, AnRui opened its shell and rolled me up with its tongue (dont ask me if ms really have tongues. I dont know either. Ive never encountered tongues when I ate ms in the past. AnRui somehow just had one). I theny on top of the soft m meat, asfortable as if I were lying on top of a water bed from Simmons. It was hard to suppress my continual feeling of drowsiness. Soon, I felt another person being rolled in. When he was thrown on top of the m meat, he caused a ripple of meat waves to spread out. Silently, hey next to me. So dark. Is there a light around? The person asked calmly, finally letting me know that the one who got rolled in was Nan Gong Zui. I also calmly answered him, Would there be light inside a ms body? Before Nan Gong Zui could even open his mouth to answer, a soft light suddenly lit up. Wordlessly, Nan Gong Zui and I looked up at the ceiling... I mean, at the center of the shell above us, where a pearl was now giving off light. Hows this? AnRui asked attentively. Great, thank you very much, Nan Gong Zui answered extremely politely. Following that, the rest of the crowd was thrown in one after another. It wasnt long before a bunch of peopley inside AnRuis body in a disorderly manner. I adjusted my reclining position before opening my mouth to speak. Ill take attendance. Wolf-dg? Yu Lian-ds?o? Here. Wolf-dg and Yu Lian-ds?os voices drifted over from the same corner. I turned my head to look, only to discover that Yu Lian-ds?o was in Wolf-dgs embrace, a shy expression on her face... ah, I saw nothing. I turned my head back. Doll? Right after I called out for her, two ps resounded, apanied by the sound of Celestials wailing sobs. Gui, Wicked? Why are you grouping us together... the two of them asked in unison, as if they were on the same wavelength. Lolidragon? I yelled but didnt get a response. Lolidragon? I heard a snore, and then Feng Wu Qing coldly said, She fell asleep. She fell asleep too quickly! Sweat... I continued with my roll call. Fairsky, even though lying down presents a very convenient opportunity, dont take this chance to devour Sunshine. Eh, I... wont do that... probably... Why does Fairskys voice sound a little guilty? Kenshin? I called out for Kenshin, seeing no need to call out for Cold Fox, since Cold Fox was always at Kenshins side. Here, Kenshin called out simply. Neurotic, DanDan? Ah, that pearl is so beautiful... Before we get off the m, can I take that pearl with me? Good, the wandering couple and Winter Triumph are all here. That only leaves... Uuuuu, Lolidragon, let me sleep by your side! Looks like everyones here... Inside my heart, I softly murmured, thanks everyone, before I yelled loudly, Then lets set out! AnRui, were counting on you. Hey, hey, hey, did you forget about me? A clear voice snarled out resentfully. Ming Huang... I called out grudgingly. I didnt think hede along too. Meatbuns owner, Im setting out now, AnRui said courteously. After that, our journey to the Northern Continent began...huh? Youre wondering how a m can walk onnd? By sliding! Dont be suspicious, see, AnRui has already begun sliding. As a whole, the trip felt fairly smooth, except for when AnRui would asionally turn left or dash right and we would tumble around inside. And when AnRui would suddenly brake, we would all stter in front, although, the most painful experiences had to be when AnRui would jump up and wed fly up high in the air, hit the ceiling, and thennd on the m meat below with a st. Urgh, Im m sick, Feng Wu Qing shouted in pain. Weakly, I ordered, Bear with it. It should be better when we reach the sea. I didnt know how long it took, but AnRui suddenly jumped with a lot of power. We sttered against the ceiling for several seconds, after which AnRui finallynded with great strength, and we also struck against m meat with great strength, which was followed by several groans. Iy against the m meat and howled in pain for several moments before I discovered that AnRui didnt seem to be very stable and was wobbling left and right, like a ship floating in the sea. Happily, I shouted, Were at sea now! After I spoke everyone was so happy that they almost cried. Compared to our previous hell of rolling about, it felt sofortable at the moment that it was almost like wed returned to sleeping in our mothers wombs. Everyoney quietly on top of the m meat, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. After all, when we reached the Northern Continent, we would be fighting to the death. Who knew how many of us would survive against HD? Say, why dont we decide on a time and location to meet in the real world? I suddenly asked. If Prince were to disappear, then I would no longer have a need to hide my gender. I should be able to openly appear in front of everyone as a female. Hehe, I wonder what kind of expression everyone will have when they discover my gender? That is a good idea. Then we wont lose contact, Yu Lian-ds?o said with a chuckle. Then lets meet at Yu Lian-ds?o and Wolf-dgs wedding ceremony, I said while smiling slyly. What are you saying, Prince? Yu Lian-ds?o reprimanded faintly. I couldnt stop myself fromughing. Earning Yu Lian-ds?os faint reprimand was no easy feat. Where should we decide on? Nan Gong Zui asked a little excitedly. I gave him an odd look before I shrugged and said, Wherevers fine. It doesnt matter even if were in different countries. Going ces is so convenient now. If we use the transmission machine, wed get there in no time. (Note: The transmission machines function is simr to todays fax machine, but whats transmitted isnt paper, but rather three-dimensional people or items. The transmission fee is not cheap.) I chuckled twice before I said, As for the fee for the transmission machine, of course we should leave it to Lolidragon, the daughter of the mighty president, to bear the burden. Lolidragon hmphed twice before she private messaged me, Fine, Ill pay. Im already itching to see how everyone will react once they know your true identity. Hehehe, they might even beat you until you swell up like a pig, especially Nan Gong Zui, Kong Kong, and all those people who look up to you. You know the consequences of shattering their delusions will be grave. Uh, Nan Gong Zui wouldnt hit a woman, would he? Hopefully not... I wonder what Prince looks like? Probably not very simr to how he looks right now, Wolf-dgs rough voice resounded. Theres probably a huge discrepancy. Otherwise, how can it be that no one was able to track down the spokesperson for Second Life? Winter Triumph murmured thoughtfully, scaring me so much that my heart suddenly jumped. Hehehe, even though appearances in Second Life are based on peoples true appearances, theres still a lot you can alter, such as your body weight. Maybe the real Prince is as fat as a pig. The guiltless tone Lolidragon faked made me so angry that my teeth hurt. Whos as fat as a pig?! I gritted out between my teeth. Huh? Am I wrong? Lolidragon exaggerated her expression and even used an innocent (innocent my ass) tone to ask in return, Otherwise, how do you look? Your Highness, no matter what you look like, Gui will not care, Gui hurriedly said. I didnt even have time to private message Lolidragon to scold her when something unexpected happened. AnRui, who had been smoothly sailing before, suddenly shook back and forth vigorously. I quickly yelled, AnRui, has something happened? Theres an obstruction, AnRui replied tensely. Feng Wu Qings anguished wailings began again. Ah, first itsnd-sickness. Now its sea-sickness. Lolidragon angrily rebuked, What a useless guy. AnRui, is there any way to pass? I struggled to stand up. Yes, but it might be a little ufortable. Please take care, everyone. I will need to use my colliding technique to ovee the obstruction. AnRui courteously apologized and then suddenly stood upright from its previous horizontal position. I didnt have any time to shout before I rolled straight to the bottom. I didnt know which unlucky guy got squashed firmly by me, but then I became the next unlucky guy when someone dropped from above and firmly squashed me. That person squashed me so much that my blood surged forward and I almost vomited a mouthful of blood. Prince, may I ask what kind of technique this colliding technique is? From below me, Nan Gong Zui asked with a weak gasp. Rolling... My face paled. It cant be? Were so dead! Feng Wu Qing said hopelessly. A few fleeting clouds floated above in the azure sky, white waves rolled in from the dark blue sea, and on top of the white, sandy shorey... a m huge enough to scare someone to death! Without a sound, the tworge pieces of the ms shell opened and a hand (which was shaking slightly) reached out from inside. Then, a sttered human who resembled Sadako climbing out of a television set, with messy hair syed in front, crawled out on all four limbs, followed by a group of people wiggling out of the ms shell, silently dropping dead on the seashore. If anyone ever tells me to ride a m again, I will definitely kill eighteen generations of their family. Feng Wu Qing, the first one to climb out, gritted his teeth and cursed dispiritedly,pletely forgetting that the first person who told him to ride a m coincidentally shared the same family members as him. Thank you, AnRui. Because my feet were shaking, I could only hang halfway on top of the ms shell to give my thanks. Even though the journey hadnt been very pleasant, at least we had safely arrived at the Northern Continent. Youre wee, Meatbuns owner. AnRui nodded its head and then spat Meatbun out. Meatbun cheered with Oh oh!, rolled several times in midair, and thennded on top of my head. Unable to contain its excitement, it told AnRui, AnRuiRui~, roll-roll is so, so fun. We should y y it again next time. AnRui chuckled. Okay, next time, I will y with Meatbun again. After saying so, AnRui turned to me and even made a bow. Everything now depends on you, Meatbuns owner. I didnt really understand, but I nodded and watched AnRui retreat back to the water, disappearing from sight after a ssh. Turning my head, I faced the crowd. Alright. Where to now? Flower City. Gui took out a map and said, Our current position is approximately south of Flower City. As long as we continue heading north, we should be able to reach Flower City within two days. Of course, this is under the assumption that no one blocks us. Ah, then we probably wont be able to reach the city in two days. Feng Wu Qing stared at some ce past my back, his eyes wide. I turned my head to look and almost cried out when I saw what was practically a mountain and sea of NPCs. We were alreadypletely surrounded by all kinds of NPCs. The only way out was the ocean behind us... No, I already heard the strange sound of the churning waves behind me. It looked like we werepletely surrounded. By this time, everyone had already pulled themselves up and gathered together, their weapons ready in their hands. I pulled out my ck Dao. After walking to the very front, I turned on the team channel for our Execution Squad. Line up right now. Were going to st our way out. Undying Man, Kenshin, Cold Fox, Neurotic, Nan Gong Zui, Winter Triumph, all of you go to the front to open a path for us. Yu Lian-ds?o and Ming Huang, please also head to the front to help clear a path out using your magic. Everyone else, stay in the middle. Wu Qing, Wicked,e with me to the back. Okay, everyone responded simultaneously. Everyone slowly lined up in the formation I had just described, and the NPCs looked like they wanted to start moving. I immediately yelled loudly over the team channel, Break through the north! At once, Yu Lian-ds?o began reciting an incantation and Ming Huang was so excited that hed already thrown out numerous strikes of lightning. He even beganughing loudly, Haha, so many monsters. Its been too long since Ive had such a good time electrocuting things. As soon as the mages opened a path to the north, the warriors in the front began fighting their way out of the siege, and I concentrated on battling the NPCs that had caught up to us at the back of the group. After a flurry of movement, I slowly discovered the fact that, thankfully, even though these NPCs were numerous, they were not that strong. While we did our utmost to attack and kill the NPCs, Yu Lian-ds?o and Ming Huang shouted at the same time, Heavens Nine Wrath and Meteor Shower. The sight of meteorites and lightning striking together once again appeared in front of my eyes. I thought I remembered the first time Id seen such an impressive sight, which happened to be during the final battle of the Adventurers Tournament. After the chaotic strikes of the meteorites and the lightning, a radius of more than ten meters in front of us was immediately wiped clean. Run quickly! I shouted loudly. As soon as I spoke, everyone began running desperately. As we ran, we even trampled on NPCs that were once again rising up. Ming Huang nearly lost his shoes too. Hurry and run, hurry! Warriors with quick agility, pick up the mages and run. In the back, Wicked and I urged everyone on. I looked back and saw that numerous NPCs were already chasing us. My heart shivered. Although they werent strong, with enough of them, even ants could devour an elephant. This is no good, Prince. Lolidragon looked like she was barging on with her teeth clenched as she spoke. Prince, we should separate. You take the strongest ones C Kenshin, Sunshine, and Celestial C and fight straight to Flower City. Let us help you draw away the NPCs. No, I refused straight away. What kind of joke is this? You want me to stay far away while I watch others get destroyed by NPCs without doing anything? I would rather you tell me to watch the entirety of Second Life get destroyed than that. Anxious, Lolidragon shouted, Why are you so stubborn? I was just about to open my mouth to retort when I discovered a shadow looming above my head. I raised my head in confusion, but by then a phoenix had already grabbed me and lifted me off the ground. Prince! Shocked, Wicked pounced and grabbed my legs tightly. I quickly raised my ck Dao, wanting to cut the phoenixs ws that were clutching my shoulders, but the phoenix seemed to know what I wanted to do next and even used its wings to swat my ck Dao away. When my ck Dao hit the ground, the phoenix shot straight up into the air. In a blink, I was already high up in the sky, getting farther and farther away from mypanions. Prince! I seemed to still be able to hear Lolidragon shouting and see everyone elses shocked expressions. What should I do now? I waspletely at my wits end. Even if I could kill this phoenix, I was doomed to be mincemeat once I fell. Flying carpet, follow quickly. A voice roused me with a start. I turned my head and saw that Sunshine was already making his way over on his flying carpet. Sunshine! I yelled emotionally, at the same time struggling with all my might. Now I was no longer afraid of falling because Sunshine would never let me be mincemeat. Prince, hold on. Iming to save you right away. Right after Sunshine shouted this, a shadow appeared in front of him, forcing him to suddenly brake. That shadow belonged to...Celestial! While Sunshine was being obstructed, the phoenix took me farther and farther away and kept going until I could no longer see them. Why? My heart ached all of a sudden. Is Celestial truly...a spy? He actually prevented Sunshine from rescuing me... Uuuu, Im nowpletely alone and even stuck in midair. What should I do? I blinked my eyes, trying to force my tears back, but then again, since I was all alone, I might truly be mincemeat very soon. Even if I cried, no one would see me. Xiao Lan, help me up, Wicked shouted with difficulty. I looked down at my feet. Wicked...Zhuo-gg was slowly sliding down my legs. Hurriedly, I grabbed him and pulled him up to my side. Now, the two of us no longer dared to struggle. In fact, we grabbed on to the phoenixs legs with all our might. Who knew how high up in the air we currently were? I only knew that we were surrounded by white clouds. If we were to fall, most likely no one would even be able to find our ashes. Who knew that we would make such a slip-up right aftering to shore? Zhuo-gg said with a weak smile. Yeah, I replied somewhat dejectedly. It looked like I was still too arrogant, thinking that I could plow straight through to the Dictator of Life, and then, like a hero, fight to the death and die together with the final boss... now I could only die together with a bird. Reality is truly cruel! Indignantly, I used, Celestial really crossed the line! He actually blocked Sunshine, stopping him from rescuing me. However, Zhuo-gg thoughtfully questioned, Celestial...maybe he is keeping something from us. He might not be as dumb as he appears. He betrayed us! I clenched my fists and bellowed. That might not be true. Zhuo-gg fished out apass and showed it to me. Look. Were heading north. North? Toward the location of Flower City? This bird isnt going to take us to see the Dictator of Life, is it? Thinking this, I immediately opened my mouth to ask, Hey, Bird, are you taking us to see the Dictator of Life? Fire Phoenix was capable of speech, so there was no reason for the phoenix dispatched by the god of Second Life to be incapable of speech, right? Im not Bird. As I thought, the phoenix started speaking, using a stiff tone to spit out the words. After going eh, I asked again, Then Phoenix, are you taking us to see the Dictator of Life? Hmph, who said Im a phoenix? The phoenix actually replied in a super affronted tone. After hearing such a tone from the phoenix, I couldnt help but coldly mock him, Not a phoenix? Then are you a turkey? Ah, shit, I almost forgot that my life is still in the hands of this phoenix. Hes not going to throw me down in a fit of rage, is he? Whats a turkey? the phoenix asked instead in a suspicious tone. Well...its a very majestic creature, I answered in a calm voice. I mean, it is praiseworthy for turkeys to give themselves up so that people can eat them. I see. Do I truly resemble that kind of majestic creature? The phoenix hummed joyfully and proudly. Yes, very much, I replied winningly, with a super ttering tone. Even Zhuo-gg was forced to smother hisughter. But I am also not a turkey. Maybe it was because I had praised him for resembling a majestic creature, but the phoenixs tone was clearly a lot more amiable now, although his haughty attitude hadnt changed. Very conceitedly, he announced, I am Scorching me, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who serve the Dictator of Life. What? This turkey is Scorching me, one of the Four Heavenly Kings? Thats really... he really didnt seem like one of the Four Heavenly Kings at all. I furrowed my brows. No matter how I looked at him, he looked like amon turkey C ah, no, a phoenix. Scorching me, who had been flying at a quick pace, suddenly braked and asked suspiciously, Eh? Oceans Heart, what did youe here for? After hearing the words Oceans Heart, I also curiously looked toward the figure that was blocking our way. Oceans Heart was now the only one of the Four Heavenly Kings I hadnt seen yet. After a nce, I couldnt stop myself from eximing, Is the Dictator of Life toozy, or is the author toozy? Why? Why did Oceans Heart...look almost exactly like Flowing Wind, with their only difference being that Flowing Wind gave people the feeling of aing whirlwind, while Oceans Heart gave the feeling of flowing water? Hehe, Scorching me, you should hand the two of them over to me. Oceans Heart gently said, I will bring them to the Dictator of Life. Why? The Dictator clearly told me to bring them over. Scorching me looked not at all pleased about this. The Dictator has changed his mind; he was afraid that they would anger you and that you would forget your mission and instead kill them directly. Oceans Heart wasnt angry and merely recounted this indifferently. Hmph, I would never do that. Extremely resentful, Scorching me said, I will definitelyplete the mission that the Dictator assigned to me. Forget about that. Hand them over to me, said Oceans Heart in a very gentle voice, though it had be slightly firmer. No, I will personally hand them over to the Dictator. I willplete my mission. Stubbornly, Scorching me gripped the two of us tightly, and as spectators, Zhuo-gg and I continued to watch the two NPCs argue, since no matter who won, in the end we would be taken to see the Dictator of Life. Hearing this, Oceans Hearts face fell too, and he lightly said, Scorching me, hand them over to me. I wont. Furious, Scorching me said, The Dictator clearly wanted me to bring them over, not you. Wow, is this what they call civil warfare? Hm, based on my knowledge from my many years of novel reading, right now we should provoke them to argue more. Even better, we should get them to start fighting, and then Zhuo-gg and I would be able to take advantage of the situation and escape. Aiya, Wicked, who do you think we should leave with? I asked Wicked with apletely innocent expression, but my eyes were trained on Scorching me and Oceans Heart. After I blinked furiously, furiously being more than ten times per second, Zhuo-gg seemed toe to some sort of understanding. Tentatively, he tried asking, Shouldnt we leave with the stronger one? Hmph! Scorching me made an emphasized hmph sound. Although Oceans Heart still hadnt reacted, at least wed already managed to provoke Scorching mes anger. Once again, I innocently asked Scorching me, Scorching me, between you and Oceans Heart, who is stronger? Of course I am stronger! The mes around Scorching mes body suddenly began burning strongly, and his shape also began changing greatly...from the shape of amon turkey to something that looked no different from Oceans Heart and Flowing Wind. The only difference was his red color. Damn the author for being sozy... As Zhuo-gg and I fell, we couldnt help butin about this to ourselves... Thats right, once the turkey changed into a semitransparent human, the bird feet that had been grabbing us disappeared right away, which meant wed begun falling. Why was it that my n to provoke civil warfare was kind of... backfiring? Oh no. Scorching me hurriedly rushed toward us but was blocked by Oceans Heart, forcing him to watch us y at free-falling right before his eyes. Uuuu. Fine, Id ept that I didnt so much as see the bosss face, even though I was the hero setting out to destroy the boss. Fine, Id ept that I got captured by the Four Heavenly Kings. But dont tell me that my death would actuallye about because a momentarypse in my enemys rational thinking caused me to fall to my death? I wondered, would a lot of peopleugh until they rolled on the ground after hearing about this? Im sorry for dragging you into this, Zhuo-gg. I looked at Zhuo-gg with a somewhat apologetic expression. It was all thanks to my bird-brained scheme that wed need to report back to the Central Continent. Its fine, Zhuo-gg merely smiled kindly. I... After only managing to say I, I discovered that we were no longer dropping, and that a strange feeling wasing from below, causing me to feel like I was floating on water. When I tilted my head to look down, I saw a jelly-like block of ice holding us up. Water? Could it be Oceans Heart? Lets hurry. Also, the Dictator of Life is not in Flower City. You should head east of Flower City, to Mount HuaLian. Oceans Hearts voice sounded next to my ear. Surprised, I looked towards Zhuo-gg, who also looked like he had heard this, but he remained silent. After finally reachingnd, I spotted an unwee visitor in the distance. Flowing Wind was currently heading our way rapidly... Zhuo-gg and I alone were probably no match for him. We could only resort to the one stratagem I knew from the Thirty-Six Stratagems C run for your life! Oceans Heart, who had blocked Scorching me, forged ahead and also blocked Flowing Wind at the same time. Even though I didnt know why he was helping us so much, there was no way we would miss our chance to escape. Quickly, I pulled Zhuo-gg and began running wildly through the forest, doing my utmost to run toward the densest parts of the thicket to prevent the Four Heavenly Kings from catching us. Why is Oceans Heart helping us? asked Zhuo-gg suspiciously as we ran. I dont know either, I replied, full of questions myself. Everything was getting more and more confusing. Where should we go now? Zhuo-gg...forget it, Ill call him Wicked... Wicked asked me, Do you want to go to Flower City, or Mount HuaLian? I thought and thought. Oceans Heart did save the two of us, so listening to him shouldnt be wrong, right? After thinking this through, I replied resolutely, Lets go to Mount HuaLian. Wicked fell silent for a bit and then slowly said, I feel that we shouldnt trust Oceans Heart too much. Somehow, he seems a little strange. But he did save us, I refuted. If he wanted to bring us harm, he could have just let us fall to our deaths, or he could have let Scorching me bring us to the Dictator of Life to let the Dictator finish us off. Wouldnt that have been much easier? After hearing me say this, Wicked didnt say anything more. After Wicked had revealed his misgivings, the two of us stopped within the thickets and examined our maps... Okay, I admit that it was Wicked who was examining his map. I made use of the time and took out some food from my bag... Prince, are the two of you alright? Gui asked worriedly. Eh? My mouth was full of food. I looked every which way. Strange, Guis not around? Am I hearing things? Prince, Prince? Gui was so anxious that his voice was choked with sobs. Finally, he said hopelessly, Oh no, Prince hasnt answered. Has he returned to the Central Continent and rebirthed there, or even worse, could Prince have been...by HD... After saying this, Gui could no longer continue on, leaving only the sound of spasmodic sobbing. Lolidragon sighed. Under those kinds of circumstances, even Prince probably has no way of surviving. Except, with his disappearance, Second Life will no longer have any hope. Then what should we do... Hearing all this, Wicked nced at me with an odd look and asked, Dont you n on responding to them? I chewed on the food inside my mouth. After swallowing, I opened the team channel and energetically said, Hi, everyone! ... Hi my ass! Lolidragon shouted in exasperation and frustration. If youre alive, why didnt you respond? You shouldnt talk when youre eating. Thats basic manners! I answered with conviction. You... After her anger dissipated, Lolidragon weakly asked, Where are you? Between a bunch of trees, I replied honestly. Lolidragon probably knew that she would get no answers from me, so she directly asked, Wicked, where are you? We are southeast of Flower City. Wicked carefully scrutinized the map and said, Trying to locate the direction toward Mount HuaLian. Mount HuaLian? Lolidragon asked, confused, as I watched Wicked busying himself with a draftingpass, a directionalpass, and other such tools to confirm our bearings. Since he was so upied, it was up to me to recount everything that had happened just now to Lolidragon. After hearing everything, Lolidragon suspiciously asked, Are you sure Oceans Heart can be trusted? What if this is a trap? I scratched my head. What if its not? Lolidragon fell silent for a long time and then said, Lets divide into two groups. You and Wicked head to Flower City. Well head to Mount HuaLian and check it out. Is Mount HuaLian more dangerous? I only had to give it a little thought to figure out that Lolidragon must feel that Mount HuaLian was more dangerous, which was why she wanted me to go to Flower City. No matter what, I want you to go to Flower City, Lolidragon said unyieldingly. Stop being stubborn, Prince. And Wicked, take this guy to Flower City, even if you have to drag him there, dead or alive. After Wicked nced at me, his gaze evidently moved from Mount HuaLian to Flower City on the map. I quickly stared at Wicked with an imploring expression, hoping he would move his gaze back to Mount HuaLian, but Wicked was Wicked after all, and merely said sinctly, I will only take you to Flower City. As expected, there was no room for discussion. Even if I wanted to sneak off to Mount HuaLian, being such a klutz at directions, I think that the probability that I would sessfully reach Mount HuaLian was as low as the probability that I could walk up to the Dictator of Life and ughter him with one strike of my dao. Speaking of my dao... I suddenly remembered my ck Dao! Reflexively, I reached for the area around my waist. Only the scabbard remained; ck Dao was long gone. Id almost forgotten that Id already lost it the moment I was taken away by Scorching me. Great, I dont even have a weapon. Am I supposed to use my teeth to bite the Dictator of Life to death? I was a little discouraged. Losing my ck Dao that had fought alongside me from the start made it so that my odds of killing the Dictator were truly even lower than my odds of winning the lottery. Lets go. I have a general idea of how to reach Flower City. Wicked stood up and didnt say much as he started forward. Oh. It looked like besides following Wicked obediently, I didnt have any other paths to take. Wicked, I lost my dao. What should I do if we meet enemies? I asked worriedly as we walked. Even though my legs were fairly strong, I still didnt want to use them to fight weapon-wielding NPCs. I will protect you, said Wicked without even turning his head as he guided me out front. Eh, as a girl, hearing a handsome guy say I will protect you... The normal response from a beautiful girl should probably be a delicate and embarrassed I believe you. But I clearly understood that the two of us were currently surrounded by enemies, isted and without help. With just Wicked by himself, our odds of safely reaching Flower City could only be summed up by one phrase: Infinitely approaching zero! Thats why I still wanted a weapon! I searched my bag inside out. Hahaha, this was great, other than this short dagger (Does everyone still remember? Its the one thats shorter than fifteen centimeters in total length), I didnt have a single weapon. You couldnt me this on me. My ck Dao just had to be a growing-type weapon, so I never had to change my weapon whenever I leveled. Since I normally took on every challenge with a single weapon, there was no reason for me to have any extra weapons in my bag. Just then, Wicked turned around, wordlessly handed me a sword, and somewhat awkwardly said, Sorry, forget what I just said. Haah. Wicked turned his body but quietly sighed. Wicked. I looked toward him with a lost expression. You dont have to worry. My sighing doesnt have much to do with you. Wicked furrowed his brows deeply. Eh... Really, it has nothing to do with you. Wicked sighed again, and then he turned to continue leading the way. He looked like he didnt want to say anything. I, I only wanted to ask how this sword was supposed to be used... Ive never used a sword before! Even though this sword looks unusually good, for a person whos never used a sword before, its quite a waste...Come to think of it, why does this sword look so familiar? Wicked, isnt this the sword youre currently using? No wonder it was so familiar. This was the sword Wicked always carried with him! Is that a problem? Wicked turned around to ask, Even though it cantpare to your ck Dao, this is the best sword I have. Iid my eyes on the sword Wicked had in his hands and saw that it was clearly far inferior to the one I had in my hands. I couldnt help but clear things up. I only wanted a sword. I didnt say I wanted your best one. Besides, with me having your best sword, what about you? Wicked raised the sword in his hand. I have this one. But... I still wanted to convince Wicked to give me the one in his hands, but he had already turned away once again and didnt even look back as he continued leading the way. I wont give you something inferior to use! Wicked said abruptly after a moment. All of a sudden, I felt like something was burning on my face. It felt... really strange. Found you. A sudden gust of heat attacked, and following these words, an odd creature also appeared. It was a unicorn, a unicorn with a ming mane. Wasting so much of my effort. Under my shocked gaze, the unicorn suddenly became a red, transparent, humanoid figure. Hurry ande with me to see the Dictator. Otherwise Oceans Heart is going to catch up again. Dont even think about it, I began yelling, but Wicked suddenly covered my mouth. Even though I was a little puzzled, I obediently shut my mouth and let Wicked speak. Will you really bring us to see the Dictator of Life? Youre not afraid that well assassinate him? It was like Scorching me had heard something akin to a joke. Assassinate the Dictator? Hahaha, youre going to make me die ofughter. The two of you cant even touch a single finger of mine, yet you want to assassinate the Dictator? Even if the Dictator stood in front of you without moving, you wouldnt be able to kill him. Xiao Lan. Wicked suddenly private messaged me, Listen to me. Later, when I start fighting with Scorching me, run away immediately. Go to Mount HuaLian to meet up with everyone else. I refuse! I left no room for argument. I would never abandon Wicked and run away by myself. Wickeds face fell and he used a grim tone to rebuke, Stop ying around, Xiao Lan. If I die, the most that will happen is that I will return to the Central Continent to wait for everyones return, but if you die, our mission this time will be aplete failure. Are you going to betray everyones unreserved trust in you, their heartfelt feelings of deciding to follow you? I would never abandon any of myrades! I yelled loudly. This was a principle of mine. No one could force me to vite it. Prince. Wickeds expression was extremely grudging, but his tone had softened. Lets battle together, Wicked. Without cowering, I stood next to Wicked. Wicked sighed, but seeing that he couldnt change my mind, he could only say, Fine! You want to fight me? Scorching me asked impatiently. You have no chance of winning. Why do something so pointless? I swung the sword in my hand a bit and calmly answered, Sometimes, even when there are things you know you cant aplish, you still have to do it anyway. I locked my gaze on Scorching mes figure as I private messaged Wicked, Wicked, lets attack from both sides. Okay, Wicked replied, and then he fiercely said, Nows the time! Hearing this, I immediately dashed forward. After Scorching me nked out for a second, it raised both hands to quickly summon mes to deal with me, but I dodged past its body, sliding so that I was only three steps away from it. I held my spot without moving. With Scorching mes attention on me, Wicked also took the opportunity to begin his attack. Almost silently, he rushed forward, looking like he was about to dig out Scorching mes heart, but he was still discovered. It dodged; Wicked only shed through air. As I was only three steps away, I immediately began the real attack. Pure White Inferno Rhapsody! My sword sessfully made contact with Scorching mes body. Just as I was celebrating, Scorching me angrily demanded, ying with fire against me? Hells Infernal me! I helplessly watched as ck mes scattered, swallowing my Pure White Inferno in a sh, and now the mes were pouncing my way. Feeling the deadly heat, I urgently backed up, my back violently ramming into a tree trunk. I breathed out, only able to watch as the ck mes prepared to pounce on me. Scorching me, look this way! Wicked didnt rush over to save me, but rather swung his de at Scorching me, taking the opportunity to lure Scorching mes attention away. Immediately, I stood up and attacked Scorching me in order to rid Wicked of his predicament. You have truly angered me! yelled Scorching me with clenched teeth, suddenly starting to form strange hand signs with both of its hands. Wicked, lets attack together. Dont let it finish those hand signs! I yelled with great rm. I wasnt going to forget that Flowing Wind had the strength to destroy Infinite City. I had the feeling that if I let Scorching meplete its hand signs, I was probably going to have to report back to the Central Continent. As I yelled this, the sword in my hand did not remain idle. I hacked at Scorching me without any shiness... but suddenly, mes erupted from the ground. With Scorching me at the epicenter, the ground began splitting open in a snowke pattern, with surges of mes spilling out from the cracks. We cant stop this anymore. Prince, run quickly! On the other side, Wicked yelled at me urgently. I broke into a run, but the cracks on the ground did their utmost to split toward me, and the heat of the mes felt like it was burning the back of my neck. I didnt even have any time to look back at the state of affairs behind me, and could only hear how the earth sounded like it was almost howling with grief. An explosion that pierced the sky sounded. I was almost blown away by the ensuing forceful wind that was apanied by intense mes. Forcefully, I mmed into a tree trunk, the tree splintering before I even had any time to spit a mouthful of blood, and then I was flung out once more by another strong gust of wind and mes. Before my eyes was darkness, and it felt like a thousand pounds were weighing me down. I moved to touch that weight... Wait, dont tell me that I was going to meet my end because I got crushed by a tree? Think about it, when someone asks, did you die from confronting the final boss? From confronting the Four Heavenly Kings? Not really, I was blown away by the wind, and then I got squashed by a tree... Uuuu, thats so embarrassing. Prince... A beam of light and an anxious voice drifted over. Wicked! I yelled happily but doing so caused the wound on my chest to throb with pain. My face immediately lost color. Pained, Wicked gazed at me and used his gentlest tone to say, Dont worry, Im going to save you right away. I watched Wickeds figure as he did his utmost to push the branches away, suddenly discovering that his body was speckled with blood stains, and his facial color was not any better than mine, yet he continued to risk himself in trying to save me. Even though each time he used his strength led his face to be even paler, even though his blood dripped in red petals... Wicked... Zhuo-gg. It felt like something warm flowed through the bottom of my heart. With my heart throbbing, I gazed at Zhuo-gg. After clearing the branches, Zhuo-gg very very gently pulled me out. Supporting me, he took out a red potion and slowly poured it into my mouth, and he used a gentle voice to say, Im going to use an ultimate technique Ive never used before. Try not to stand too close, okay? You dont need me to help you? I hurriedly got out of Zhuo-ggs embrace, rmed as I spoke, Scorching me is too strong. Im afraid you wont have time to use your ultimate technique. Zhuo-gg smiled a small smile. It wont happen. Once I use my ultimate technique it cannot be stopped, and it does not distinguish between friend and foe. Im afraid I will hurt you, so you should keep your distance. Oh. I scratched my head. I think Ive once again be a burden. That kind of feeling was really unbearable. Good, back up slowly. After Wicked calmly finished saying this, I followed what he said. As I watched Wickeds back that left no room for surrender, each step bringing him closer to Scorching me, I suddenly had a bad premonition. My backward steps came to a stop for a second, but after I thought it through, I decided that I did not want to be anyones burden, so I continued backing up slowly. Thinking of running? Scorching me yelled. Your opponent is me, came Wickeds voice from behind as well. Gripping my weapon, I worried, not knowing if Wickeds ultimate technique would be effective...weapon! Wickeds best sword was still in my hands. That horrid sword in his hands would never be enough to engage Scorching me in a fight. Realizing this, I immediately turned, wanting to toss the sword in my hand to Wicked, but instead I saw Wicked walk slowly toward Scorching me with absolutely no weapon in his hands. Just as I started puzzling over this, Wicked softly uttered the following words: ND self-destruct program activate! ND...self-destruct program? Could it be that Wicked installed ND on his body? And what is a self-destruct program? I didnt need an answer. The sight before my eyes already told me what the ND self-destruct program was. Suddenly, piercing white light burst out of Wickeds body. I refused to blink as I faced the white light and atst I faintly saw Wickeds loving smile toward me, and it seemed like he was saying: I dont ever want to see you hurt again... An explosion! Before my eyes, Wicked and Scorching me exploded at the same time. I lost all my strength, falling to my knees as I faced the results of the explosion: white snowkes drifting in the sky and not a single person standing in the center of the explosion. Zhuo-gg? I asked softly, but there was no one to answer me. I almost sobbed as I violently continued, Zhuo-gg? Where are you? Dont scare me! Or have you already gone back to the Central Continent? ND...the purpose of ND is to die together with the NPCs. Lolidragons voice just had toe to mind without any tact. Wicked...have you disappeared forever? Vacantly, I reached out with my hand to catch one of the white snowkes, gentle and soft to the touch. It was like seeing Zhuo-ggs loving and pampering smile. Footnotes ...resembled Sadako climbing out of a television set...: Sadako is a character from The Ring, a horror novel that has been adapted to film. She is generally depicted as a gloomy young woman with her face hidden behind long hair, and she is often seen crawling out of television screens. She is part of the cursed video Ring that is said to kill viewers within seven days of watching it. ...I will definitely kill eighteen generations of their family...: This is amon way of swearing that youll eradicate the entire family, from the oldest generation to the newest generation, from great-grandfathers to infants. The eighteen generations part refers to nine generations of ancestors and nine generations of descendants. Not a phoenix? Then are you a turkey?: In Chinese, turkey is literally fire chicken. Thirty-Six Stratagems: The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a collection of stratagems that has variably been attributed to Sun Tsu. The stratagems apply to politics, war, diplomacy, and espionage, often involving unorthodox or deceptive means. They are traditionally divided into six groups based on the situation in which they are best used. These categories include stratagems for winning, dealing with the enemy, attack, chaos, gaining ground, and desperation. Volume 7 Chapter 3 Volume 7 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Guis Kindness C tranted by Nausica? I didnt know how long I had been kneeling in that same spot, with nothing but a feeling of absolute emptiness in my heart. I should have known. What sort of ultimate technique could Wicked possibly have to defend with, alone, when facing Scorching me of the Four Heavenly Kings? There had to have been some trick for him to have made such a decision! It was simply toote when I finally realized this. Wicked had already disappeared from Second Life, along with Scorching me. The only thing I could do now was to take revenge for him by killing the real instigator behind all of this: the Dictator of Life! I wiped away my tears and stood up. What I had to do right now was to go to Mount HuaLian and meet up with the others. But... I looked to my left and right, and then back again. Why does this forest look all the same to me? Which way am I supposed to go? This... even more than Wickeds self-destruction, this was the one thing that made me feel weak in the legs... I really hope that I can get to Mount HuaLian by myself! I had no choice but to consult with Lolidragon first. I opened the PM channel and asked, Lolidragon? What? Whats wrong? Dont tell me you guys have already reached Flower City, you cant be that fast? Lolidragon asked dubiously. I was just about to open my mouth and exin my present predicament, when I was suddenly struck by a thought. Besides Lolidragon, there is virtually no one else who could have set up that ploy with Wicked and the ND self-destruct program. Then, doesnt that mean everyone has the ND self-destruct program installed inside them? The reason they did it was to help me eradicate all the enemies that blocked our way to the Dictator of Life! Furthermore, they didnt tell me precisely because they knew that I would definitely be opposed to it. If I reached the Dictator of Life together with them, wouldnt that mean I would have to look on helplessly as the othersy down their lives to blow themselves up along with the enemy? By the time I reached this realization, my face had already turned very pale. I definitely do not want to see anyone else turn into snowkes. Prince? Did something happen? Lolidragon kept calling my name, as though she had discovered that something was amiss. However, I didnt reply, and simply closed the PM channel without a word. I looked at the surrounding forest and murmured to myself, saying, If I climb to the top of a tree, I should be able to see where Flower City is, right? As I predicted, once I had busily scampered up to the treetop like a monkey, I spotted a veryrge city with a spire in the middle, on the very top of which was even a sculpture of an extremelyrge rose... Sure enough, it was Flower City! After making certain that I would be going in the right direction, I slid down the tree trunk, and I began to advance toward Flower City one step at a time. Although it is a bit lonely traveling by myself, it is still better than watching the others blow themselves up. Havent you forgotten something very important? a voice couldnt resist reminding me. What important thing? Was there such a thing? I cocked my head and thought hard. If the Dictator of Life really were at Mount HuaLian and not Flower City, wouldnt that mean yourpanions are headed directly for certain death? Oh yeah! I had almost forgotten, Oceans Heart had said that the Dictator of Life was at Mount HuaLian... Wait a second, whos talking to me? I turned my head... and behind me stood XiMen Feng, who was even making a victory sign with both hands! I cant believe itWickeds death must havee as such a great shock to me that Im actually hallucinating and just imagined that I saw XiMen Feng. Amazed, I shook my head, and looked back again. Yet, the victory sign-posing XiMen Feng was still standing there. What? Wickeds already gone back to the Central Continent? shouted out a gloating XiMen Feng. Yer daddy was right. Without yer daddy, you, sonny, would definitely go down in utter defeat. I pointed a shaking finger at XiMen Feng. H-howe youre here? Whats that supposed to mean? Yer daddy also wants to kill the Dictator of Life. XiMen Fengined resentfully, Who knew that all of you guys would move so fast? By the time yer daddy hurried back to Infinite City, there wasnt a single person left. Hurried back to Infinite City? XiMen Feng cant possibly mean that after being blown sky-high by AnRui, he had only just hurried back to Infinite City, right?Are you serious? I thought with disbelief. Just how far did you fly off to? Haha, just as yer daddy was hoppin up and down in rage by the sea, that damn m came back, XiMen Feng said with a smug expression on his face. Of course yer daddy ordered him to take yer daddy to the Northern Continent. You were kiddin yerself if you thought that yer daddy would let you youngsters do somethin as grand as killin the final boss, then take all the glory for yerselves! ... I was left at a loss for words. But yer daddy hadnt evene ashore when yer daddy saw a horde of monsters, forcin yer daddy to sneak up through the forest. XiMen Feng heaved a sigh while shaking his head. Yer daddy ended up not knowin where the heck he was. If yer daddy hadnt heard the gang makin a riot over the team channel, yer daddy wouldve thought that you were all long dead! I had stopped paying attention to XiMen Fengs babbling nonsense and was in the middle of pondering where I should go next. To Flower City? Or Mount HuaLian? I didnt know if XiMen Feng had detected my unpleasant mood, as he actually shut up and stopped with the yer daddy this, sonny that. But he immediately spoke again, Sonny, it seems like the gang is nnin toe lookin fer you! Looking for me? I asked, greatly startled. Yeah. You closed the team channel, so theyre worried out of their wits and saying theyre going toe find you, XiMen Feng answered, looking as though he was listening intently to something. I also immediately opened the team channel to find out what was going on. Something must have happened to Wicked. Otherwise he wouldnt have stopped responding to us, Lolidragon said worriedly. Dont worry, Ming Huang has already gone offline to ask, Wolf-dg responded calmly. After a long while, Ming Huangs voice could be heard. He sounded very heartbroken, and while suppressing his emotions with great difficulty, he said, My brothers character disappeared. He used the ND self-destruct program on himself against Scorching me of the Four Heavenly Kings and turned them both into ashes. Everyone fell silent. Finally, Lolidragon spoke up, Since Wicked has disappeared, that guy Prince doesnt have anyone taking care of him! And now he absolutely refuses to answer, so who knows what hes thinking? Wed better go and find him first! Upon hearing this, I closed the team channel again. Since now I knew that they wereing to Flower City to find me, I no longer had to worry about them meeting the Dictator of Life at Mount HuaLian. Alright then, Ill set off to find the Dictator first, and hopefully Ill be able to take care of him before everyone arrives at Flower City. Alright, to Flower City! I decided. Alrighty, yer daddy will go with you to kill the final boss! XiMen Feng shouted excitedly, a glint of anticipation in his eyes. I hesitated a bit. You... dont have the ND self-destruct program installed on you, do you? Huh? Indie cell-distract probe fan? XiMen Feng repeated with a baffled expression on his face. Whats that? Howe yer daddys never heard of it before? ...Pretend I never asked. Three dark lines descended down my face. I shouldve known that XiMen Feng hasnt ever grasped the present situation. Lets go. I immediately started walking toward Flower City. PrinSonny! Youre walking in the wrong direction, XiMen Feng yelled hurriedly. Eh? Is that so? I scratched my face as I was dragged along by XiMen Feng. Weird, why does it seem like XiMen Feng is acting a bit pushier than usual today? XiMen Feng, after AnRui brought you here, did he leave again? I asked absentmindedly. Darn that m... would it have killed him to stay and help out? Uh-huh, yeah. Since AnRui hates getting involved so much, I wonder who was actually able to make hime and act as our transport. No matter how much I racked my brains, I still couldnt figure out just who would be able to force that m off its bum. It could be the Dictator of Life himself, XiMen Feng said solemnly. Even though I dont know the reason, its clear that the Dictator of Life is helping us reach the Northern Continent. Yet on the other hand, hes also trying to prevent us from advancing. I really dont understand what his true intention is. Is it really the Dictator of Life? I really didnt understand the mentality of a final boss. He wants us toe, but at the same time he is desperately trying to stop us. Whats he ying at? I think it should have been him, replied XiMen Feng, his brow also furrowed in thought. I suddenly felt very strange, as if something were out of ce... Just what could it be? I stared at XiMen Fengs furrowed brow, feeling rather strange... Oh yeah! I shouted in surprise, XiMen Feng, you XiMen Fengs body suddenly stiffened. Whats wrong with yer daddy? I bore down mercilessly upon him. Youre just as directionally challenged as I am! Acting all like you know where youre going... If youre really able to lead me to Flower City, then I bet I can swim back to the Central Continent on my own. Ththis is... stammered a wide-eyed XiMen Feng, looking as though he was at a loss for words. Luckily, Ill be able to see if I climb a tree. Immediately I nimbly climbed up to the top of the tree. XiMen Feng, the bastard, was even more directionally challenged than I was after all! We had been walking in precisely the direction leading away from Flower City. Once again I slid down the tree trunk, and waved to XiMen Feng. Its this way. XiMen Feng remained rooted to the spot, staring stupidly at me. Seeing him like that, I curled my lip irritably. What? You dont want toe with me? Then you can go find the others by yourself. Ille with you, no matter where you want to go, XiMen Feng said with a smile, and followed me. Something still feels weird. Isnt XiMen Feng acting... rather differently than usual? I thought hard. How is XiMen Feng different from before? He seems to be... gentler? I shook my head violently. It is inconceivable that the word gentle can actually be used in conjunction with XiMen Feng. I am definitely imagining things! When the city walls of Flower City were already within sight, I found myself faced with a predicament. How should I sneak into Flower City?Considering that there were probably some hundreds of thousands of NPCs crawling all over the ce, I really didnt feel that with just XiMen Fengs help I could simply disregard the mobs of enemies and charge our way through to the Dictator of Life. If the Dictator of Life really were in Flower City, then he would definitely be in the Central Tower, XiMen Feng shrewdly analyzed. That is where the defense would be the strongest. The Central Tower! Inwardly, I sized up our present situation. How could I possibly get to the Central Tower? Unless you were an NPC, any yer that entered Flower City would definitely be ughtered... Right, an NPC! I hurriedly asked, Is there any way the two of us can disguise ourselves as NPCs? Um, generally speaking, its not possible, XiMen Feng said with some hesitation. Then, that means there is a way? From the way he spoke, it sounded like XiMen Feng had some sort of idea. In a rather defeated tone, XiMen Feng replied, Yes, a while ago Lolidragon happened to develop a device that can be used to change ones appearance. Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and take it out, I demanded rather unhappily. If XiMen Feng had taken out this device earlier, I wouldnt have had to stand here racking my brains for a way to get into Flower City. XiMen Feng pulled out of his bag a strangely shaped... stic wrap! stic wrap, as the name implies, is a clear stic film used to preserve things. When bought, it oftenes in a cylindrical shape, and upon opening it, one can pull out a very long sheet of clear, stic film that can be used to wrap up food, which can then be ced in the refrigerator, preserved, and thus keep any foul smells from spreading. Moreover, it can be used to steam nice tasty eggs. In short, for a housewife and her cooking needs, it is an indispensable treasure... But, I seemed to remember that what I wanted was a disguising device.What is XiMen Feng giving me this stic wrap for?! With mes practically shooting out of my mouth, I reached out with both hands and closed them around XiMen Fengs throat. Here we were, facing an extremely serious situation, yet this guy still had the nerve to y around with me! Wrap this around your body, and then say the name of the person whose appearance you want to take! XiMen Feng frantically yelled, as he could do little else in the face of my wrath. Oh. I immediately withdrew my hands from XiMen Fengs neck, took the stic wrap, and hastily began to preserve myself... I felt like a mummy being wrapped in transparent bandages. I finally understood what it felt like to be a fish wrapped in stic wrap. My entire body, including my eyes, was wrapped in the stic wrap. Besides standing, I couldnt do anything at all... although I could probably still jump straight up. Prince, just say the name of the person whose appearance you want to take, XiMen Feng reminded me. ...Scorching me. I considered for a moment. If I want to get close to the Dictator of Life, it would definitely be best to turn into one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Furthermore, Scorching me has already disappeared along with Wicked, so I wont have to worry about running into him. The name had barely left my mouth when the film on my body suddenly began to tighten... Alright, I admit that Scorching me was a lot slimmer than me, but there wasnt any need for it to be this tight. Moreover, my body felt so hot, it was as if I were being roasted over a fire. I couldnt keep myself from moaning in pain. My god, not only am I being tightly wrapped in stic film, now it feels as though Im stuck inside a microwave. Can it be that XiMen Feng is an NPC in disguise, and is nning to devour me after putting me in the microwave? Wild thoughts swirled uncontrobly through my mind right before I passed out from the heat. Ow, where am I? I cant be inside the fake XiMen Fengs stomach, can I? I shook my head vigorously, trying to get rid of the feeling of dizziness. Sorry, I forgot to tell you that the transformation process isnt very pleasant, said XiMen Feng... No, this wasnt XiMen Fengs voice. I whipped my head up to look, only to see someone that I shouldnt be seeing here. Celestial! I stared nkly at him. The Execution Squad cant have found me this quickly...right? Celestial smiled. Im not actually Celestial. You turned into Scorching me, so of course I will need to turn into another NPC as well. We can just say that Scorching me has caught the traitor Celestial, and is bringing him back to report to the Dictator of Life. Thats a good idea. I got up, and happened to notice that my own hand had turned into some red, semi-transparent foreign-looking entity. I looked down at the rest of my body, which was half translucent. It made me feel like a... ghost. Lets go! I gathered my courage and, dragging the traitor Celestial who had been captured by Scorching me, I headed toward the main gates of Flower City. I walked straight into the city. As expected, the number of NPCs inside was as innumerable as the yers within Infinite City. Moreover, they were crawling all over the ce. If I had brazenly charged in, I probably would have had to prepare to go back to the Central Continent after breaching just a meter past the city gates. But right now I was Scorching me... Hehe, as expected, not a single NPC stood in my way. Dragging Celestial along like so, I steadily approached the Central Tower, drawing ever closer to my target: the Dictator of Life. Stop right there! A cold voice suddenly rang out. What was even more frightening was that I seemed to have heard this voice before. Taking a deep breath, I turned to face this neer, who turned out to be none other than Flowing Wind. I coolly asked, What do you want? In any case, right now I, like Flowing Wind, was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, so there was no need to be courteous with him. Besides, based on the short time I had known Scorching me, I had the feeling that he definitely had not been a person of good temperament. You caught Celestial? Flowing Wind asked with a surprised expression on his face. Yeah, and I was just about to bring him to see the Dictator, I replied. Why dont you just fly? What are you walking on your legs for? Flowing Wind asked suspiciously. Ugh, although this technique of disguise can transform me into another person, it cant give me that persons abilities... but I couldnt very well say that. I thought about it, and came up with a forced excuse. Hehe, I wanted to take my time beating this guy up. If I flew to the Dictator right away, wheres the fun in that? Flowing Windughed raucously. But of course, let me teach him a lesson too. Having said this, he actually threw a punch at XiMen Feng, knocking him onto the ground. Seeing that Flowing Wind was aiming tond a few more blows on XiMen Feng, I hurriedly blocked him. Alright, thats enough. Better not let the Dictator find out. Alright. Upon hearing the Dictators name, Flowing Wind had no choice but to stop, albeit very reluctantly. I quickly helped XiMen Feng up, and threw him a worried nce, which he returned with a reassuring smile. Flowing Wind, something serious has happened! a childs voice urgently shouted. Scorching me is dead and the Dictator of Life has flown into a rage. What? Scorching me is dead? A strange expression appeared on Flowing Winds face. He stared at y Child, and then looked at me. Im so dead. I was just about to break into a run and flee, when the whole sky shook with a terrible voice that was filled with rage and grief, wailing, Why did they kill him? Scorching me didnt do anything wrong! Damn all of you humans! The Dictator of Life! I looked toward the Central Tower. The Dictator of Life was in Flower City after allOceans Heart had given us false information. Hurry, run to the Central Tower, XiMen Feng reminded me. He was right. Right now we were up against two of the Heavenly Kings. If now wasnt the time to flee, I didnt know when would be. I immediately broke out running at top speed, but still remembered to shout at XiMen Feng, Dont follow me, XiMen! Run toward the city gates, Ill lure them to the Central TowerXiMen Feng? Shocked, I watched as XiMen Feng spread out both arms to block the path of Flowing Wind and y Child. He lightly uttered the very words that I never, ever wanted to hear again in my life, ND self-des Not waiting for him to finish, I struck out with my foot, kicking XiMen Feng down onto the ground so that he was unable to get up. I viciously growled, Do you take me for an idiot? I stomped, kicked and punched him. Did you think I couldnt tell that you were different from the usual XiMen Feng? How could XiMen Feng be as clever, as gentle, and as big of an idiot as you, who thinks only of sacrificing yourself for me? I kept hitting him, but couldnt keep myself from choking on my tears as I cried out, Stupid Gui! XiMen Feng...no, Gui stiffened, then raised his head and gave a wry smile. You found out? I wasnt sure at first, but when you shouted to activate the self-destruct programhow could I not have known? I shouted, You purposely walked in the direction opposite of Flower City in order to lead me to the others, right? I refused to follow you, and yet you said that you were definitely willing to stay with me. Who else could you be besides Gui? Im sorry, Prince. I didnt mean to lie to you, its just that when I saw Wicked blow himself up, I knew you definitely wouldnt let mee with you, so I... Gui slowly got up, and gently held me in his arms. So you pretended to be XiMen Feng, and even as you were about to blow yourself to pieces, you refused to tell me you were Gui... I also embraced him back tightly and cried bitterly, Wicked, Wickeds already gone! Dont leave me too, alright? Please dont cry, Prince. If you cry, both Wicked and I will feel very sad, Gui gentlyforted me. Then you have to promise me that you definitely will not use the ND self-destruct program, I said, looking straight at Gui, not wanting to give him any chance of evading me. Gui smiled, but did not say a word. Gui? I asked, a bit afraid. Guis smile was so gentle... so gentle, that it made me feel afraid. Chains of Love, Gui softly recited. My heart jumped, and looking down, I saw that semi-transparent chains were twisting themselves around my body... Gui was going to blow himself up! Panicking, I yelled, Gui, I forbid you from disappearing! If you disappear, I definitely, definitely wont go looking for you! The back of Guis body stiffened, though he calmly faced Flowing Wind and y Child, and asked, Can you let us go? Is Scorching me really dead? Flowing Wind demanded, holding back his temper with tremendous difficulty as the air surrounding him began to churn in turbulent gusts. Anyone could see that Flowing Wind would fly into a rage at the slightest sign of assent from Gui. Yes, Gui answered serenely. You guys killed him! y Child looked angrily at Gui with red-rimmed eyes, while Flowing Wind fixed a hateful re on me. Gui turned to me with a bitter smile. It looks like there wont be a happy ending, Prince. You and Wicked couldnt kill Scorching me... With the two of us against Flowing Wind and y Child, do we have any other choice? We can escape, I said, trembling as I struggled. Why are these bonds so damn tight? Dont struggle anymore, Prince. Those chains are like my love for you... they will never, ever let go. As Guis smile became even more tender, it made my heart ache even more painfully. No! I couldnt stop myself from screaming. Gui! ND self-destruct program activate! Gui softly called out. A sh of blinding white light burst forth, and sounding as though he were about to cry, he gently said, I still want to meet you, Prince. Bang! The ear-splitting sound of a violent explosion tore through the air, followed once again by those exceedingly beautiful white snowkes falling from the sky. Was this Guis blood, Guis flesh, or Guis heart? I couldnt hold back the tears that filled my eyes. In my heart, all that remained was the image of a dark-haired demon with amethyst eyes, a man who always left his smiles for me, but kept his tears to himself. Gui... why did you sacrifice yourself? I cried out. I came to Flower City on my own because I didnt want to see any of you die for me! Yet you still gave up your life, what the hell is up with that? Gui, you idiot! Idiot! I yelled hoarsely. Volume 7 Chapter 4 Volume 7 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Celestials Fury C tranted by ErodingPersona Scorching me? I had no idea how long I was just standing there staring when an anxious voice suddenly echoed out. I tentatively looked to where the voice hade from, and my eyes fell upon Celestial... Celestial? I half-crawled, half-rushed to him, hugging him as I asked, Gui, youre not dead? Gui? Celestial answered, bewildered, What are you saying? Scorching me? I stiffened. This wasnt Gui. This was the real Celestial. Hoarsely, I asked, Are you really Celestial? Celestial nked out for quite some time, and replied with a strange tone, Of course Im Celestial. Gui really has disappeared. I squatted on the floor again, and said bitterly, I am not Scorching me. I am Prince. Prince? Celestial asked in bewilderment as he examined me. You really are Prince! Then what are you still doing here? Celestial suddenly jumped up. This is the Northern Continent. If all Four Heavenly Kings arrive, I wouldnt be able to protect you by myself. Iughed dryly, The Four Heavenly Kings? There is only one Heavenly King now. Celestial was startled, as if struck by lightning. What do you mean? I clenched my fists, and said the words that broke my heart, Wicked and Scorching me have perished together, and Gui has just disappeared along with y Child and Flowing Wind. You-you killed them?! Celestial shouted in disbelief as he trembled. I nked out. We killed them? Does he mean that Gui and Wicked killed Scorching me, Flowing Wind and y Child? I tilted my head up and looked at Celestial, whose face was filled with sorrow and fury. Didnt they hate you? I couldnt stop myself and asked, Why are you so worried about them? They were only children. Celestial roared. They were only children who didnt know any better. They never caused much harm, so why did you, why...... At this point, Celestial broke down in tears and couldnt speak anymore. My heart burned with anger. Had they not captured me, Wicked and Gui would also not have had to perish with them, and anyway, its not just them who disappeared. Wicked and Gui have also disappeared. Celestial suddenly gripped my cor, eyes turned bloodshot in his grief. Dont you darepare Wicked and Gui to them; you know that you all still have a life in the real world, unlike us. Once we die, we have nothing left. Dont tell me you dont understand this? I stared... It was true, at least in the real world, they still existed as Zhuo-gg and Professor Min Gui Wen, but Scorching me, Flowing Wind and y Child on the other hand had nothing left. Just as I would feel upset over Wicked and Gui, naturally Celestial would also be furious over his fellow self-aware NPCs. Im sorry! I apologized in a tight voice. I never thought I would be the cause of Celestials bad mood. Sorry? Do you think the lives of three of mypanions are worth just one apology? Hahaha, that is such a fair exchange, truly it is! Celestialughed madly, the corner of his eyes filling with tears. Human! Celestial swiveled his head around. Besides directing his vengeful gaze on me, he stepped closer and closer to me... You are all too selfish. Just like the Dictator said, to you, we are all just a bunch of numbers. We will never be valued as another life. But we also have feelings: we feel sad, we feel pain, and we feel love! When he said love, Celestials face softened. Even though Scorching me and Flowing Wind didnt like me, they never attacked me. Celestials face held a sorrowful look. The Dictator and I are the same; we dont want to lose what fewpanions we have. But in one short day, I lost three of mypanions, and the one who brought their murderers to the Northern Continent was me, Celestial roared. Celestial has gone mad and he really will kill me, I realized as I stared at his bloodshot eyes filled with vengeance. I suddenly became fully aware of the fact that Celestial really hated me right now. I stepped back, yet I couldnt think of a way to escape. Thunder sounded... Really, thunder on a sunny day? I tilted my head to face the heavens. Can it really be that He also thought that we had been too outrageous in our deeds? Ah... A faint sigh echoed around Flower City. Celestial,e back, I dont want to lose you again. Celestial blinked and swiveled his head toward the tower with arge rose, eyes filled with regret and hurt, and then Celestial looked passionately at me and said, I will take you to see the Dictator and let him decide everything. See the Dictator? I stood up quickly. Could it be that Celestial wants to help the Dictator exterminate me? Yes, no matter what has happened, I finally managed to get you here to Flower City... I sacrificed threepanions for this; of course I will bring you to see the Dictator. The look on Celestials face... Maybe I was reading his face wrong, but to me he had a look of triumph that said that his n had finally seeded. Celestial, you couldnt have been sent by the Dictator?...A spy? After all, Celestial now wore an extremely serious and sorrowful look on his face. It waspletely different from the silly, na?ve personality that I had be used to, and I really couldnt shake off my doubts that the Celestial before had only pretended to be silly and na?ve. Celestial was silent, before finally saying, Yes, the Dictator sent me. Even the Four Heavenly Kings didnt know about this. You lied to Doll? My face darkened. Doll had already started to ept Celestial. If she found out that Celestial had been lying to her all along, she would definitely be upset. I never! Celestial roared, My wife is my wife, the orders that the Dictator gave are the orders that the Dictator gave! These two things have nothing to do with each other! Youre still a spy anyway, I roared back. Celestials face reddened. He walked in circles, furious but unable to refute me. He finally sucked in a deep breath, turned to me and said, No matter what has happened, you have to follow me to see the Dictator. What a joke. If I were under attack by both Celestial and the Dictator, escape would be impossible, never mind being able to kill the Dictator. I slowly backed away, prepared to run at any given moment. Lets go, Prince. The Dictator will decide everything. Celestial rubbed away the tears at the corner of his eyes and steeled himself. Theres no... I swallowed. If I fought against Celestial, the chances of me winning would be... less than zero. If I just focused on escaping, what would my chances be? Celestial, if I fought against you, what are the chances of me escaping sessfully? I couldnt help myself and asked aloud... Then I thought, if someone asked their enemy when they were about to fight against them what the chances of sessfully escaping were... Wasnt that a tant deration to the enemy that they wanted to run? I had just done something stupid again. Celestial, however, seriously considered this and answered me, Approximately... less than ten percent. After all, I can fly and you only have two legs to run with. But if there were someone standing in your way? That... That would depend on how powerful the person was. Celestial answered again, but I blinked. I havent even opened my mouth to ask? Someone around the same level as you. Oceans Heart suddenly descended from the sky between me and Celestial. Ocean... Youre still alive? Celestial let loose a relieved sigh, but couldnt help the anxious expression that came across his face. The only one left out of the Four Heavenly Kings is you. Oceans Heart smiled, swiveled his head to me and said, Ah, you cant beat the Dictator of Life. No matter what, you will never be able to defeat him, so I purposely led you to Mount HuaLian... I didnt think that you would head to Flower City to see the Dictator on your own. I was stunned. I couldnt beat the Dictator... Thats why Oceans Heart purposely led me to Mount HuaLian? Oceans Heart had been preventing me from running to my death at Flower City? Hurry up and leave. I will help you block Celestial, Oceans Heart pressed. I wont go. If I go, wouldnt Wicked and Guis death be for naught? I switch to the PM channel and calmly asked the others, Where are all of you? Can you immediately head to Flower City? Theres still a fair distance. Lolidragon hastily asked, Did anything happen? Has Gui found you yet? Gui... I started choking again. Did something happen to Gui? Wolf-dg was surprised, but a momentter heavily said, No matter what has happened, Prince,e over and join us. Believe me; all our power together will definitely be stronger than yours alone. Thats right, Prince, dont act on your own again. Yu Lian-ds?o also spoke up with worry, Everyone is worried about you! I stared at Oceans Hearts battle with Celestial, and thought over Wolf-dgs words. Its true; its better to return to everyone now. I suddenly had a fleeting desire to be by myrades side, to battle together with everyone... fighting until we reach the Dictator of Life! Okay. I made up my mind. Wolf-dg, wait for me. I will go now and look for you. I immediately ran out of the city gates; Oceans Heart would help me by distracting Celestial. Not to mention, I now had Scorching mes appearance, so the other NPCs wouldnt attack me in this form. If I dont run now, when will I get the chance again? Prince, wait... Celestials surprised voice echoed out. Celestial Satin! The minute the words were uttered, countless white, silken strips surrounded and attacked me. I ducked and dodged desperately, but the silken strips proved too much for me. The strips bound me tightly, and rendered futile my attempts at running away. Covered with a transparent membrane, I really felt like I waspletely wrapped in white cloth, like an actual mummy. Feathers of Ice! Oceans Heart raged, and the silken strips became embedded with small feather-shaped crystals. The silken strips binding me were torn apart. Oceans Heart, you... Celestial was surprised at Oceans Hearts actions, and then exined, I am only bringing him to see the Dictator; I have no intention of harming him. Celestial stopped short, and asked curiously, Yet you, who has never cared about anything... Why are you preventing me from capturing Prince? Oceans Heart gave a small smile. Thats because Im siding with the humans! I tilted my head up and stared at Oceans Heart. Its siding with us? What are you waiting for, Prince? Hurry up and leave. Oceans Heart lightly chastised me. Startled, I immediately continued my unfinished task C escaping. Ocean, this is too much! I must bring Prince to the Dictator! Celestial roared. Hmph, lets see you try. Oceans Hearts tone of voice turned cold and stern. Celestial Satin! Feathers of Ice! Stop! A thunderous roar sounded again. The roar made the earth shake terrifyingly. The buildings beside the street groaned, and a few wooden structures even crumbled to the ground. If measured on the Richter scale, this earthquake would be rated at a 7.0... I swallowed and looked at the wooden house a mere few steps from me. No, it could not be called a house anymore. It was now just a pile of logs. I warned you, never attack yourrades! Dictator! Celestial looked toward the Central Tower with panic. His face held both remorse and obedience. Im sorry. I should not have forgotten your orders, but I wanted to bring Prince to see you. I do not want to see him right now! Dictator? Celestial asked in surprise. I dont want to see him. All I want to do now is kill him. Flowing Wind, y Child, Scorching me... Hearing this, Celestial turned to me and said, Hurry up and leave. You cant meet the Dictator right now. What sort of situation is this? Didnt the Dictator want to kill me? Why is Celestial telling me to hurry up and leave? I couldnt stop myself and asked, Dont you all want to kill me? Leave when I tell you to! If you still continue asking so many questions, I really will capture you and hand you over to be killed by the Dictator myself! Celestial half-heartedly threatened me, using Celestial Satin to surround me. Wait a minute, I... I still wanted to continue asking, but dozens of Celestial Satin ribbons started forcefully pushing me out of Flower City, and the enormous city gate behind my back sealed itself, leaving me standing there alone outside the city to be chilled by the wind. Ah! I shrieked, then moaned, I forgot to ask Celestial to take me to look for the Execution Squad. My god, I will get lost! The sounds of multiple people tripping and falling seemed toe from behind the gates! Footnotes y Child: In online text of the series, Prince uses Celestials name here, which is a mistake. This was fixed in the print version. He: The He here refers to God. Volume 7 Chapter 5 Volume 7 Chapter 5 Chapter 5:If There is Already French Bread in This World, Why is There Meatbun as Well? C tranted by bleachpanda Hmm... I remember that when Gui tried to take me to find everyone, he seemed to be going... this way? I stared at the deep and quiet forest, thinking in desperation, Which direction did Gui take me in...? Speaking of which, if only Gui were still here, then everything would be fine. Even Zhuo-ggs presence would help... Inadvertently, my heart sank. I will never be able to see them within the game again. Then... wont I have to meet Professor Min Gui Wen now? Ifrantically stood up. Oh no!I dont think my midterm exam results on the history of literature were that... ideal. Thinking about the Professorsment on my test that said there is still a lot of room for improvement made me really... not want to tell him that I was actually Prince... But if I dont go to meet Gui, wont that be quite cruel of me? I sighed with an inevitable headache, What should I do? What should you do? Open the door and let us in! Or else, be prepared to be destroyed! A cold voice rang out. I froze for a moment. This voice sounded very familiar, but that person usually didnt use such a cold tone when speaking to me. I raised my head and looked up. I stood up, excitedly shouting, Zui! And everyone! The entire Execution Squad had actually assembled right in front of my eyes! Everyone appeared tired and worn out, their foreheads dripping with sweat, their faces full of exhaustion. It could be deduced from one look that they had risked their lives toe here in a rush...Did they rush here in desperation for an idiot like me? I almost smiled happily from the bottom of my heart. However, it seemed that Nan Gong Zui hadnt expected that I would yell out his name. He stood there stunned for quite a while before replying, Who are you? How do you know my name? Dont tell me youre Prince? Lolidragon rushed forward, studying my appearance from head to toe. How did you be a ghost? And a red malicious ghost at that! Lolidragon! Be careful! It might be a trap! Undying Man charged forward a few steps, standing in between Lolidragon and me. He was ying the part of a hero that always protects the beautiful girls. Looking at me with suspicion and doubt, he bluntly said, No matter how much you look at this thing, it does not resemble Prince one bit! Oh no... They cant recognize me. Dont tell me theyll treat me as an NPC and kill me? I hurriedly tried to clear up the misunderstanding, I am Prince! I really am! I just used the device that Lolidragon gave Gui! Lolidragon, you know... that stic wrap that lets you transform..? stic wrap? A puzzled expression appeared on Lolidragons face. Her strange reaction led to the Execution Squad anxiously drawing out their weapons and pointing them toward me one after another. Pfffft! Lolidragon couldnt help but snicker out loud. It wasnt long before she held her stomach inughter. Hahahaha! stic wrap! You actually called the fake skin we invented for transformations stic wrap! Haha, only, only Prince would have such a weird imagination! So it really is Prince? Yu Lian-ds?o gasped in surprise. It is me! I nodded in desperation. Wow, Prince... You have turned... really red! Sunshine stared at me with curiosity. ...Thats not the main point, everyone thought. After hearing these ments, Lolidragon knelt on the floor, violently pounding the ground as sheughed in an even more exaggerated manner. The sound of herughter agitated me to the point that I was seriously tempted to kick her a few times. Y-You only need to shout Restore in order to return to your original appearance, she eventually stuttered. I jumped up vigorously and said, Why didnt you say that earlier?! Restore!! Hurry up and Restore!! Why isnt anything happening? I lowered my head, ceaselessly staring at my translucent torso... It feels strange being able to see whats behind me through my chest. While I was still looking through myself and feeling strange about it, an explosion of red light suddenly emitted from my body. Once more, I felt an extremely concentrated amount of heat burning me. However, this time, I was mentally prepared. Unlikest time when I fainted on the spot, this time I was able to withstand the heat and see my body begin to change. Transparent stic wrap (okay, Lolidragon insisted that it was fake skin used for transformations) appeared at the soles of my feet and slowly wrapped around my calves, then my thighs, followed by my waist, until it finally transformed me once again into a mummy encased in transparent bandages. I... really felt like tearing off this stic wrap. However, the problem was not only the fact that I had be a mummy, but that I had also be like one of those Egyptian mummies that are ced in coffins with their legs and armspletely bound. How could a mummy tear off its own bandages? Uh... As it is still in development, there could be slight defects, Lolidragon tried to exin but seeded only in making things worse. Therefore, you should never say Restore when you are alone... Otherwise, you might run into some trouble. No need to exin any further. Hurry up and remove that thing from Princes body, Wolf-dg lightly interrupted Lolidragon whilst stepping forward and helping me remove the stic wrap from my body. He managed to unwind the piece of stic wrap from my face with much effort. As expected of Wolf-dg, youre the best! I thanked him immediately, touched. Wolf-dg gently knocked on my head before reproaching me slightly, Why did you run off alone without even reporting back to the team? Everyone was really worried about you. The moment I heard Wolf-dgs words, I couldnt help but think about Zhuo-gg and Gui once again. It was all because of me that they disappeared. I couldnt stop myself as my voice choked with sobs, Im sorry, because of me, both Gui and Wicked... They will never appear in Second Life again. They... Both of them have vanished forever. Wolf-dg sighed. With his arms outstretched, he held me against his wide chest and said in aforting tone, Go ahead and cry. Well avenge them as soon as youre done. Wolf-dg... After hearing his words, I openly burst into tears and wept bitterly, keeping my face hidden in his embrace. My tears and snot ran down Wolf-dgs chest. After crying for a long, long time, I started having countless shbacks of when I was with the two of them. Strange... Why are the shbacks rted to Gui so violent and gory? I finally forced myself to stop sniffling. Still hiding desperately within Wolf-dgs arms, I quietly asked, Does my crying sound horrible? It sounds slightly better than a wailing god and a crying ghostbined, Lolidragon remarked tactlessly, her words stabbing right through me. Someone really needs to teach her a lesson about interjecting with unnecessaryments. A grown man weeping? How unsightly, Ming Huang said coldly, dealing me thest blow. Ignoring the midget, I angrily turned around and red at Lolidragon, Couldnt you at leastfort me? Comforting is useless, Lolidragon said, suddenly retracting her grinning face and recing it with a serious one. Id rather stand by your side and fight alongside you. Lolidragon.... I was shocked, Have you taken the wrong medicine? Lolidragon gave me a ruthless blow on the head. She roared, infuriated, Damn you! I rarely say such fine words. Why couldnt you have acted along with me!? So you do know that you rarely say such nice words...Feng Wu Qing quietly muttered to the side. Prince, somethings not right within the city, said Nan Gong Zui, frowning as he came forward. What do you mean by not right? I asked, slightly surprised. Listen. It seems like there are battle sounds, Zui said with a heavy expression. I quickly strained my ears, and was indeed able to hear faint battle noises obviously drifting over from Flower City. This is strange. Everyone is outside of the city, so who would be fighting within Flower City? It cant be that the NPCs revolted, right? I asked, unable to understand the current situation. No way. NPCs dont fight with other NPCs, said Lolidragon, dismissing my words. However, she continued furrowing her eyebrows as she said, But, if they were self-aware NPCs... then thats a different story. Prince-gg, why hasnt Celestiale out? Doll asked worriedly. Celestial! Now that Doll mentioned it, I finally remembered that Celestial and Oceans Heart were still in the city! I blurted out, Could Celestial and Oceans Heart have started fighting? Why would Celestial and Oceans Heart be fighting? Lets not worry about that aspect. Since both of them are good NPCs, I cant just stand by and watch them kill each other, I said hastily as I rushed toward the city gates. I took out Wickeds longsword, hoping to use Pure White Inferno Rhapsody to break through the gates in order to stop the two people... the two NPCs from battling any further. Prince, Feng Wu Qing suddenly called out, stopping me in my tracks. I looked at my brother suspiciously. Smiling, he threw a weapon toward me. Your ck Dao. My ck Dao! I caught the weapon and took a look. It really is my ck Dao! My exceptionally ck ck Dao, my best partner inbat!I was overjoyed. After swapping it with my current weapon, I couldnt resist swinging ck Dao a few times to get the feeling back. My precious ck Dao, you are indeed the only one who could ever fit my fighting style! Pure White Inferno Rhapsody! I charismatically shouted the name of my ultimate technique with my back confidently facing the gate. Without even having to look, I was supremely confident that the gates had been smashed into smithereens. Although I have nothing against you, dear gates, you were obstructing my path... I swept back my hair and turned to enter the city.... Bam! .... Silence hung in the air. My entire body had smacked right into the city gates, the fingernails on my hands leaving ten scratch marks on its surface. That hurt! Ow, ow, ow... Ouch! Suddenly, Nan Gong Zui walked to my side, which happened to be in front of the city gates. He ced one of his hands on the gate, bent down, and asked, his voice full of concern and worry, Are you alright? Pah! My entire body came into hard contact with the floor, leaving Nang Gong Zui stunned and looking down at his own hand, the hand that had identally pushed the gate open! Nan Gong Zui, acting as if nothing had happened, once again walked closer and bent his body down, asking, Are you alright? Thump! Uh... The chunk of ice that just fell from the sky and coincidentally hit you has nothing to do with me! Nan Gong Zui solemnly justified himself. ... This was the sound of my speechlessness. Heaven raining ice chunks down on me? Dont tell me the reason Im being hit is because I was violent to the city gate... Have I angered the gods? Ah! Celestial! Doll suddenly cried out. I immediately jumped up from the floor, my eyes following the direction that Dolls eyes were staring in. On a five-to-six-story-high building, both Celestial and Oceans Heart were in the middle of a heated battle for some unfathomable reason! Therge number of both heavy and minor injuries on their bodies clearly showed that the battle had been going on for a long time. Also, there was no mistaking the fact that both of them had been fighting on the ground just now. I could tell from the pile of NPC corpses they had left behind that had yet to disappear. In addition, everything surrounding the building had beenpletely demolished. It could be deduced that as they exchanged their blows, they had realized that if they continued fighting on the ground, all of the NPCs that were present in the city would have been wiped out. Hence, they had changed their battle ground to midair. As several icicles formed from Oceans Hearts hand and flew toward Celestial, I softly uttered, Oceans Heart... Prince, I know that you are worried about Oceans Heart, Lolidragon said as she patted my back as if consoling me. But rest assured, everyone will prevent.... Of course! It was Oceans Hearts icicles that had fallen and hit me! And I thought I had angered the gods! I said in realization. ... Lolidragon once again punched me violently. Why did you hit me again? Iined angrily as I held my head. Hurry up and stop them! Lolidragon screamed in frustration. Stop? Are you kidding me? I looked toward the tall building. I could use Meatbuns bamboo copter to fly up there, but couldnt they see?Dozens of ribbons of Celestial Satin danced around in the sky, hitting the citys walls from time to time and leaving huge holes in them. I cant even imagine the amount of damage there would be if it were Oceans Hearts icicles instead... If I really were to fly up there, I would get knocked out of the air by Celestial Satin and then find myself pinned to the wall through all four of my limbs by Oceans Hearts icicles. Prince-gg, you have to help Celestial quickly! Hes bleeding so much! Doll anxiously looked at the patches of wounds on Celestials body that had been carved by Oceans Hearts icicles. She was so desperate, she was about to burst into tears at any moment. I... Looking up at the sky, I was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Divine Lightning Strike! Ming Huang shouted out of the blue as he cast his spell. The cloudless sky was suddenly filled with lightning. Bolts of lightning hurtled toward Oceans Heart, but before they could evene within ten meters of him, they were destroyed by his icicles. Damn, it actually didnt seed! cursed Ming Huang. He is a BOSS level NPC, you know. Relying only on a few mages may be futile, said Yu Lian-ds?o as she frowned. Then I shall go! Sunshine suddenly spoke. Oh right... I had almost forgotten that Sunshine has a flying carpet. You cant! Look at the sky! There are too many ribbons of Celestial Satin and icicles.... Youll die! Fairsky objected to his idea fiercely. Fairsky, do you want me to simply stand by and watch Celestial die? Sunshine tried to convince Fairsky anxiously. Prince! Hurry up and think of something! Lolidragon grabbed my shoulders desperately and shook me vigorously. Stop it already! No matter how much you shake, I dont have a... As I was talking, an odd expression came over my face and an unbelievably wild idea sprung into my mind. I took out my long-absent Meatbun and tried to shake it awake, wiping away its adorable sleeping face. Mama? Meatbun muttered, still dazed as it blearily opened its eyes. Good Meatbun, can you do a favor for mama? After you help mama, mama will give you lots and lots of yummy meat buns to eat! I tried my best to coax Meatbun. Upon hearing that it would have yummy meat buns to eat, Meatbun immediately snapped out of its stupor. With love-filled eyes, it agreed eagerly, Okay! Meat-bunbun will help mama! Good. Meatbun, do you see the two big brothers in the sky? I pointed toward the two people in the middle of a heated battle. I see them! Meat-bunbun stared at Celestial and Oceans Heart curiously. Then, Meatbun, could you fly above those two big brothers from the side? I asked. Just in case, I added in concern, Remember to be careful, okay? Dont get injured! Meatbun nodded its head vigorously. Obediently sticking out its bamboo copter, it flew into the sky. Prince, what do you intend to do? Although Meatbun has the title of the strongest pet, you dont think it couldst against two super NPC bosses, do you? Lolidragon asked with extreme suspicion. I smiled with no intent to answer her questions as I watched Meatbun fly dangerously close where Celestial and Oceans Heart were battling. Meatbun! Use your ultimate skill, Fermentation! I shouted toward Meatbun as it flew right above them. Okay! Meat-bunbuns Fermentation skill is going to start now, Meatbun said as its adorable face slowly started to grow, turning bigger and bigger... Oh my god... What a huge meatbun! Someone shouted the words that I always heard when I asked Meatbun to use Fermentation. It should be the right size now... I studied Meatbuns size carefully. ording to my repeated observation of Fermentation, Meatbun should be reaching its maximum size soon C the size which could just about bury an entire army. Ah! Its falling! eximed Doll. Yep. Thats a good position! I said, looking up. Indeed, Meatbun urately squashed both Celestial and Oceans Heart as it fell. Then, with a pong, an enormous meat bun fell onto the ground just like that. I nodded my head in satisfaction and said, Itll be a bit tough on you, Meatbun. Hold your position just a bit longer, okay? Keep these two big brothers squashed. Wait for mama to finish, then you can return to normal. Meat-bunbun will listen to mama, be big Meat-bunbun, squash big brothers t-t! In order to demonstrate its obedience, it jumped up and down twice. I thought I vaguely heard groansing from underneath Meatbun. That was a brilliant n! Even Lolidragons face seemed to show an expression that said, You really are something else. Okay, that is finally solved, I sighed in relief. Prince, this is only just the beginning! Winter Triumph said faintly. I had only just shifted my attention away from Meatbuns body when I realized what Winter Triumph meant. Because the battle between Celestial and Oceans Heart had stopped, the NPCs that had been scattered around were now gradually gathering and pressing toward us. Have we been surrounded? I asked, finding it hard to believe. Lolidragon rolled her eyes. You have eyes, see for yourself! she snapped angrily. This was an inevitable battle from the start anyways, Winter Triumph added slowly. Couldnt we say that it was for this battle that we traveled all the way to the Northern Continent? Undying Manughed out loudly. No doubt about that! I grinned widely. The target, the Central Tower! I shouted in high spirits, taking hold of my closest ally: my ck Dao. Yeah! The crowd roared with vigor. I took a few deep breaths and then ordered, Sunshine, take the long range fighters with you into the sky and support us... Take your thief wife as well so Lolidragon wont need to take care of her. Lolidragons ability to appear and disappear unpredictably did not make her any weaker than warriors, so allowing her to stay would definitely aid us immensely in this battle. Lolidragon raised her eyebrows and said, Hey! Your differential treatment is too much! I knew that Lolidragon was merely customarily making a sassy retort. In reality, I knew that if Id told her to stay on the flying carpet she probably wouldnt have wanted to at all. Therefore, I didnt pay attention to her sour words and continued to give out my orders. The warriors will fight against the NPCs on the ground, and the mages will deal with the NPCs flying in the air. If you have any spare time, help out the warriors on the ground... Even though it really doesnt look like youll have much free time at all... I looked somewhat helplessly at the packs of angel forces flying toward us. I hope the mages will be able to hold out against them... Yu Lian-ds?o, Ming Huang and Sunshine looked at me and nodded their heads. DanDan and Fairsky, both of you are responsible for ensuring the safety of the people on the flying carpet, I said while looking at the two of them. They were the only two on the carpet that possessed the necessary abilities for closebat. In addition, DanDans ss possessed both short distance and long distance attacks since she was, after all, a summoner. Okay! the two of them answered at the same time. Wolf-dg, our safety will be in your hands, I said, looking at Wolf-dg, feeling protected. No problem, just charge ahead and dont hesitate! said Wolf-dg gantly. Everything was ready now. I held onto my ck Dao tightly as I stared at the Central Tower topped with arge rose. We faced the NPCs in a moment of dead silence where no one was moving at all, then I raised the ck Dao in my hand and pointed it directly toward the Central Tower and shouted, Advance! My legs started moving the moment I shouted for them to advance. Charge! Charge! Charge! I desperately lifted my legs and began to run. As for myrades, they followed closely behind me. Kenshin even ran ahead of me since he had the fastest speed. His eyes were intently focused upon the Central Tower, and within them there was not only a sense of coldness but also a rare burst of passion! Kenshins passion even made Cold Fox subtly reveal a surprised expression as he observed him. Kenshin didnt turn around; however, he asked a little hesitantly, Prince, I...still do not want to kill other NPCs in order to protect myself. But... Sunshine is different from me... He has things that are important to him... I was slightly taken aback. What is Kenshin trying to say? Prince, for Sunshines sake, please protect Second Life... Lolidragon told us before that she can download us and store us in another ce before Second Life is destroyed, but... This is also her first time dealing with NPCs that have self awareness. She cannot one hundred percent guarantee that we will be able to sessfully keep our self-awareness after we are downloaded. Kenshin said, a bit embarrassed, It doesnt matter to me because I dont matter, but Sunshine is really happy right now... I was silent for a moment before I quickened my footsteps to chase after Kenshin. I put my hand on his shoulder and grinned widely, Dont worry, everything will be okay! Prince! The enemies are attacking! Undying Man angrily shouted to warn me. Then, the NPC monsters that rushed out began fighting with us, beginning a difficult battle. As for Nan Gong Zui, he was also in the middle of closebat with a few humanoid NPCs. However, the NPCs actually avoided Kenshin who was in the very front and directly charged at Cold Fox who was closely following him, nearly killing Cold Fox by catching him off guard. Luckily, Kenshin reacted instantaneously and dispatched the NPCs with a few strokes of his sword, saving Cold Fox from his dilemma. Meanwhile, a group of NPCs that lookedpletely ridiculous were charging at me as well... Waah, why are all the NPCs that are attacking Nan Gong Zui so good looking, while the ones that are attacking me look so ridiculous? Why is there a turtle with a tree growing on top of its shell and a peach that can extend sharp thorns out of itself, making it look like a pink sea urchin or something, attacking me? Theres even a monster that only has one leg... Please note, I said only one leg. That doesnt mean that it lost a leg; it means that it only had one leg to begin with! Idiots! Stop getting in the way of my view! I kicked the single leg out of the way, split the peach open with one strike, and didnt pay attention to the turtle tree... It moves so slowly! I could probably crawl using one hand going forward and still defeat it, so why would I need to do anything about it... Suddenly, several shadows shot out of the turtle tree. At that moment, I was upied with fighting a penguin that was tied to a cross and did not notice its attack until thest moment. I could only look on helplessly as unknown objects raced forward to hit me. Be careful! Winter Triumphs deep voice rang out loudly. In addition, he hit those shadows into the air and said, That tree has hidden weapons! I looked toward those hidden weapons and was shocked by my startling discovery... The true form of the turtle tree was actually... a chestnut tree! The hidden weapons were actually chestnuts with long needles in front. I wonder... do you think these chestnuts are edible? I thought out loud whilst punching the penguins stomach. Stop joking around, Prince. There are more and more NPCs, Winter Triumph strictly reprimanded, Hurry up and break through! Upon hearing Winter Triumphs words and seeing that my surroundings were filled with more and more NPCs, I curbed my imagination from running wild and seriously concentrated on heading toward the Central Tower! Waah, Mama... Meatbuns thunderous cry suddenly reverberated. Startled, I turned around in panic to find that... Someones bullying my beloved Meatbun! I looked at them from a distance away and actually saw an elongated and very familiar looking thing flying in the air. Its frantically hitting Meatbuns cute little head! Waaaaah, dont hit Meat-bunbun, it hurts! It hurts! Meatbuns tears continued to flow... Oh no. I suddenly realized that it had produced two waterfalls. Before Meatbun grew thisrge, it could already drown the Adventurers Tournaments stadium... Now that its this big... I shouted in fright, Everyone, hurry up and run onto the rooftops of the closest houses! The higher the better! While everyone was still baffled at my orders, the waterfalls water had already turned into a river flowing toward us. At that moment, everyone gaped with their mouths wide open, looking at the water in which they were submerged up to their knees, and then looking at the culprit C Meatbun. Right then, the elongated entity suddenly flew high into the sky and then heavily dropped onto Meatbuns head. This violent action resulted in Meatbuns eyes turning super watery in a way that had never been seen before. I didnt have the chance to say anything before a mountain-sized sh flood emerged! Ahh... I really want to find a telephone pole to hug, but Second Life doesnt have telephone poles... During this panic-stricken situation, I identally held onto the turtle trees trunk. It was only because I desperately held on to it that I wasnt smashed into the wall by the powerful torrents of water. Dont bully Meat-bunbun! Meat-bunbuns Machine Gun of Mincemeat Attack! Meatbun had finally been enraged. On one hand, it cried and on the other hand, it unleashed its Machine Gun of Mincemeat Attack at the elongated entity... A meat clump three times my size fell beside me with a crash. It coincidentally hit the penguin that was tied to a cross, ttening it into a meat patty. Meat-bunbun did well! Hurry up and kill that horrible French bread now! Lolidragon supportively yelled from a certain houses fifth floor balcony. French bread vs. a meat bun, this certainly is something you would only be able to see once in every ten thousand years, said Feng Wu Qing, who stood next to Lolidragon, shaking his head and sighing sentimentally. French bread! Shocked, I looked at the elongated entity on the ground that was unable to get up due to the attacks from the meat bullets.Theyre right. It really was a long piece of rock hard French bread. Why would there be French bread here....? I asked, thinking this was bing a bit out-of-this-world. However, the French bread seriously answered me, angrily shouting, Why cant there be French bread? This is the Northern Continent, French breads territory! My territory! The real question is, why is a meat bun from the Central Continent here to try and steal my territory? Meatbuns eyes turned into two question marks and then it opened its mouth to ask me, Mama, what is French bread? Its...a bad person. Meatbun, quickly defeat the French bread, then Mama will give you really yummy meat buns! After thinking for a while, I still decided to dumb the situation down. Since Meatbuns Mountain Torrent Attack and Meat Bullet Attack had cleared up arge portion of the surrounding NPCs,how could I pass up on this chance to charge toward the Central Tower! As for the French bread, Ill leave it to Meat-bunbun to take care of it! Horrible French bread-bread. Anyone who bullies Meat-bunbun must be a bad person. Meatbun pouted in dissatisfaction and said, Meat-bunbun must punish bad people. I looked at the scene of meat bun vs. French bread, painfully making a decision. I immediately shouted toward everyone, Hurry up and take this chance to run! What? Lolidragon asked in shock, What about Meat-bunbun? What kind of situation do you think were in that youre still worrying about Meat-bunbun? rebuked Feng Wu Qing. I red at my brother. Then, eyes glistening with tears, I said, I believe Meat-bunbun will be able to finish off that French bread. We should hurry up and take the chance to... Meat-bunbun, what is that long thing? an extremely familiar vain voice called out. My whole body froze. Thats... I widened my eyes and looked. It really is Fire Phoenix! Could it be that Gui is all right? I frantically turned my head around looking for any traces of Gui. I really hoped to see Guis exaggerated smiling face once again. What is happening exactly? Master suddenly disappeared, causing me to be a wild phoenix again, said Fire Phoenix unhappily. Once I heard those words, my heart sank once again. Gui has disappeared. He will nevere back. Meatbun happily squealed, Fire Phoenix! Hurry up and help Meat-bunbun punish bad people. Bad people? Is this stick bullying you? asked Fire Phoenix as it looked at the French bread with extreme displeasure. Its bodys mes seemed to be burning at an even hotter degree than usual. Meatbun pouted, French bread-bread hit Meat-bunbuns head. What? He dared to hit you! Fire Phoenixs fury ignited me Tornado, and then with one sweep of its wing, it threw me Tornado toward the French bread. The French bread dodged to the side in shock... However, it had forgotten that to its side was Meatbun who was staring at it eagerly. Nom! A strange sound suddenly drifted over. I turned my stiff neck to look toward Meatbun... The French bread was only left with half of its body sticking out of Meatbuns mouth... And Meatbun had a satisfied expression on its face as if it had just eaten its favorite meat buns... Was it delicious, Meat-bunbun? Fire Phoenix asked Meatbun in delight. It was really yummy! Its as yummy as meat buns! said Meatbun ecstatically. Lets hurry up and go! Lolidragon said expressionlessly. Thus, we who were hugging onto trees and columns and those who were stuck onto walls all jumped off. A line of people bolted toward Central Tower. Pretty soon, the Central Tower appeared in front of our eyes. As long as we could get past this final za, we would be able to push open the Central Towers doors. However, the za was not empty at all. I was slightly stunned. Even I was startled by the mighty force of NPCs that filled the enormous za to the brim. There were even many high level NPCs present that I had seen before. What should we do? I forced myself to calm down and asked everyone in the party chat. The levels of these NPCs are too high. Yu Lian and Ming Huangs AOE magic wont do much damage to them, Wolf-dg said worriedly. Also, it seemed like the NPCs had already discovered us and had begun slowly drawing closer to us, step-by-step. We all started panicking. Let me help you guys, Sunshine suddenly said, I can cast Guided Arcane Missiles. One spell can kill a hundred NPCs at once. If one spell can kill a hundred, then we should be able to kill them all after firing it a bunch of times right? Everyone had finally begun to calm down, but I was still extremely worried. Sunshines Guided Arcane Missiles required a very long casting time. But with everything as it was, no matter what, we had to charge to the Central Tower to see the Dictator of Life! Then well do that. Sunshine, you cast Guided Arcane Missiles. You can leave everything else to us! I calmly instructed. The most important thing in battle is intimidating the enemy. I raised my ck Dao with one hand and pointed it toward the NPCs in the za, Kill! The moment I shouted this, everyone began moving. Kenshin was the first to charge. These NPCs werepletely different from the NPCs before. They were high level NPCs that had an extremely high amount of intelligence. Therefore, these NPCs didnt stupidly allow Kenshin to massacre them; they even took the initiative and attacked Kenshin first. Luckily, Kenshin was, after all, a hidden missions BOSS, so even though there were many enemies, he was still able to attack and defend. In addition, with the strong Cold Fox beside him supporting him, they quickly defeated several NPCs. Compared to us, they were unbelievably good. We yers didnt have Kenshins abnormally strong capabilities. We slowly moved from one-on-one battles to pairing up and fighting back-to-back. In the end, Nan Gong Zui, Undying Man, Neurotic, Feng Wu Qing, Winter Triumph, and I all stood back-to-back against each other, forming a circle facing outwards in order to take on the numerous attacks of the NPCs. The distance between us and the Central Tower continued to remain the same. Everyones hearts were raging with a desperate fire, and the weapons within our hands had long since been stained with different types and colors of blood. On top of that, everyones bodies were thoroughly stained with dark red blood. If it wasnt for Wolf-dgcontinuously drinking mana potions with one hand and casting healing magic with his other hand, allowing white, warm beams of light to fall upon our bodies, I was afraid all of us would have already be rays of light. How will we enter the Central Tower? How will we... go to see the Dictator of Life? As I kept fighting, my heart couldnt help but begin to panic. I would rather kill myself a hundred times with the ND self-destruct program than fail here! Guided Arcane Missiles! Sunshines voice rang out to the rescue. The sky looked as if it were filled with fireworks. An enormous ray of light shot into the air and then separated into numerous rays of light flying everywhere. Every ray of lights disappearance represented the death of one NPC. The outbreak of a hundred rays of light resulted in an emptier za than the one that had originally been filled to the brim with NPCs. Prince, follow me! Kenshin grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. After I recovered from the shock, I turned around and looked at mypanions who were still fighting. But everyone... I hurriedly tried to stop my footsteps. I didnt want to leave mypanions who were still there battling, everyone who was still there helping me block the NPCs chase... Kenshin, however, did not stop even then; he forcefully pulled me forward even further. My strength was not even slightlyparable to his... Thus I could only be dragged away. Kenshin abruptly stopped in his steps, causing me to crash into his back. I suspiciously looked in front of me. There were four warrior NPCs that looked like they were BOSS level blocking the entrance. Kenshins expression revealed aplete sense of calmness. He let go of my hand and took out his katana, charging toward the four warriors. I will leave the Dictator of Life to you, Kenshin said before he left. Sunshines happiness... Ill leave that in your hands as well. I shuddered violently and then looked back at mypanions who were still involved in a bloody battle... Must I abandon myrades and go on by myself? Volume 7 Chapter 6 Volume 7 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Truth C tranted by Akakuroi Prince, what are you standing there for? Go! Lolidragon bellowed at me. Prince, you are not abandoning us. Nan Gong Zui, who understood me the best, said wholeheartedly, You are moving forward with all of our hopes. Prince, go! Go aplish your mission! Wolf-dg shouted frantically at me. His healing white light did notnd on those who were battling, but insteadnded on me. Im leaving. Looking onest time at my friends who were helping me hold back all of the NPCs, I turned around and left. The Dictator was at thest door... I ran forward with all my might. This was the first time Id ever left my friends behind, the first time Id ever left them fighting behind me while I turned my back on them. Yet I couldnt stop. If I stopped, everyones efforts would be futile. Get lost! Facing the NPCs that had again respawned, I raised my dao and brought it down, killing everything I could. That door was so close, just a few steps away, yet I couldnt get any closer to it. It was so near but yet so far, so very far. Prince, call him, call for the Dictator of Life! Lolidragon shouted desperately behind me. Puzzled, I looked behind me. Lolidragons face, almost buried in NPCs, seemed so determined. I did not doubt anymore and, as if from the depths of my heart, my voice boomed, Dictator of Life! The door finally opened. The whole world seemed to stop while the door opened slowly, and a voice, which sounded mncholic yet joyful, said, So you... came after all, Prince. The door finally opened fully, revealing the Dictator of Lifes lone figure standing tall and straight inside. Holding tightly onto my ck Dao, I walked forward step-by-step. For some strange reason, the NPCs that had been blocking me up until now all stepped aside. Also, I heard no more fighting from mypanions going on behind me. All the NPCs must have stopped, but why? I was a little confused. Could it be that the Dictator of Life wants to duel me one-on-one? With that thought, I tightened my grip on ck Dao. However, the Dictator of Life did not take up a fighting position, but simply stared at me with mixed emotions. There was love and hatred and many other emotions I could not understand in his eyes, but in the end, his eyes softened. He stared at me with an almost loving expression as he said, Are you used to using that weapon? Damn you, there are only two people who can look at me with that kind of pampering smile, and youre not one of them! I sneered, Dont worry, Im very used to it. Im afraid I might be so used to it that Ill chop you in half with itter. Is that so? I wasnt sure if it was just my imagination, but the Dictator of Lifes smile seemed to have faded a little. Soon however, he smiled again before saying, Thene. Kill me. I will. ND terminating program activate! The moment I finished shouting that, a bright white light started shing from me. The program had been activated; this final battle was about to start. Seeing that the Dictator of Life did not have any weapons at hand, I was a little worried. Is he a mage or a warrior? Or maybe both? No matter what he was, I had to shorten the distance between us, or I, a warrior, wouldnt be able to kill him. Without giving any warning, I immediately charged at my topmost speed at the Dictator of Life. Without pausing, I bellowed, Pure White Inferno Rhapsody! A gulf of white inferno immediately burst out of ck Dao. Raising my dao, I swung it down at the Dictator of Life. However, I could not bring down my weapon at all! No, to be more exact, ck Dao was resisting! It vibrated violently, giving off a sad and low hum, as if it did not want to hurt the Dictator of Life. Finally, ck Dao dropped to the floor with a loud nk. I stared disbelievingly at the dao which had been my partner for so long. ck Dao? Ah, I almost forgot. My dao can never harm me. Seeing the situation, the Dictator of Life said in an even hollower and sadder voice, Go borrow a weapon from yourpanions. I jerked my head up. Your dao? Daddy! Meatbun, who had been in charge of holding down Celestial and Oceans Heart, suddenly flew in and shouted happily while bouncing toward the Dictator of Life. Meatbun, its dangerous! I shouted. Meatbun actually bounced defenselessly toward the Dictator of Life, almost scaring me to death. Daddy. Meatbun rubbed with all its might against the Dictator of Lifes face while saying, Meat-bunbun hasnt seen Daddy for a long time. The Dictator of Life is Meatbuns dad? Wait, arent I...Meatbuns mom? Eh, if thats the case, then isnt the Dictator of Life my husband? Then what am I doing now? Murdering my own husband? Meat-bunbun, just what are you talking about? I stared awkwardly at the father and son who were currently enjoying their family time together. Mama look, this is Daddy. Meatbun hopped around on the Dictator of Lifes head and shoulders while casually introducing my husband to me... ah, I meant, Meatbuns dad. What kind of situation is this? My brain was almost turning mushy from all the confusion. Since when did the final battle turn into a find-your-lost-rtive event? With a faint smile, the Dictator of Life said, Meatbun was created by me, and ck Dao is my trustworthy dao. What? I was stunned. This was absolutely something out of my imagination. So my pet and my dao are actually the Dictator of Lifes pet, and the Dictator of Lifes dao? How is that possible? If ck Dao is your dao, and Meatbun is your pet, then how did they end up in my hands in the first ce? Meatbun was created for you, as you definitely wouldnt have liked a drooling wolf as your pet. The Dictator of Life suddenly smiled brilliantly, and even I was amazed by his smile. As for ck Dao, that is because... The Dictator of Lifes eyes suddenly looked very gentle as he said, I want to be by your side. I stepped back a few steps. What is happening? Could it be possible that everything the Dictator of Life said is true? Why is he treating me so nicely? Eyes full of confusion, I asked, Why are you... Lolidragon walked up behind me and said slowly, Because he likes you. I was stunned. The Dictator of Life likes me? Ignoring my expression of growing bewilderment, Lolidragon simply continued, Our program designers already sensed that something was a little weird while researching your Meatbun as there was no such design for a pet to begin with. After you became the spokesperson, the people in charge of designing the Dictator of Lifes appearance suddenly realized that your ck Dao is exactly the same as the Dictator of Lifes. Initially, we thought it was just a little bug, so we did nothing about it. Only when this incident with the Dictator of Life broke out did I link all this together and find out that something was definitely not right. Then, I tried to contact the Dictator of Life. Phew, Im a little thirsty. Lolidragon started drinking leisurely from the beverage she took out of her bag. Hurry up and spill it! Everyone couldnt help but bellow. With an ambiguous look, Lolidragon looked at the Dictator of Life, then at me, before continuing, That was when I discovered that our Dictator actually fell in love with our Prince. Not only did he secretly change the pet into one with an adorable design that Prince would like, he also gave his dao to Prince; even your tiara was designed by the Dictator of Life for your birthday. It must have been hard for the Dictator of Life C he actually had to furtively hide by our side, pretending to be a yer, just to wait for us to buy a present. Why would you fall in love with me? I was utterly confused. Because ck Dao... that was something I received when I was merely level ten. Meatbun, too, I acquired not long after I entered the game. Just when had the Dictator of Life fallen in love with me? Dont tell me it was because I was so handsome that he fell in love with me the moment I created my character? I like you. The Dictator of Life looked into the distance as he said, I dont know why, but I simply like you, like watching you. If I were to be able to watch you all the time, I wouldnt have any other requests, even if you chose to be with someone else... I feel satisfied just being able to watch you. You... I was a little speechless... Can someone tell me, when a hero goes to fight the final boss, and the final boss suddenly tells the hero, I fell in love with you, what is the hero supposed to do? Dont tell me the hero is actually allowed to hug the final boss back and tell him, Im in love with you too? And then the final boss and the hero lived happily ever after? What nonsense! Furthermore, everyone including me had rushed all the way here to the Northern Continent at the expense of our lives. If all this was just for the sake of romance, how am I supposed to face everyone? What would Wickeds sacrifice mean? And what would Guis sacrifice mean? With that, I shook my head, shaking off the Dictator of Lifes words, and said coldly, Youve caused such a huge ruckus. If forcing me toe to the Northern Continent to meet you is just because you like me, I definitely wont forgive you. The Dictator of Life was stunned for a while before he replied, No, my feelings for you and this case are two different matters. Then you really are nning to chase humans out of Second Life? I asked somewhat doubtfully. The Dictator of Lifes face suddenly turned very gloomy before he continued. Thats right, Im going to chase all the humans out. Kill me. Only if you kill me will Second Life remain. But Prince, be warned. With a hint of murderous intent in his eyes, the Dictator of Life continued, I wont kill you, definitely not. But I have to take revenge for Scorching me, Flowing Wind and y Child... against your friends! The moment the Dictator of Life finished his sentence, I heard the sound of my friends groaning. I turned around and everything seemed to y in slow motion... An NPC was trying to sneak an attack on Yu Lian-ds?o, but Wolf-dg rushed to push his wife aside and stubbornly took the blow! Wolf-dg! I howled in consternation. Wolf! Yu Lian-ds?o screamed, wanting to rush toward Wolf-dg. Falling into Yu Lian-ds?os arms, Wolf-dg simply said without any sweet-talk, Yu Lian, take care of Prince. Wolf-dg did not turn into white light and fly away. Instead, he shattered into pieces of beautiful, white snowkes C white snowkes of heartbreak. Ah! Yu Lian-ds?o frowned as she saw the sword that had cut through her shoulders. She did not panic at all, but simply smiled at me as she said, Prince, do well in this fight. This is Wolfs wish, and my wish too. In the end, Yu Lian-ds?o still turned into white snowkes together with Wolf-dg; no one could tell them apart anymore. Yu Lian-ds?o! Wolf-dg... Theyve... disappeared? The area around my chest suddenly felt very hollow, almost as if my heart had disappeared, leaving only emptiness. Wolf-gg! Yu Lian-jijie! Doll cried as she threw herself onto the floor of snowkes. Crying as she picked herself up, she uttered with zing hatred in her eyes, Emerge, Bone Dragon of Darkness! Doll jumped onto her bone dragon and, looking resolved, charged toward the Dictator of Life. Loudly, she shouted, ND self-des... Celestial suddenly appeared and knocked Doll out cold with a single hit, interrupting her self-destruct at the same time. Hugging Doll tightly, he muttered apologetically, Im sorry, Wife. All I want is to be with you longer. I cant let you die in vain; you wont be able to kill the Dictator of Life. Thank you, Celestial. I finally heaved a sigh of relief. If Doll were to self-destruct too, I might just go insane!But Dg and Ds?o have both disappeared already. As this thought suddenly struck my mind again, I felt a wave of excruciating pain; Odd Squad... has only three people left now. I cant cry! There are still things I have to do. Turning around, I walked toward the Dictator of Life step-by-step. I had yet to understand his real intentions; was he good or evil? Was it right or wrong to kill him? However, he had caused the deaths of Wicked and Gui, and now, even Wolf-dg and Yu Lian-ds?o... They would never appear in Second Life again; half of Odd Squad was gone now... Just based on this, how could I forgive him? I would definitely never forgive him. Whether he likes me or not... to the current me, its Not. Important. At. All! Mama? Daddy? Meatbun flew in between us, his innocent eyes opened wide. Fire Phoenix! I shouted. What? Fire Phoenix replied off to the side, a little confused. Take Meatbun away, hurry, I pressured. After a moment of surprise, Fire Phoenix obediently took Meatbun out of the Central Tower. That allowed me to be at ease for a while, as Meatbun wouldnt need to feel stuck in the middle anymore. I took out thest thing Wicked left with me: his longsword. He gave his best longsword to me while he himself took the inferior one. In a cold voice, I dered, Come, Dictator of Life, lets bring an end to this. Yes. The look of heartache in the Dictator of Lifes eyes had disappeared. With growing indifference, he stood there silently. I walked step-by-step toward the Dictator of Life. Seeing how he was still not moving at all, I couldnt help but warn him, Even if youre not going to fight back, I will not show any mercy. The Dictator of Life gave a faint smile as he replied, I will fight back. Thats good! With that, I immediately charged toward him. At the very moment I brandished Wickeds longsword in front of the Dictator of Life, the ck Dao which had dropped onto the floor earlier immediately flew back into the Dictators grasp with a flick of his hand. He blocked my longsword. Thats not the end yet. Raising the longsword, I swung it with a wind-like speed I had never achieved before. With a light cut, a heavy pierce, a horizontal sh, a direct chop... I tried every single attack possible, one after another. Completely ignoring the painful warning signs from my arm, I brandished my weapon even faster. Sweat kept trickling down my forehead. The Dictator of Lifes expression had not changed even the slightest bit. It was still so calm, still so full of sadness, and within his gray eyes, the reflection that remained unchanged since the beginning was a clear reflection of my face. Just like he said, he wanted to look at me, to be able to watch me forever. I sent a flying kick, but I was blocked by the back of his hand. It was as if I were... a praying mantis trying to block a car with my forelegs! Panting, I wiped away the sweat that had gotten into my eyes, or maybe, there were tears too... I cant kill the Dictator of Life. I had finally realized that fact. I cant even make a scratch on him! Ive fought back already, now you can kill me, right? The Dictator of Life bent down, as if wanting to stretch out his hand to wipe away my sweat. However, he stopped right before my eyes, as if an invisible wall were blocking him. I looked up and stared into his eyes without looking away. Is he putting up this act of giving up on purpose? Just so he can wait until I drop my guard before attacking me?No matter what, I will never ever show any mercy! Even if there is a hint of sadness in his eyes... Finally, he spoke softly while gesturing at his forehead, Here, this is where my weakness is. Pierce right through here and I will be dead immediately. You... I could not continue my sentence, maybe because I didnt even know what to say. The Dictator of Life is really trying to make me kill him and is not just pretending... Actually he doesnt have to pretend at all, for just one blow from him would be enough to finish me. I had been ready to kill him, but now I could not bring myself to do it. Why did he have to tell me his weakness, why? My throat was a little hoarse as I asked, Why? If you had no intention to fight, then why did you resist against the humans in the first ce? Why must you cause this mess? Unable to hold back anymore, I shouted hoarsely, Now you no longer have your Four Heavenly Kings, and I no longer have mypanions from Odd Squad! Just what is the purpose of doing all this? I couldnt help but burst out crying, clenching my fist so hard that my nails even dug into my flesh. Without Odd Squad, without my best friends, what was the point of staying in Second Life? With his lips tightly closed, the Dictator of Life did not utter a word. However, his eyes... his eyes clearly showed that he had had no choice! I slowly set down my ck Dao, my tears falling down uncontrobly. I just couldnt do it.After all, Wicked, Gui, Wolf-dg and everyone else were alive and living in the real world. However, the Dictator of Life did not have another life out there in the real world. With high hopes, I asked what I had always wished for. Lets make peace with each other, okay? The Dictator of Life reached out his hands and gently caressed my face. Just when I thought I could use my invincible charisma to convince the Dictator of Life to be on peaceful terms with humans, hence creating a better future together... an erged version of the Dictator of Lifes handsome face suddenly appeared before my eyes.... And then the distance between him and me turned to zero. The thing was, the ce where we touched is called the mouth, in a nicer term, the lips; and while this action is formally called osction, we would normally call it a kiss. In Chinese its called jiwn, and children may refer to it as a peck. Sob, my first kiss... Eh, Ive already given my first kiss to my cousin... Sob, Ive been forcefully kissed! Dumbfounded, I just stood there and let the Dictator of Life kiss me. Although it was a kiss, he was actually just putting his lips on mine. Compared to the French kisses I had with Phoenix and Fairsky, this was almost nothing. Im sorry, The Dictator of Life apologized somewhat embarrassedly after leaving my lips. Then he again said the phrase that pissed me off. Kill me. I was on the verge of going on a rampage. Could this Dictator of Life even understand simple humannguage? I bellowed, I said, cant we just get along with each other? The Dictator of Life shook his head and replied, We cant. I wont do it. I simply refuse to kill you. I was so angry that I nearly threw the longsword Wicked gave me away. I dont want to be a part of this anymore. With that, I turned around and walked off. Prince, killing the Dictator of Life is your mission. Did you forget that already? Lolidragon blocked my way and asked me sternly. Lolidragon! Why is the Dictator of Life desperately asking me to kill him? Why cant we get along with each other? After calling Lolidragons name slightly threateningly, I stated what I had always wanted to know, I dont want to y this game of guessing with you anymore. Youd better tell me everything, or else you wont be seeing me in Second Life again. Lolidragon was stunned. Pretending to be calm, she replied, Im not hiding any- Shut up! Youve hidden many things from me. I was even only just informed by Kenshin of the fact that he and Sunshine can be downloaded to another location. I continued sternly, If you dont want me as a friend anymore, then say it, say that you havent hidden anything from me. Lolidragon opened her mouth, but she couldnt utter a single word. Finally, she gave in like a deted balloon and exined calmly, Its not that Im purposely trying to hide things from you. Its just that I know that if I were to tell you everything, you wouldnt be able to kill the Dictator of Life anymore, but you must kill him. The problem is, even without you telling me the entire truth, I can now no longer bring myself to kill the Dictator of Life. However, I do not want to be kept in the dark anymore. Without giving Lolidragon any chance to avoid the topic, I moved toward her while saying sternly, Tell me, Lolidragon. The Dictator of Life did not go against humans of his own free will; he was just being controlled. He had tried all means to oppose this person who was controlling him, but all efforts were in vain. Without hiding anything, Lolidragon spilled everything honestly, And the reason he resisted with so much effort was your existence. However, even he can no longer withstand this anymore. His final wish is to be personally destroyed by you. I gasped. It had never urred to me that the truth would be something like this. Just who is it? Who would be cruel enough to control the Dictator of Life, forcing him to do all those things against his will and leaving him with no choice but to seek his own death?! Shaking with anger, I asked in a voice full of rage, Who?! Who is the one controlling the Dictator of Life? Everyone who had been silent until now had an enlightened look on their faces as they spoke up one-by-one, I see, then that exins why it felt like the Dictator of Life was trying to stop us froming to the Northern Continent, yet at the same time, it also felt like he really wanted us toe here. Winter Triumph even added coldly, So this was all actually the work of two different people. The one who wanted to stop us was the one who is controlling the Dictator of Life, and the one who wanted us toe was actually the Dictator of Life himself. Lolidragon, just who is controlling the Dictator of Life? I asked furiously again. Lolidragon could only sigh. If I knew, do you think I would allow him to be out there atrge? After remaining silent for quite a while, I said, I wont kill you, Dictator of Life. For now, the only person I want to kill is the one who wants to control you. But I cant hold on any longer, Prince. The Dictator of Lifes smile finally copsed. He burst into sorrowfulughter. He was unable to hold back his tears anymore, and they started trickling down from his eyes. Im terrified that if you dont kill me, I will kill you! Stubbornly, I said, No... I suddenly felt a sharp pain bursting out of my chest. I stared disbelievingly at the sword that was protruding out of my chest. It was a transparent sword made out of ice. Softly, I questioned, Oceans Heart? No! The Dictator of Life was so shocked that he wanted to rush forward. However, chains suddenly appeared around him, tying him up tightly, preventing him from moving a step away from his throne. Prince-gg! I did not know when, but Doll had already woken up and was now near tears. She even shouted at Celestial, Celestial, hurry! Hurry up and save Prince-gg! With his injuries, Im afraid... Celestial couldnt directly speak of the oue. He then asked with even more bewilderment, But Ocean, why are you harming Prince? Havent you been on the humans side since the beginning? Why? I felt Oceans Heart standing right behind me. I could hear the sounds of mypanions trying to save me, but they all ended up moaning one after another. Following that was the sound of heavy thuds against the ground. Because the one who wants to control the Dictator of Life is me! Oceans Hearts voice still sounded so... gentle and harmless, yet his words made me feel as if I had been plunged into a bucket of ice. How can it possibly be you? Youve saved me many times. I couldnt believe this. Initially, I had thought that it must be a certain hacker who was controlling the Dictator of Life. It had never urred to me that it would actually be an NPC! And on top of that, Oceans Heart. Humph, I cant even wait to kill you; why would I save you? Oceans Heart sneered, Since the beginning, the Dictator of Life sent Celestial to protect you. I might be able to win against Celestial, but with everyone in Infinite City the chance of winning would be slim for me. That is why I had never nned to face you in Infinite City. Afterwards, the Dictator actually sent Scorching me and Flowing Wind to bring you directly to Flower City. If the two of you were to meet, it would mean trouble for me, so I could only go out of my way to stop them from bringing you to Flower City. I off-handedly told you the wrong location. Oceans Heart suddenly turned gloomier as he continued, But I had never expected that you would actually ignore my words. Instead of heading for Mount HuaLian, you headed for Flower City. Hearing that, I finally realized that since the beginning we had been tricked by Oceans Heart. Feeling almost devastated, I asked, Why are you controlling the Dictator of life? What benefits do you get from controlling him? What benefits? Oceans Heart suddenly startedughing madly, There are countless benefits! Controlling the Dictator of Life is almost equivalent to controlling the whole world! Dont you look down on the Dictator of Life C hes the best and most powerful artificial intelligence I created. Not to mention, he even has a consciousness of his own and can diligently learn whatever he wants to and update himself on his own. Now, the Dictator of Life can hack into any countrys defense line with no problems; he can even send missiles from any country at will. It is almost equivalent to having the whole world within his grasp. Oceans Heart guffawed. Despite knowing that everything was futile, the Dictator of Life continued struggling. As he stared painfully at the sword in my chest, his tears trickled down. He then stared resentfully at Oceans Heart. Father, you promised to never harm him. Were you lying to me? Father? I gasped, I see, I finally understand now. Almost certain, I said, You are... Long Dian? Long Dian-biog? Lolidragon shouted in disbelief. Very clever, Prince. As expected of someone whom the Dictator of Life is so obsessed with. Pushing the sword of ice further into my chest, Oceans Heart... no, Long Dian sneered, Its you whove brought me so much trouble. If not for you, the Dictator of Life would never have opposed me, his creator, so desperately. Let go of him, Father! The Dictator of Life kept struggling, causing the chains around him to nk loudly, as if they would break anytime. As long as you let go of him, I will go with you. Long Dian said gently, Why the trouble? If I killed him, you wouldnt have to worry about anything anymore. Stop, Father, stop! The Dictator of Life cried painfully. Dictator of Life, do not give up, dont be controlled by him... I could feel it already, that feeling of destruction. That damned Oceans Heart had actually installed HD on himself in order to bring me down at the expense of his life. So hes going to bring the Dictator of Life out of Second Life? Long Dian, I wont forgive you! I spoke through gritted teeth as I turned into rays of white light and disappeared before everyone, also disappearing from Second Life forever. Footnotes ck Dao: This is a mistake on the authors part. Prince should still be holding Wickeds longsword during this scene instead of his ck Dao. In Chinese, its called jiwn...: The original actually says, In English, its called a kiss, but because this is an English trantion and everything is already in English, the line was modified so that it would make more sense. biog: Used to address male older cousins. G by itself can be used to address older brothers. Volume 7 Chapter 7 Volume 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Attacking in the Real World C tranted by raylight As expected, my character had gone missing. Prince is really gone! I took off the game simtion helmet and, in a fit of anger, threw it away... Ah... A voice tragically rang out, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. Oh, Yang Ming, its not my fault. It was you who walked by and allowed the helmet to hit you. As I spoke, I felt guiltier and guiltier. I stared at the sprawled out Yang Ming who had fallen in the doorway and saw that his face even had an obvious red helmet mark. Yes, yes, yes. Your helmet can just fly up by itself and wait for me to walk and bang into it. Yang Ming gritted his teeth as he helped himself up. Sorry. I put both of my index fingers together and revealed a look of unrivaled innocence. Your acting pitiful towards me is just like my acting cultured towards you: both are useless, Yang Ming said, displeased. If thats the case... I jumped up, pointed my index finger at my brothers nose, and said without any courtesy, Then fine. Your elder sister is feeling extremely pissed right now, so youd better scram. Otherwise, Ill cook dead mice for your dinner tonight! Oh, is that so? Yang Ming coldly replied, Then fine, I will scram. I guess I wont need to ry what Lolidragon wanted me to tell you then. Hearing that, I immediately changed the expression on my face to one that was gentle and virtuous. My dear little brother, what do you want to eat for dinner tonight? How about a cold lobster tter as an appetizer, and then a steak with foie gras sauce? And for dessert, you can eat another of my carefully baked cherry cupcakes with white wine, apanied with top quality Blue Mountain coffee, okay? Yang Ming nodded his head repeatedly when he heard this. Having ate-night snack afterwards would be even better. You insatiable bastard. I suppressed the urge to cook my own little brother into ate-night snack and forced myself to smile. Ate-night snack isnt a problem. Lolidragon says that Wicked and Gui had already started investigating the truth of the situation when their characters disappeared. They also discovered Oceans Hearts intentions, but they did not say a single word to reveal his scheme so that they could track his IP address secretly. After hearing that even histe-night snack was settled, Yang Ming finally started solemnly talking about Lolidragonsst words... No, I mean message. Have they found him? I asked urgently. Long Dian! You better not get found! Otherwise Im determined to... use measures that words cannot describe to deal with you! Theyre battling with him right now. Yang Ming frowned. The two of them are currently in Second Lifes head office, fighting with Long Dian over the Inte. I heard that Zhuo-dgs hacking skills are pretty good. Then what can we do? I was a little worried. If we were to let Long Dian escape, then wouldnt the Dictator of Life be subjected to Long Dians control forever? Do you know how to use aputer? Yang Ming asked coldly. Yeah, I know how to switch it on, get on the Inte, and I even know how to y online games, I replied confidently. However, Yang Ming revealed an expression that said youre impossible and, with a pained voice, he asked, What, do you think that knowing how to switch aputer on and off can help us locate Long Dians whereabouts? Right now, all we can do is wait for their call. Yang Ming gazed far into the distance... Is the phone that far away? Ring... Ring... Ring! ...Brother, you really are too incredible. I was so moved that I hugged my brother and shook him violently. Then, I pressed down the phone key to receive the phone call. Lolidragons voice immediately rang through the room and shook the heavens. Is the pig-headed Prince here? Hey, arent you forgetting to ask if Im here or not? Hearing the voice of the woman of his dreams, Yang Ming immediately rushed to the front of the phone andined resentfully. Go away. I have life-threatening matters to discuss with Prince. Lolidragon shooed him away without any mercy. Lolidragon is actually saying that she wants to discuss things with me? This is definitely not going to be good. I gulped and asked, What is it? Other than asking me to seduce Long Dian, anything is fine. Go to hell. If seduction were needed, then it would be me, the D cup, who went. You? Little girls should stay out of the way. Lolidragon made a cutting remark that was the epitome of her ability to be harsh. I lowered my head to look at my own A cup and then bitterly said, Whats inside is what counts for women, okay? Hmm, D cup! Yang Ming produced a notebook out of nowhere and recorded Lolidragons D cup with all his effort. He even added as a side remark, Sis, you are an A- cup, not an A cup, ok? Yeah, whats inside is important, and that is a D cup. Lolidragon casually gave me the final attack. Did youe here topare cup sizes or to ask me for help? I gritted my teeth and asked. Oh, thats right. Lolidragon suddenly returned to being serious. We have managed to chase down Long Dian, and that fellow has already seizedplete control over the Dictator of Life. Right now, the entirety of Second Life has fallen into Long Dians hands and ourpany simply has no way to enter. Sunshine and Kenshin? I suddenly thought of the two of them. Didnt Lolidragon say that we could download the two of them to another ce? Stuck in Second Life. What happened was too abrupt. We werepletely unable to make it in time to save them... Lolidragons voice trailed off. Sunshine and Kenshin are stuck inside? No way, I want to go and save them! I jumped up and held onto the phone violently. Where is Long Dian? Didnt you say that we have managed to track him down? You and Wu Qing go to the nearest instant transmission station immediately and use it toe over to the one closest to our headquarters. I have already told the others over the Inte and they have arrived one after another. Hurry up ande. Well be waiting for you for an hour. After one hour, we have no choice but to depart. Otherwise, Long Dian might change his stronghold. Did you hear that, Prince? One hour... Lolidragon said urgently. One hour! I immediately grabbed the back of Yang Mings cor and then, with one foot kicking open the house door and one hand scooping up the keys, I jumped onto my moms custom-made hover bike. I stuck the key into the keyhole and started the engine... Sis, have you driven a hover bike before? Yang Ming asked shakily. I used both of my hands to tie my hair into a ponytail, and then I put on a windbreaker and a pair of goggles. Without even turning around, I asked, Yang Ming, which side is the elerator and which side is the brake? You, get off the bike! Ah, I found it. So the right side is the elerator! Lets elerate! No, no, no, I dont want to meet an early demise while in my prime~~ Under Yang Mings constant howling, I drove the hover bike toward the transmission station. Second Lifes headquarters were in the capitol and the transmission station nearest to my house required around forty-five minutes of driving to reach. Then, Id have to spend another ten minutes transmitting over to the capital and drive for another fifteen minutes in order to reach downtown... And this was still under the conditions that there were no dys, no red lights, and no queuing at the transmission station. Sis, theres a red light! Yang Ming shouted wildly. Charge! Sis, theres a traffic jam! Weave through it! Sob, sob, sob, the Feng family is going to die out. Dear dad and mom, your unfilial son has let you two down. Inside Second Lifes headquarters... I didnt think there would be a day when I would actually cooperate with you. Zhuo Ling Bin said unenthusiastically. He was extremely discontented with this fellow, but he did indeed have some very good capabilities. Even though Min Gui Wen had never touched aputer before, he could still think of a trap to ensnare Long Dian... He could not help but admire him. For Prince. Min Gui Wen had also pulled a long face. With the exception of Prince, no one else could make him reckless. You guys, go outside to choose your equipment. Lolidragon... No, she should be called Long Shui Han, the chairman of Second Lifes only daughter, walked into the room. Shui Han, must you really go personally? Thatd, Long Dian, is extremely difficult to deal with. Im afraid that this time the risk is very high. A robust adult in his fifties asked worriedly. Dad, I must go personally. This matter is caused by Long Dian-biog, so I definitely have to deal with this personally. Long Shui Hans fist clenched and then rxed repeatedly. If it werent for her foolish wishes in the past, Long Dian-biog wouldnt have designed Second Life, and he wouldnt have created so much disaster... Though she couldnt think of a reason why the gentle Long Dian-biog from the past would be like this. But, darling, Father will be worried about you. Long-b suddenly abandoned the dignity of a chairman and pulled at his daughters sleeve with a pitiful face. Long Shui Han cast a cold nce at her father. Once her killer gaze had sent him to the corner to hide, she gestured for Zhuo Ling Bin and Min Gui Wen to follow her. They walked all the way to the lounge area, where Long Shui Han revealed a grim smile and pointed at the various weapons one-by-one. Light defensive armor set. Not only does it increase your defense, it also has the effect of increasing your agility. After putting it on, you would be able to do various kinds of high difficulty movements that you usually wouldnt be able to do. Power gloves. As the name implies, it increases your strength by a lot. Breaking a few walls isnt really a tough matter with these. Bouncing boots. After wearing them, your jumping abilities are guaranteed to improve by leaps and bounds. Powerful people can even use them to jump over ten meters high. Ray gun. You can shoot ten rays in one second. My index finger has never moved ten times or more in a second. Min Gui Wen coldly interrupted Long Shui Hans wishful thinking. He even added, Moreover, I have never fired a gun before. Uh, its possible in theory. Long Shui Han embarrassedly exined, These are weapons that are given to the Special Forces. It took me a lot of effort to get a hold of them. Oh, thats right; theres also the lightsaber. You can also use a sword. Sigh, if you give a gun to someone who doesnt know how to use it, no matter how good the gun is, it would be of no use. Min Gui Wen shook his head. Bang. Bang. Zhuo Ling Bin managed to fill the guns energy with little effort. After inspecting whether or not the gun was in good condition, he raised the gun with his right hand and fired without any hesitation. More than ten meters away, the shattering of bonsai pots answered to him one-by-one. After Min Gui Wen shut his wide-open mouth, he coldly made a cutting remark. Are you a terrorist? Your gunmanship is so urate, killing a few people shouldnt be a problem, right? What do you think? Zhuo Ling Bin stroked the gun and red at his love rival with a dangerous gaze. Hehe, Prince-gg hasnt even arrived yet, but Gui-gg and Wicked-gg have already be this rowdy. A beautiful girl suddenly stepped into the entrance, elegantly and quietly. Following behind her was a male and a female. The male was wearing gold-rimmed sses and appeared to be intellectual and shrewd. The woman, with long, soft hair, appeared to be very ssy. Long Shui Han, Min Gui Wen and Zhuo Ling Bin looked at the three people questioningly. In the end Long Shui Han asked with furrowed brows, Who are you? The girl pursed up her lips and smiled slightly. I am Doll. You are Lolidragon-jijie, right? Doll? Oh my heavens, you really are... Long Shui Han circled around Doll once and, after releasing one long breath, said, You really are a princess. Of course she is, dont tell me that there are fake princesses? The woman behind Doll pursed her lips andughed. Long Shui Han looked questioningly at the woman and, as though she didnt dare to believe it, asked, Yu Lian-ds?o? Then, you must be Winter Triumph. Min Gui Wen called the mans name with a smile. Yu Lian and Winter Triumph both nodded their heads, admitting their identity. As expected of a princess, you sure came quickly! Long Shui Han clicked her tongue in amazement. They probably used a personal transmission station to get here. You guys can alsoe over and pick your weapons. I dont think thats a good idea. Doll also wants to go? Its too dangerous. And being a princess, Doll wouldnt know how to use weapons or have any fighting skills... Halfway through Min Gui Wens saying this, he abruptly saw Doll hold up the ray gun of the highest caliber and remove the safety with a few swift moves. She even showed an expression of admiration at the gun. Nice gun, Lolidragon-jijie. A glint of light shone in Dolls eyes. Too bad theres no time. Otherwise, I could do a few modifications to give this gun the ability to release an even stronger ray. ... Lolidragon and Min Gui Wen opened their mouths wide together. Winter Triumph coughed twice and exined, The princess has had to learn a variety of skills since a young age, including how to use a weapon to protect herself. Long Shui Hanughed stupidly and continued introducing the weapons. This is a one-handed shield. Its area is only thirty by thirty centimeters. It is a small shield that is supposed to be installed on the left hand and can block various kinds of light energy. Okay everyone, hurry and put them on! Are there anyrge sizes? a rough and outspoken voice rang out. Wolf-g! Min Gui Wen happily shouted the name of the person. Has all of Odd Squad arrived? Li Tian Lang was grinning from ear to ear. Wolf-g! Yu Lian cried out as she delved into the arms of Li Tian Lang as per usual, without even a moments hesitation. Yu Lian. Li Tian Lang tenderly embraced the petite person in his arms. The two of them only looked at each other silently, wanting to carve each others appearancepletely into their own hearts. Although this was the real world to the two of them, this was exactly the same as in Second Life. Prince hasnt arrived! Min Gui Wen frowned, his hopeful gaze inly visible. She wont be able to make it on time. Zhuo Ling Bin understood this clearly in his heart. One hour was simply not enough time for Xiao Lan to rush over from her house. However, he didnt say anything. He wished that Xiao Lan would note... This was the real world, a world where one could get injured for real and could die for real. He wished that Xiao Lan would not take the risk, and he hoped that she would not receive any injuries! Zhuo Ling Bin shut his eyes and then softly said one sentence, I will help you bring justice to Long Dian. When Zhuo Ling Bin opened his eyes once again, he was shocked to find Min Gui Wensrge face at an extremely close proximity. His heart thumped at that. However, he would not show weakness in front of Gui. Although he was shocked, he only narrowed his eyes slightly on the surface. What are you thinking about? Min Gui Wen was extremely suspicious. To make Zhuo Ling Bin reveal an expression that says Im willing to sacrifice myself for you, is definitely something that only Prince could do. However, seeing him show that kind of expression now made Min Gui Wen feel that something was extremely wrong. Could it be that Prince... will not being? None of your business. Zhuo Ling Bin tilted his head away. He also didnt want to let Xiao Lan meet with this fellow... even though they saw each other in ss every day. Although he was worried, Min Gui Wen was unable to do anything about Zhuo Ling Bin. Should he use his Professor status to force this student to submit? Forget it, if Zhuo Ling Bin were to call him Professor, then even the sky would fall down. Min Gui Wen immediately turned toward Long Shui Han. Prince wille, right? Is there any possibility that that guy wonte? Long Shui Han replied, displeased. Prince had left the house without even having time to hang up the phone. How could Prince note? Prince hasnt arrived yet? A sharp and clear voice sounded. The crowd all turned their heads to see who had spoken, only to see a boy who was not tall, and even appeared to be somewhat cute, walk over. Who was this? Could it be that you are Ming Huang? Min Gui Wen struggled to find a possible candidate in his mind. In the end, he could onlye up with this conclusion. Zhuo Ling Bin gave Min Gui Wen a cold re and said sarcastically, Thats strange. As the elder brother of Ming Huang, I actually dont recognize this person who is in front of me as my younger brother. Though he had to admit, the boy in front of his eyes did indeed have a simr feeling to Ming Huang. No, Im not Ming Huang. The boy gave a small smile and then directly announced the answer. Im Nan Gong Zui. ... Long Shui Han barely managed a reply, You are Nan Gong Zui? What proof do you have? The boy was stunned for a moment. This actually requires proof? Then very well, let me ask you. Who is your sworn enemy? Who is your most precious person? What is Princes most famous characteristic? Long Shui Han asked earnestly. My sworn enemy is Fan, the most precious person to me is my god-sister, Ice Phoenix, Princes most famous characteristic is... The boy frowned and hesitated before he asked, I dont know whether you are referring to his fondness for eating, his stubbornness, or his being directionally-challenged? Pretty much all of them... The people thought in their hearts. With great rm, Long Shui Han shouted, You really are Nan Gong Zui! Goodness, the world is really full of extraordinary things! How could someone manage to transform from a cool, handsome guy to a cute boy? A helpless expression appeared on Nan Gong Zuis face and, somewhat embarrassed, he replied, I only made myself taller and my face a little sharper in the game... And all of you, dont judge me by my appearance. Actually, Im already twenty-five years old and am much older than Prince. Twenty-five years old? Heheh... Long Shui Han smiledughingly, for the person in front of her lookedpletely like a fifteen year old. Regardless, you also have to get equipped with weapons for there is not much time left. Nan Gong Zui nodded his head, and then went up to equip himself with weapons and armor. The extent of his familiarity with them was as though he wore them every day. Min Gui Wen couldnt help but open his mouth to ask, You have worn this stuff before? Why does everybody seem to be a terrorist who specializes in weapons and armor? Im a policeman! Nan Gong Zui lightly said a sentence... that nearly made everyones jaw drop. In this world, is there any policeman who looks less like a policeman than him? At this moment, there were still twenty minutes left before departure! Lolidragon? Are you Lolidragon? Yet another person had just arrived. Everyones heads turned to look. It was a girl who appeared to be lively and full of vitality. However, at the moment, the girls face was extremely pale and her whole body was shaking non-stop. Her eyes were blood-shot and it was evident that she had been crying for some time. You are? This time, Long Shui Han didnt dare to carelessly guess the identity of the person in front of her eyes and only asked cautiously and timidly. I am Fairsky. Lolidragon, how is the situation right now? Has anything happened to Sunshine? Fairsky desperately strung out a series of questions. Long Shui Han didnt even have enough time to reply before Fairsky fell to the floor and questioned herself miserably, Could it be, could it be that Sunshine is already... dead? Looking at Fairsky who seemed to bepletely scared out of her wits, Long Shui Han turned pale with fright and she quickly rified, Fairsky, dont think too much. Sunshine and Kenshin are still in Second Life. Its just that Second Life has temporarily been sealed off, and thus we cannot go in. Once Fairsky heard that, she anxiously raised her head to ask, Really? Will the Dictator of Life and Long Dian hurt them? No, definitely not! Long Shui Han replied confidently. The Dictator of Life would definitely not hurt his ownpanions. Th-then thats good. Fairsky wiped her tears away. She stood up from the floor and regained her original strength. She shouted, I want to go with all of you together. I also want to go save Sunshine. Sure! Long Shui Han replied firmly and pointed at the equipment. Go change into the equipment then! Fairsky equipped everything without a single word. ... Im alsoing along, a cold voice drifted over. No need to ask. Im Cold Fox. Everyone turned toward Cold Fox and, though he was still wearing a high school uniform, by this time everyone had already be used to seeing one anothers strange appearances. Lolidragon also only pointed to the equipment. Wear them! Cold Fox didnt say another word. After putting on the equipment, he slowly picked the weapon that was handiest for him. At this moment, there were still ten minutes left before departure! Everyone put on Long Shui Hans carefully prepared equipment one after another. Min Gui Wen was putting them on and ncing at the door repeatedly, only hoping that he would appear, that white-haired boy that showed up even in his dreams... Of course, in real life, Prince would probably not be white-haired. Times up, lets go. Long Shui Han counted down using the clock on the wall, all the way until the second hand faithfully jumped to the next dot. One hour had passed, and even she couldnt do anything about it. She could only tell them to set off. Why hadnt that guy arrived yet? Wait, wait, Prince hasnte yet! Min Gui Wen shouted anxiously. We must depart within one hour. This is what you yourself had said, right? Long Shui Han stated calmly. She definitely couldnt let Long Dian-biog escape and then cause even greater harm... Having the Dictator of Life, this superputer, in his hands, was too dangerous. Yes... Min Gui Wen had no choice but to admit it. His mind told him that he couldnt postpone it any longer, but, but Prince... Lets go! Long Shui Han voiced out this sentence. Daughter, be careful! Long-b bid farewell, brushing away his tears with a handkerchief. He then said seriously, That child, Long Dian, Ill leave him to you. I know. Rx Dad; Ill capture Long Dian-biog and bring him back. Long Shui Han turned her head toward her father to make her guarantee. Then she led everyone to sit in her hover car. After that, the joyride began. With a beautiful turn, they exited the parking lot. Long Shui Han pushed the elerator to the floor and they shot out like lightning! Lolidragon, go slower! The people sitting in the back seats were swaying from side-to-side and were so frightened that their hearts nearly jumped out. Of course, they couldnt care less about what Lolidragons real name was and could only desperately shout for her to stop until their throats hurt! Im already going very slowly! Sigh, my precious daughters driving skills are still this good! Long-b sighed in admiration. The race car and racing track that I bought for her to y with in the past sure havent been wasted! Long Dian... Sigh, Ill leave that boy to my precious daughter to deal with. Long-b turned around and was about to go deal with official business that had piled up like a mountain... The sound of ss shattering suddenly came from behind. No, one should say the sound of ss exploding! Theirpanys shop front was arge piece of bulletproof ss over twenty meters wide that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. Long-b had very clearly heard that same piece of ss make a heroic sacrifice. A h-hover bike? One of the employees shouted, mouth wide open in shock. Long-b calmly turned around and didnt bother to tend to the noise from the employees in the lounge. He leisurely sized up the hover bike that had crashed through the bulletproof ss. On top of it sat two people. As for the rather handsome boy sitting in the back, who had turned pale with fright, his lips purple, Long-b decided to ignore him for now. However, the person sitting at the drivers seat was an interesting character. It was someone in a dashing windbreaker and a pair of durable jeans, with long hair tied into a ponytail and goggles on the face... A girl! Long-b gave an Ah-ha! for he knew the identity of the person who had arrived. Didnt this just happen to be his spokesperson for Second Life? Second Lifes only... What did the youngsters call it? Right, tranny! Wheres Lolidragon? The handsome girl asked anxiously. Take this. Long-b took out a disk-shaped item. See the green dot on the tracking device? The girl nodded her head, seeming to understand but actually not understanding it at all. You know, that is the person that you want to find. They have just set off, so you should take the chance right now to hurry and chase them. Who knows, you might be able to catch up with them not too long after they reach their destination. Long-b instructed with goodwill. The female received the tracking device and threw it to the male on the back seat. Then, as she restarted the engine, she instructed the guy, Yang Ming, you keep an eye on that disk and tell me where to go. With yet another beautiful turn, the girl flew out of the broken ss that was all that remained of the extensive windows. Before she vanishedpletely, she even gave Long-b a salute. Thanks, gramps. Looks like I may have been wrong. With that speed, she might even be able to catch up to my daughter, who only knows that the elerator has to be stepped on all the way down. Long-b looked admirably at the hover bike. What a natural and unrestrained girl. No wonder she was able to charm the masses of males and females as a tranny. Long-b shook his head. Too bad I only have a daughter. Otherwise I would really want to have this girl as a daughter-inw. What a pity... Yang Ming, which way do we go? I asked in a hurry. That damned Lolidragon. Would it have killed you to wait for me? I was only three minuteste! Go straight until the three-road junction ahead and go onto the road to the far right, Yang Ming shouted into my ear as he clung on to me for dear life. Ok! I turned the elerator once again. Dash! Sob, sob, sob, Mom, why did you customize your hover bike for no reason at all? This speed is even faster than a race car! Yang Ming wailed in anguish behind me. After a little while, I asked continuously in a panic, Yang Ming, have we caught up? Whether we can catch up or not is secondary. Sis, the police are catching up! Yang Ming hollered, and the ear-piercing sirens started ringing in my ears too. Humph! Even the police cant stop me from teaching Long Dian a lesson! Iughed coldly. How could the police catch up with my moms meticulously modified, unequalled hover bike? My mom even named this bike Lightning while feeling pleased! I looked at the speedometer.Two hundred and twenty kilometers, and this hover bikes maximum speed is three hundred and fifty kilometers. There is still a lot of room to speed up! Sis, what do we do? Yang Ming shouted anxiously. Its fine, Mom forgot to install her license te! Meaning that well be fine as long as they dont catch up! I hammered the elerator once more and was satisfied to see the speedometer pointing at two hundred and fifty! Lolidragon, there seems to be police cars? Li Tian Lang frowned, for he seemed to have heard the sound of sirens. Rx, once they see the license te clearly, theyll leave. Long Shui Han wasnt scared at all because, due to her fathers abuse of authority, this cars license te number was already well known among the whole police force. They wouldnte and arrest her! Hearing this, Nan Gong Zui couldnt refrain from raising an eyebrow. Huh? They dont seem to be chasing us. Doll turned her head to look in curiosity. Theyre chasing a bike and that bike is really fast. Theyve almost caught up to us! What? Long Shui Han looked into the rear view mirror, extremely pissed off. As expected, there was a bike chasing them at lightning speed. Humph, you want to race with me? Youve picked the wrong person. Long Shui Han gave a cold smile, and then reached down to press a red button. The body of the car immediately started changing, and on the trunk at the back there appeared something that looked simr to a rocket. A-Are we watching a car race? Min Gui Wens face looked ashen. The distance between us and that bike is growing more and more... Doll observed for a while and then gave a cry of shock, Ah, they caught up again. Eh? The appearance of the bike has also changed! What? So it turns out that they are also an expert! Although she knew that she had a mission, Long Shui Han couldnt help but want to race her heart out. She pressed the elerator even lower. Hey, youd better be more careful! The princess is in your car! Winter Triumph roared in anger. If anything were to happen to the princess, rest assured that Id ask your country forpensation! If anything were to actually happen to Doll, do you think that you, being in the same vehicle, woulde out unscathed enough to ask forpensation? Zhuo Lin Bin asked coldly. Eh? That person sitting in the back who is waving to us... appears to be Feng Wu Qing-gg. Doll observed the person in the back seat, who was scowling miserably, and waving his hand as though his life depended on it. His face was exactly the same as Feng Wu Qing-ggs. What? Long Shui Han was stunned. Feng Wu Qing is on that bike? Doesnt that mean that the other person is... Prince? She slowed down a little so as to allow the bike to drive to her side. Ah, that really is student Feng Yang Ming, who is also Feng Wu Qing. Min Gui Wen identified his own student without the slightest doubt. If Feng Wu Qing is in the back, then who is the reckless driver that is throwing away his life? Everyone wondered. Lolidragon, dont stop the car, just rush straight to Long Dian! The driver shouted wildly. No problem, Prince! Long Shui Han happily shouted back. This guy still managed to make it in time! It was Prince! Volume 7 Chapter 7.5 Volume 7 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: The Long Familys Undisclosed Secret C tranted by bleachpanda Xiao Han Han, this is your older cousin. His name is Long Dian, Long-b said as he suddenly brought back a boy she didnt know. My older cousin? The ten-year-old Long Shui Han frowned. How could I just suddenly have a cousin pop out of nowhere? If I must have a cousin appear out of nowhere, it should at least be a younger cousin; I dont want to be the youngest one. Besides, this cousin looks so skinny and small. He doesnt look anything like an older cousin. Xiao Han Han? Call him Biog, Long-b reprimanded, a bit displeased. Xiao Long Dian has already lost his parents, so he will be living with us from now on. Be nice to him, okay? Oh okay, I understand, Long Shui Han replied reluctantly. Very good, now show Long Dian to his room. Its the one next to yours. Long-b said, nodding his head in satisfaction. Sigh. Like this, my older brother can probably rest in peace now, right? Long-b thought.He recalled the past,when his brother had refused to follow the familys arrangements of marrying another business magnates daughter and had dated a poor girl in his school instead. Sigh, Father was stubborn as well. He just wouldnt yield. No matter what, he wouldnt allow Dg to marry that girl. It was also due to this that Dg ran away from home. The family hadnt heard from him since then. Father was obstinate; even then he still wouldnt let us look for any traces of Dg. It was only when Father had passed away that we started looking for Dg, under Mothers orders. But before we could find him, Mother had already passed away. Not being able to see Dg even at her deathbed became one of Mothers regrets when she died. However, this made him even more determined to find his brother.No matter what, his brother at least needed to burn incense at Mothers grave and pay his respects to her. There had been no news of his brother... untilst week. Yet the long-awaited news of his brother ended up being a report of his death. Three years ago, both his brother and that girl died during a car crash. They left a child behind, a poor child that was thrown around like a ball from rtive to rtive on the girls side. Long-b shook his head. Those shameless rtives! Its so obvious how they were treating him from the look of his thin and sickly body to his worn out, oversized clothes. Yet those rtives had dared to say that they would really miss Long Dian, making us... making us give them morepensation for their so-called loss! Hmph, theyre just a bunch of money grubbers, Long-b thought in contempt. How old are you this year? Long Shui Han asked grudgingly. I want a younger brother! Im already twelve years old, Long Dian said, nervously tugging at the corners of his shirt. He had never seen such arge and beautiful house before, not even when his parents were still alive. Not to mention, he had also never seen a girl more beautiful than the one who was standing before his eyes. Oh, Long Shui Han replied, a bit displeased. He really is older! How annoying! Were here. This is where youll sleep, she said, kicking the door open and gesturing inside. Th-thank you... Long Dian still couldnt believe it. This room isrger than Uncles entire house. Can I really live here? Seeing the boy fidgeting timidly, Long Shui Han felt quite annoyed. Sheined, What are you so scared about? The room isnt going to eat you! How can you be my older cousin if you have no guts? Sorry, Long Dian said looking down, ashamed. Long Shui Han felt like she was going to go crazy. Dont say sorry! Children from the Long family never say sorry to others! Not even in death! (Prince: ...Lolidragon, youre only ten years old and youre already setting such a bad example...) S-sorry, Long Dian apologized, so scared that he straightened up, his body rigid. I wont say sorry ever again. Good, follow me from now on. Jijie has your back, Long Shui Han said confidently while patting her chest. Although he didnt really understand what she meant, not to mention his confusion over her calling herself his big sister even though she was his younger cousin, Long Dian obediently nodded his head anyway. Okay. Barbaric kid! We dont y with uncivilized children like you, said a handsome boy. He was wearing a white swallow-tailed coat and was looking down at Long Dian disdainfully and arrogantly. Even when saying such spiteful words, he said it with extreme elegance. S-s-sor... Long Dian looked down at the boys perfectly polished and spotless white shoes. Another apology hade out of his mouth even though he hadnt done anything. Long-shshu hadnt wanted him to feel lonely, so he had specially organized a little dance party, inviting many guests that were the same age as him so he could make friends. But... this action... seems to have initiated the opposite effect... Youre not allowed to say sorry! shouted an infuriated Long Shui Han who had witnessed this scene. She had only walked away for a bit and her cousin was already getting bullied! Sheesh! This is the Long familys domain! If he were to go to another persons house, then hed be bullied to the point of getting bashed up! Biomi! Long Dian eximed, happily lifting his head up toward her. His eyes were filled with the same emotions as that of Lois when she was being saved by Superman. After rolling her eyes at Long Dian, Long Shui Han walked up to the boy in the swallow-tailed coat. Hands on her hips, as if she were a tigress condemning him, she demanded, Young Master Chen, if I may ask, do you have something against my OLDER COUSIN? Young Master Chen didnt even feel a bit like he was being interrogated for a serious crime. He put forth an elegant smile, believing that his looks could definitely mesmerize the girl in front of him. She was a rich, young heiress who would one daye into an iprehensibly wealthy inheritance. Even though there was an age difference of seven years between them, the inheritance would make up for everything. In addition, a girl who could look so cute even when angry definitely wouldnt look bad in the future. After considering all of this, Young Master Chen gracefully and politely replied, Long-xiojie, I havent seen you for a long time. You have be even more beautiful than before. Unfortunately for him, a ten-year-old girl is clueless toward such romantic endeavors. Feeling disgusted, Long Shui Han stuck out her tongue and then dragged Long Dian away and ran. She even managed to make a face full of mockery at him as she left. After leaving the party, Long Shui Han angrily pointed and shouted at Long Dian, What the heck are you doing? How could you just let him call you a barbaric kid!? Youre my older cousin, you know! I... Long Dian lowered his head, ashamed. He wasnt qualified to be Long Shui Hans older cousin. Weak and cowardly, he was nothing like that older boy just now, who had possessed such an air of elegance. In reality, up until now, he had always suspected that maybe Long-shshu had mistaken him for someone else. How could he possibly be a part of their family? You make me so mad!! Next time, I wont care about you anymore! Long Shui Han was so infuriated that her face flushed bright red. Long Dian lowered his head. Yeah, it would better if Biomi didnt care about someone like me anymore. What if I influenced her and she became like me... He suddenly noticed two small drops of water falling down his face, bitter and sour... It had been so long... so long since he hadst cried. Since his mom and dads funeral, he had never cried again. Originally, Long Shui Han had only been venting out her frustration and didnt know that she would really cause her cousin to cry. She couldnt help but panic. She hurriedly patted her cousins back, trying tofort him, D-dont cry! I didnt shout at you on purpose! Ahh... Please dont cry, okay...? Wuu...Wahhh... It would have been better if she hadnt tried tofort him, because once she had done so, it made him remember his mom. In the past, whenever he cried, his mom would always be by his side patting his back andforting him... Long Dian couldnt stop himself from crying and wailing even harder. Even though Long Shui Han was known to be fearless, her ten-year-old self couldnt help but feel shocked and helpless at having an older boy hold onto her, crying. She didnt know what to do. Had her words been that ruthless? After all, they had caused her cousin to start crying nonstop like Niobe! As Long Dian bawled his eyes out while hugging Long Shui Han, who sat unmoving like a rock, so shocked that she didnt dare move, Long-b quietly stood by the door. He heaved a sigh and said, Being able to cry is good, much better than enduring it and not shedding any tears at all. Thetter would make me worry much more. I...I really miss my parents... Long Dian couldnt stop himself from wailing. Hearing that, Long Shui Hans eyes became watery. She really missed her mom as well, but her mom had passed away from an illness when she was five. No matter how much she tried, she couldnt even remember what her mom looked like. Mouth quivering and eyes growing warm, Long Shui Han followed along as she cried out loud, Mommy...wahhh... Shui Han wants her mommy too... In the end, the two big little children held each other and cried their hearts out. They continued until they felt so tired that they fell asleep on thewn, thus making Long-b, who was getting along in years, carry them back to their beds, nearly twisting his back in the process! The eighteen-year-old Long Shui Han quietly walked into the study room. Like a thief, she tiptoed stealthily to the side of the chair where someone was sitting. She breathed in deeply and yelled, BOO! The man sitting on the chair visibly shuddered from the abrupt attack. Then, a handsome face, which noticeably had not stabilized from the fright, turned around. However, he didnt even seem the least bit angry. Instead, he casuallyughed, Shui Han, youre ying tricks on me again. Long Shui Han stuck her tongue out at him, unhappily asking, Dian, what are you doing again? Isnt it boring always sitting here staring at theputer? Not at all. Im currently designing a game! said Long Dian, lightly pushing up the sses sitting on his nose. Designing a game? The old fashioned you who has never done anything fun in his life? stared Long Shui Han, dumbfounded. She couldnt believe that the guy that wouldnt y any online games, even when she tried coercing him through force and bribery, would actually want to design a game. Its because you like ying games, he thought to himself secretly. He smiled, saying, Arent you constantly whining that games arent realistic enough and that their gamey is unfulfilling? I want to design a game that has a realism level of 100% for you to y. If you have any suggestions, fire away. I will definitely make it meet your expectations. Long Shui Hans eyes immediately started shining, Really? Let me see, let me see! Long Dian couldnt help butugh out loud. This is only a n. I cant possibly design a whole game by myself. Im nning on proposing this idea to Uncle. I hope that he can financially support me on this so that I can gather professionals toplete this game. Oh, Dad you heard that right? A game with a realism level of 100%! Long Shui Han turned around to find Long-b already standing with a smile behind the two. A game with a realism level of 100% is too dangerous! Long-b said a bit regrettably. He had always known that Long Dian had a talent for programming and he also knew that Dian-er wasnt someone who would exaggerate his skills. He had no doubt at all that Long Dian would be able to do it. Especially if it was for Shui Han, he would definitely put in his best effort and aplish it at all costs. Dad~. Let Biog do it. I really want to y such a game! Long Shui Han persistently whined cutely at Long-b while shaking his arm. Long-b smiled involuntarily, Of course I wouldnt stop Dian-er from doing this, I only hope that he could lower the realism level a little, so that at least its not 100%. Long-b sternly continued, If the game is too realistic, I am afraid that many people wouldnt be able to differentiate between reality and virtual reality. That is really dangerous. Long Dian smiled, I understand. I will decrease the realism level a little bit. Awesome! So were really making it? Long Shui Han eximed excitedly, nearly jumping up and down in happiness. Arent I participating in the production of one of the grandest games ever then?! What name should we give this game? Long Shui Han hurriedly asked. I havent thought of one? Long Dian said a bit perplexed, I wanted to wait until the game has been finished, and then think about it. Yeah, yeah yeah! Lets give it a name along the lines of Dreamlike Fantasy! Long Shui Han eximed dreamily while ignoring the dark looks of the two men. She waspletely enchanted by the words Dreamlike Fantasy. Seeing that his daughter had already entirely neglected the two of them who would be putting in their effort and money, Long-b could only turn around and discuss with Long Dian. What kind of world are you nning on depicting? Hmm, maybe a futuristic realm? pondered Long Dian. What? Long Shui Han cried out in rejection. Futuristic realm? Please, that stuff is so dull! Games should have magic, knights and a bunch of odd monsters to fight against! That way, a princess and her knight would be able to go adventuring together happily in the game world! As she talked more and more, Long Shui Han once again became immersed in her imaginary world. She was envisioning a ce with green hills and clear waters where she would be in the same party as a prince. The two of them would defeat monsters on their romantic journey... And of course this prince will be the ultimate bishie! Hell be extremely strong and cool, very considerate and itll be even better if he knows how to sing! Then he could always sing love songs for me to listen to! Long Shui Han sighed, If there were such a person by my side, then I would really be able to die with no regrets. Long-b and Long Dian both shuddered, drops of cold sweat dripping down their backs. They then continued discussing, Hmm... how many characters are you nning on allowing each yer to create? One. Definitely only one character. You absolutely cannot recreate your character, replied Long Shui Han again as she turned around. If theyre allowed to make more than one character, then how would I know whether my prince on a white horse is cheating on me? Long-b and Long Dian both disyed odd expressions. Long Dian scrunched his brows, Not allowed to create another character? If its like that, there may be many people objecting against it... Or maybe there will be more people supporting it instead! Long Shui Han resolutely answered. Since the games realism is practically 100%, then it shouldnt be possible to create another character; that is what it means to be realistic. This way, yers will really be able to experience the feeling of reality. Long-b and Long Dian felt a bit stunned. They lowered their heads, thinking about this one of a kind character system... It really might attract more yers. Hehehe! This way, I can ensure that my prince cannot cheat on me or secretly train a new character. Wohohohoho! Long Shui Han covered her mouth andughed hysterically. This was the main point... The two men looked at each other,ughing exasperatedly. Ah! Ah! I thought of an even better name for the game! Long Shui Han suddenly shouted excitedly. The more she thought about it, the better the name sounded. Whats the name? asked the two men as they forced a smile. Long Shui Han eagerly responded, Lets call it Second Life! Second Life! Long-b and Long Dian were blown away, totally astonished. A second life huh? That is truly a great name! Daughter, even you can spout out such good words once in a while! Long-b said, teasing her as he smiled. What!? I always say good stuff! Long Shui Han retorted. With her face reddening, she unhappily kicked her legs. Dian!! Dad is bullying me again! Seeing this scene, Long Dian couldnt help but smile. At the moment, he was truly blessed with happiness. This year, Long Shui Han turned twenty-three years old and Long Dian turned twenty-five years old. My little cousin Long Dian~~ Long Shui Han smiled evilly using the tone that she would only use when trying to take advantage of him. She couldnt resist asking, How is the game progressing? When can I start ying? One year. No, in half a year, you will definitely be able to y it. Long Dian was clearly startled for a second, but then pretended like nothing had happened. He calmly stored away a piece of paper. Half a year?! Long Shui Han was in disbelief. After hearing Long Dian say one year, she was already quite shocked because her dad had told her that they still needed at least two more years for Second Life to attain a realism level of 99%. Yet now Long Dian is actually saying it will bepleted in half a year? Yes, half a year. Long Dian said, eyes filled with determination. The amount of resolve in his eyes was so strong, it was scary. Its because I have no more time left, he thought bitterly to himself. Dian... are you all right? Long Shui Han was a little scared. The Long Dian that was usually so gentle was actually disying such an expression. His eyes seem to be exploding with wild ambition? Although he was being very zealous, she was also a little frightened of him. She couldnt shake off the feeling that Dian was really frightening when he was like this. Im fine. Its just that recently, Ive been quite tired, Long Dian smiled forcefully. Hearing this, Long Shui Han seriously said in worry, If youre too tired, then rest for a bit. Listen to Dad. Youve put in so much of your hard work and effort into this game, so if its impossible toplete it within half a year, then allowing it to be released a littleter is all right. Dont force yourself so much just because Im always rushing you. You know I am half joking about it. I know. Dont worry. I wont allow myself to copse, Long Dian said while clenching his fist, trying his best to keep his emotions under control. Good! Then, take care of your health! Long Shui Han ordered before leaving. Got it! Long Dian smiled in response as he watched Long Shui Han close the door behind her. The moment the door closed, Long Dians smile immediately disappeared. He buried his face into his hands, his heart only remembering the doctors painful words... It is a terminal illness; you only have one year left. Is there really no medicine that can possibly save me? In this era where technology has be so advanced? Long Dian couldnt believe it. An incurable disease? The kind of situation that only happens in Shui Hans favorite soap operas is actually happening to me? This is really tooughably ironic... Every era has illnesses that cannot be cured. As technology improves, new illnesses are constantly emerging... Believe me, I am the most knowledgeable doctor about your illness that you will be able to find, the doctor said helplessly. I didnt want to answer you so mercilessly but Id rather be cruel than allow you to waste the remaining time you have naively believing that you could be cured. Long Dian was silent for a long period of time. With both of his hands shaking uncontrobly, he asked, Can you help me dy it for a bit longer? The things I need to do cannot bepleted in the short period of one year. With the assistance of medicine and the most advanced medical equipment, I will only be able to dy it for two years at the most. Sobs of pain escaped from behind the hands that were firmly pressed against his face. After a long time, Long Dian slowly raised his head, hisposure restored. He turned on hisputer and got absorbed back into frantic programming. At least... I at least have to leave something behind for Shui Han... Long Dian stared at theputer screen, looking at the GFX teams creation of thetest version of the AI administrator in the game... He lightly pressed a few buttons, changing the face to match his own appearance. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end he still chose to give this AI, who looked identical to him, the highest intelligence level possible. Maybe you can rece me and stay by Shui Hans side? Long Dian muttered to himself. He became more and more confused in his heart.To think that I only have two years left to spend together with Shui Han and LongCshshu... No! You cant rece me! Long Dian roared. He agitatedly swept everything on his table to the floor. I dont want to leave them! Ive only been with them for ten or so years! I want to continue to stay alongside them! I need to think. Think of another way... Long Dian kept murmuring to himself. Grabbing his health examination report from the table, he walked out, his body swaying. He kept mumbling, I need to think of another way... Theputer screen disyed a message: highest intelligence levelpleted at 50%, 60%... Dictator of Life, is there any way for me to continue living? Long Dian questioned theputer screen reflecting the face of the Dictator of Life, the face that looked exactly like his. Toward this super artificial intelligence that Long Dian had unintentionally created... he had the utmost trust. The ironic thing was that he was unable to make the same program again because the reason the process had finished was due to him carelessly sweeping the wholeputer onto the floor. During that process, he had no idea what had been pressed or done to create this miraculous result. The Dictator of Life might possibly be the worlds most intelligent superputer. However, Long Dian even suspected that he wasnt simply the most intelligentputer on this earth... the Dictator of Life was slowly bing more and more human! Father, there are two ways. The Dictator of Life responded to the question ordingly. Number one; freeze yourself and wait until medicine that can cure your illness is created. Long Dian impatiently waved his hand in rejection. What he desired was to be able to be with Shui Han and Long-shshu. If he must wait an unknown number of years to defrost, only to find that Shui Han and Long- shshu had long d... Then he might as well just die in the first ce. Next. The Dictator of Life hesitated for a moment before speaking. Number two; download your brainwaves into a certain ce and store them there. To a certain extent, that is also considered living, right? Long Dian was greatly stunned. He blurted, Store my brainwaves? Where? Father, the game that you are designing right now is a very suitable ce, the Dictator of Life said with sincerity. That ce will be ced under my jurisdiction, correct? Father, you will be very safe there. Store myself inside the game? Long Dians fist tightened. Shui Han really likes that ce too. If I were to stay there, would that count as staying by her side? How should I do it? How should I download my brainwaves into the game? asked Long Dian agitatedly. As long as he would truly be able to continue staying beside Shui Han, then he would do anything, at any cost. There are a few methods... The Dictator of Life suggested a few methods which he believed had considerable feasibility. One of them was the idea that once you enter the brainwaves onto thework, cut off the return path; this would mean directly killing the persons body. This way, the brainwaves could, hopefully, be stored on thework. However, after the Dictator of Life finished speaking, he worriedly added, Father, these methods are only theoretical. You must not try this. Need to experiment... said Long Dian, who was a little out of it. He staggered out of the study room. The Dictator of Lifesputer screen suddenly shed, Ah... I have just thought of another method... I guess I will tell Father about it next time. Father can... merge together with me. Footnotes Dg: Older brother. Jijie: Older sister. Long-shshu: Uncle Long. Biomi: Younger female cousin. Long-xiojie: Miss Long. ...crying...like Niobe...: Niobe is a figure from Greek mythology whose children were ughtered. She is known for weeping unceasingly for her children. Dian-er: The er part is an endearment that can be added to peoples names, especially for children younger than the speaker. Volume 8 Chapter 1 Volume 8 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Greetings to Long Dian C tranted by Evangeline The people who had been sitting obediently in the car all came crowding over to the window closest to me. Even though general traffic safety rules did say that sticking ones head or hands out of a car is prohibited, that rule was clearly only taught to children, and wasnt shown to the insolent adults and youngsters in this car. All of them were just short of sticking their legs out the car. Hi, everyone! Since this was our first meeting, I was curious to guess who was who. Eh? That super ssy, cute girl looks a lot like Doll. Hmm? Could that woman being embraced by my schools doctorWolf-dg be Yu Lian-ds?o? Wolf-dg is so lucky. She looks like she will be a great wife and mother... Strange, whos the boy with the baby face? Ah, were going to crash! Yang Ming suddenly jerked the steering wheel around with both hands, narrowly missing a car by an inch. After the vehicle recovered its bnce, he screamed in a voice that shook with fear, Bastard! Cant you keep your eyes on the road? I couldnt help but turn around and ask my brother, who was in the seat behind me, Yang Ming, who is that baby-faced boy? How should I know! Yang Ming answered without daring to take his eyes off of the oing traffic. I turned back to face the front. Could he be Ming Huang? But, I remember that Ming Bin doesnt look like this? Maybe boys appearances also changepletely when they grow up? Prince, turn left and were there! shouted Lolidragon as she hung out of the window. Got it! Hearing that, I immediately turned the steering wheel 180 degrees to the left and took a big whirl. An old rickety building came into view, with the surrounding weeds that grew thick as a thicket, and the building didnt even have a front door, as though no one had lived there for years. Crap! I frowned. There wouldnt be any rats in there, right? Bang! Yang Ming staggered out of the car and copsed on the filthy grass, skewed. He roared faintly at me, barely able to catch his breath, You should already be d if there are no gigantic spiders in there. How could there be no rats! Someones here! I suddenly spied a silhouette emerging slowly from the darkness of the building, with an rmingly huge shadow behind it... Prince, put on this equipment! Lolidragon decelerated from 250km/h to 0km/h in one moment and parked her car masterfully. She then dumped a pile of equipment on me and exined, Helmet, light defensive armor set, power gloves, bouncing boots, ray gun, light sword... I stared at the pile of powerful weapons that should only be seen in movies. Is it possible that the Second Life Corporation is secretly a weapons manufacturingpany as well? However, it was true that I felt much safer with the weapons, and with the help of Lolidragon, I was geared up to thest inch like a terrorist within minutes. I think I will take the light sword. I have never used guns before, so I would probably end up shooting myself in the foot and making a joke out of myself. Prince... is that you? Gui stumbled over in a hurry, his eyes filled with emotion... The reason for his stumbling was the same reason Yang Ming was sprawled out next to the road: carsickness! Its me! I lowered my voice and answered, but I was a bit lost at what to do. I had just remembered that everyone still didnt know that I was a girl! How am I going to exin? Just as Gui and I locked eyes, Lolidragon cried out in rm, Prince, that shadow is walking towards us! What! I immediately snapped to attention and grabbed the light sword tightly, and then conveniently trampled on my brother. He had already wriggled into his gear, but was still continuing to y dead. Everyone be careful! I shouted in a deep voice. Strange, when did I get so used to speaking in Princes tone and inflection? Prince, you seem... a haughty high school student who was clearly wearing his school uniform under his gear said with cold arrogance, a bit short, hmm? Ouch! Short? I am at least 163 cm, okay? Thats not short for a girl, right? Damn it, I want to grow a couple more centimeters too! In a rage, I couldnt stop myself from retorting sarcastically, This little bro here, you seem...a little young? Why dont you go back to your high school, attend the morning assembly, and sing the national anthem, hmm? Anyway, who are you? Yang Ming asked in surprise. Cold Fox! Cold Fox answered sinctly. Cold Fox is a high school student... Right, who is that baby-faced boy? I hurriedly looked at everyone who wasing out of the car in session and shouted, Hey! Baby face, who are you? Not a spy from Long Dian, right? ... The baby-faced boy made an expression that I was very familiar with, simr to... Zui being exasperated at my reckless actions. Nan. Gong. Zui? I was surprised out of my wits. This is Nan Gong Zui? God, how could the big-brother-like Nan Gong Zui with his decisivemanding be a cute little boy? Zui gave me an iparably cute smile and nodded. Prince, if you dont stop gaping, youre going to get chopped in two by the enemy! Lolidragon quipped coldly. I snapped around, facing the anonymous silhouette that was almost at the doorway. I calmed myself. Right, now is not the time to be visiting the inws. First we have to ferret out Long Dian and save the Dictator of Life. Moreover, Kenshin and Sunshine are still in Second Life, their situation yet unknown! I twirled my de... Hm? It feels just like being in the game! I continued, executing a few shes and kicks. I can actually do a 180 degree kicking sh? Could I really do that? I am currently in the real world, right? Hehe, awesome gear, right? Lolidragon slipped on a face of extreme satisfaction, Even though you cant do any special techniques like the ones in the game, you can still achieve all kinds of regr attacks! I see! So it will be fine if I just fight the way I do in Second Life. I leveled my sword, pointed it toward the silhouette, and challengedzily, Whoever you are,e on out. I dont have the time to be in a standoff here with you. At the same time, everyone came over and stood either behind me or beside me... exactly like in the game! The silhouette also strolled out. It was definitely over two meters tall, with a bulky figure to which even Wolf-dg couldnt evenpare. The most important fact was... A robot? I gaped, astonished. Lolidragon was strangely calm. She calmly exined, Careful, Prince. Robots designed by Long Dian-biog are definitely not to be trifled with. Got it. I will just pretend that its an NPC in the form of a robot. I walked out slowly with my sword raised. A shadow shed in front of me, the familiar figure making me call out, Zhuo-gg? Xiao Lan, dont go over there! This is not a game! Zhuo-ggs voiced wasced with worry and determination. I have to go. Zhuo-gg, you can stay by my side and help me, but dont try to stop me. I know that Zhuo-gg is worried, but how can I back down? But Xiao Lan, you... Zhuo-gg turned and began to lecture me sternly. Look out! I shoved Zhuo-gg aside and met the charging robot. It didnt have any weapons, but its steel fists and iron strength was the most formidable offensive. I could feel the pressure even with Lolidragons power gloves on. However, I wasnt nning on going head to head with it; I was, after all, an agility-type warrior! With a flick of the light sword in my hand, I sliced at the robots head. Although the robot immediately raised its hands and blocked my light sword, stopping my de was not enough. I ruthlessly kicked at the robots right leg with my own right leg. The moment it staggered, I sliced off its head with my sword. Dead as a post! ted, I turned and made the victory sign at everyone. Prince! Look out! Lolidragon shrieked, her eyes focused on something behind me. Before I could even react, Zhuo-gg had already tackled me, sending us flying to the side. I finally saw that the headless robot kept on attacking, as if it didnt care about its decapitated head at all. As the robot continued to charge at the two of us, beams of light suddenly flew at the robots knee. After a few sizzles, the robot crumbled to the ground. I turned and saw Nan Gong Zui assuming a 100% proper gun-firing posture with a serious expression, looking very handsome... sans the baby face. Give me back my Sunshine! A girl with high pigtails screamed as she let loose her ray gun against the robot. Even though the rays were bouncing everywhere, the technique of shooting everything in sight,rades included, wasparable to Meatbuns Aroma Release. A frenzy of rays and screaming followed as both humans and robot alike dove for shelter. The rays scorched big smouldering holes in the grass, on the walls, on the trees, and even on my moms precious hover bike. Eek, my moms going to kill me. Girls that have just lost their boyfriends are truly frightening. Yang Ming patted his chest, face pale as he looked at the disastrous aftermath all around. So shes Fairsky. Hearing Sunshines name, I was absolutely certain that she was Fairsky. With glistening eyes, Fairsky charged at me, grabbed my shoulders, shook me as if her life depended on it, and yelled, Prince, go save Sunshine, quickly! Stop shaking me, my goggles are almost about to fall off! Nausea started to take effect. God, are all women with romantic crises this violently strong? I had not even finished speaking when my poor goggles flew off my face and kissed the dirt with a thump. Ah! My goggles! I wailed. Those are my moms. If anything happens to them then she would skin me alive! Who cares about goggles, my Sunshine is more important... Fairskys voice grew softer and softer until she stopped altogether and stared at me, dumbfounded. Whats wrong? Fairsky? I waved my hand in front of Fairskys face, but she kept on staring at me with her mouth agape... Suddenly, she made her move! With lightning speed she peeled off my light armor deftly and tore off my cute windbreaker with one breath... If I hadnt sensed that something was wrong and tightly grabbed myst article of clothing, Fairsky would have probably torn off my little t-shirt too. I gaped at her and said in surprise, Fairsky, even though Sunshines not here, you dont have to be that eager, do you? Everyones still here! Fairsky stared at my chest in shock... Crap, did Sunshines absence totally change Fairskys temperament and even her inclinations? Y-You...you are a girl? Fairsky stuttered and finally yelled. I stared. What, everyone... hasnt figured that out yet? Impossible! Do I look like that much like a boy? Even if my chest is a little on the small side... a petite figure can also be appealing, right? Stupid old sis, exin already! Yang Ming hurriedly and agitatedly reminded me as he nced at the crowd that had already fallen into a stupefied state. Huh? I turned around stupidly to look at Yang Ming. Exin what? Student Feng Lan, it really is... Wolf-dg forced a chuckle and scratched his head, his face full of knowing. Wolf? Is she really Prince? But... shes a girl. Yu Lian-ds?o stared at me in disbelief, but after mumbling to herself, she fell silent without saying anything else, a look of sudden realizationing over her face. Your majesty, Gui missed you. A person lunged at me. The open arms, the impossible feat of lunging parallel to the ground, and the disgusting name of your majesty... Gui, Ive told you a hundred times, dont call me your majesty! I dispatched Gui with a flying kick, and then I went stomp stomp stomp! It really is Prince! Everyone yelled. Prince... Gui hugged my legs like usual, but not with eyes full of grievance and desire. It was as if he was burying his head into my legs, refusing to raise his head to look at me. Gui? I asked, baffled. Gui slowly raised his head but was not like his usual silly and smiling self. His eyes were conflicted and serious. He kept on gazing at me in such a way, his eyes prating into the depths of my eyes, and said softly, Student Feng Lan... youre skipping ss? Oh... Professor Min Gui Wen, youre not teaching ss? I replied calmly. Gui forced augh and shook his head, muttering to himself as if in disbelief, So you were right by my side the entire time. It turns out I saw you every day. In fact... Standing up, Gui raised his arms as if to embrace me, but before I could even punch him as a warning, he retracted his hands. Breathing deeply, he muttered, No, I cant, I cant, Im your teacher. I giggled, unable to believe it. Who would have thought Gui would be scared of hugging me because hes my teacher? How amusing! I couldnt help but challenge his limits, edging closer until I was only a few centimeters away. I asked, Oh, are you sure you dont want to hug me? Gui actually blushed? And turned away, not daring to look at me?! This is not like Gui at all. For some odd reason, I felt unsatisfied, so I started to make jabs at him, Who cares about protocol? Nowadays, theres no one who prohibits teacher-student rtionships anyway! I cant believe how wimpy you are! Or is it... I suddenly remembered something. I dont look like Prince anymore. Is that the reason? I bit my lower lip. Does Gui still like me more as a guy? Even though he said that he didnt care what I looked like, I still had to admit that Princes 40% beautified looks was much more morous than my own, which could merely be calledely. Use your head, I chided myself, He loves the handsome and iparable Prince, not the in and ordinary Feng Lan! Prince... Gui called out hesitantly. Dont call me Prince! I yelled back, discontent. For some odd reason, hearing Gui call me Prince like always sent a bolt of extraordinary resentment through me. Xiao Lan! Look out! Zhuo-gg fired near me, the ray whizzing by within twenty centimeters of me. A clear nking sound signaled that it had found its mark. Long Dian-biog? Lolidragon looked up at the building in disbelief. Everyone looked in the direction of Lolidragons gaze. A silhouette had appeared in the third story window, bearing a familiar face C it was the Dictator of Lifes appearance! The handsome face was the same as the one in the game, but it was somewhat haggard, and his hair wasnt the signature fiery red, but an even stranger color white. It wasnt the same sparkling hue as Princes white hair, but rather a more sickly hue with some gray. Combined with his pallidplexion, it looked as if he were tired and sick of this world. But... how is that possible? The Dictator of Life only exists in the game, so why is he in the real world? Long time no see, Shui Han. The person stared at Lolidragon with a faint smile. Lolidragon, could he be the Dictator of Life? I asked in shock. Hes Long Dian, not the Dictator of Life. Lolidragons eyes sparkled with tears, and she asked out of concern, Long Dian-biog, howe your ck hair has turned white? Long Dian smiled and touched his white tresses, Cant help it. There are too many stressing affairs so my hair turned white before I even realized it. Biog, I dont know what has happened, but please, stop going down the wrong path! urged Lolidragon relentlessly until even her voice cracked. Lolidragon, who had never shown even a sign of weakness before anyone, sobbed, Dian... please, dont hurt everyone anymore. However, Long Dian chuckled and thenughed. Soon, hisughter turned into wild guffaws, Dont hurt anyone? Hahahahaha! Then who is to stop fate from hurting me?! Who is going to stop fate from toying with me... cough, cough... Long Dians handsome face suddenly contorted. He clenched his fists until they turned white, and he howled at the heavens in pain... but then he suddenly looked as if he couldnt breathe and his face turned as pale as a sheet. This was followed by a painful cacophony of coughing. Dian? Lolidragon cried out in concern. Long Dian didnt answer and kept on coughing. Like in the most clichd soap opera shown on television, he coughed up a puddle of blood.What kind of situation is this? Why cant any of the final bosses live up to their reputations? The previous final boss confessed to me, and this one coughed up blood even before we started fighting? Dian, whats wrong? Lolidragons tears were running freely by now. Nothing, dont worry. Long Dian smiled and reassured Lolidragon softly. What dont worry?! Lolidragon swiped at her tears and growled, First you started to act strange and worked on Second Life as if your life depended on it... and then you did that experiment that killed a bunch of people, and after that you went and created mayhem and havoc in Second Life, and now youre coughing up blood?! You havent told me anything, not even an exnation, and you expect me to not worry? You are going too far, Long Dian! Shui Han, I... Long Dian looked taken aback. Crap, I mistook him for the Dictator of Life for a second there. However, Long Dians expression vanished and was instantly reced by a look of utter coldness. He said frostily, You have nothing to do with my business and none of my actions involves any of you anymore, Long Shui Han. I advise you not to try to stop me, because I will not show mercy next time. Lolidragon stared for a long time, dumbfounded. She blinked again and again, trying to force back her welling tears; her fists were clenched so tightly that her skin was turning red... Who cares about you! I dont need your mercy. You better be careful. I swear I will catch you and take you back to Dad! Lolidragon yelled with her cracking voice. Long Dian smirked and turned from the window to leave. Another shadow detached itself from the background. A cold, mechanical voice threatened, Leave, or die. Humph, we are not leaving. Iughed coldly, As for killing us, go ahead and try. Bang! The shadow briskly leaped from the window andnded on the ground, his movements iparably nimble... I didnt know if my eyes were ying tricks on me or not, but his feet seemed to sink into the ground a couple of centimeters. Was he that strong? Could it be that he broke his legs before we even started fighting? Obviously, my thoughts of having our work done for us didnt work! He stood up without a scratch, and we soon saw the reason: it was because he was an it! It was another robot. However, its appearance whenpared with the previous one was more suave and stylish. If robots also had a sense of aesthetics, this one must be considered pretty handsome among robots! Dispatch him, and then go grab Long Dian! Lolidragon seemed to have reached the same conclusion as I had, because before I could even raise my light sword, Lolidragon had already let loose countless lines of rays with her ray gun. Lolidragon was definitely cut out to be a terrorist as well. I scratched my face, ready to see holes opening in the arm of an innocent passerby robot, but the robot disappeared in a sh. Where did it go? I gripped my light sword. Is this onepletely different from thest one? Lolidragon, watch out! I spied a figure out of the corner of my eye hurling toward Lolidragon. Unable to do anything else in time, I could only block in front of her with my own body, straining to stop the attack with my light sword. Bang! The light sword and power gloves actually cracked, and the huge pressure bore me into the ground. I couldnt even raise my arms... That hit almost took my dear little life! The previous robot could not at allpare to this robots strength. Even worse, I could only watch as the robot sent Lolidragon flying with a punch and swiped at me with a karate chop... Will I be singing my swan song at the tender age of twenty? The heavens must truly be envious of fair and youthful maidens... Stop! a voice rang out, apanied by gunshots, forcing the robot to step back and stop its karate chop. I looked around and saw that it was the baby-faced boy... no, Nan Gong Zui, who had saved me. I struggled to lift my body. Damn, I cant even crawl up. My chest feels... If I borrowed a phrase from martial art novels, this would be called having my blood and qi surge? I was just short of spitting blood out to signify my severe injuries, but I was in enough pain to turn pale. Pain definitely feels different in real life, unlike being in the game! I could onlyy there, half-sitting, and watch everyone risk their lives fighting that incredibly strong robot... The tall and strapping Wolf-dg wielded a light sword and stubbornly started fighting with the robot. He carefully avoided my earlier mistake of fighting within close range of the robot while effectively preventing the robot from attacking others. Meanwhile, Nan Gong Zui and Zhuo-gg were practically superb experts with their guns. With the rays from their seamless cooperation, the robots moves soon became evidentlybored. Even though I was worried about Wolf-dgs safety, at the same time, I also worried about how there was arge chance that I could die from Fairskys crazy, stray shots before the robot got to me! Prince-g... uh, are you alright? A cute and sweet looking girl with a dignified air suddenly rushed over and carefully helped me up. Doll? If she had called me Prince-gg, then she was definitely Doll! I never thought that Doll would be such a beautiful and elegant-looking girl. Unlike her innocent personality in the game, the real Doll truly did have the presence of a princess. At this time, I also noticed the man and woman standing next to Doll. The man wore gold-rimmed sses and bore a gentle smile, but even though he looked as if he wouldnt hurt a fly, I could tell that there was something more to him. That gentle smile of his was a great weapon to lower an enemys defense, and his gold-rimmed sses spoke of books and knowledge, giving him a favorable impression of being well-read. His neat clothing was also a guise that couldnt be missed for lowering an enemys defenses... In conclusion, this guy looked exactly like Winter Triumph, so he was definitely a horrifying and ruthless character. As for the woman, I blurted out without thinking, Yu Lian-ds?o! Just like in the game, Yu Lian-ds?o rubbed my head, and smiled gently. Really, Prince is Prince after all. No matter if its in the game or not, youre always making a scene. Hearing that, I grinned stupidly like usual. Yu Lian-ds?o is truly so gentle! Ah! You dare to attack my future husband?! You must have a death wish! Yu Lian-ds?o heaved her heavy machine gun and after a hailstorm of rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat, a new row of smoking holes appeared in the ground. Even the robot stared wordlessly at the two new punctures in its arm. Prince, look up! Gui yelled desperately. I followed Guis instructions and looked up. An aircraft appeared before our eyes and started to slowly descend to the top of the building.Come to help Long Dian make his getaway? No! Dian is getting away! Lolidragon shouted in worry. However, the robot before us was too strong, and we were seemingly unable to even handle him, let alone rush up to the rooftop to stop Long Dian from getting away. Everyone, get out of the way immediately! Doll, who normally had an air of elegance, suddenly shouted out. We all knew that Doll was normally very cute, but she was equally known for being terrible as well as for being cute. Thus, when everyone heard her shout, we all took ten steps away. Even I got dragged away by Yu Lian-ds?o and Winter Triumph by about a dozen meters. Doll did a very simple action: her right hand reached into her pocket, she grabbed some unidentified object, made a throwing motion, and the object got thrown...nding about ten steps away from the robot. God, Doll, dont ever be a pitcher! Youd definitely be out of a job! Everyone wailed. Boom! With a blinding sh, the unknown object suddenly gave off much heat, the fervent mes almost roasting me until I dripped ayer of oil. After I finally recovered from being blinded, I saw what looked like a deep and ckened meteor crater. Even more terrifying, the edge of the crater was only about a meter away from my feet... Dont even mention the robot not even a scrap of it was left behind. Everyones faces turned pale, no, everyone looked like they had stepped in shit, as they stared at Doll. Yet she looked with interest at the crater and gasped, Wow, it is really powerful! P-princess, that fire grenade cost a couple hundred-thousand dors... Winter Triumphs voice shook with immeasurable grief as he stared at the hundred-thousand dor crater. A couple hundre- thousand dors? Was that bomb made of gold? I said calmly, So the robot was actually ttened by cash. Ah! Lolidragons scream caught everyones attention as she rushed into the building. Toote! Wolf-dg said in a low voice. I looked up at the top of the building and saw that the aircraft was leaving. No one was in the cockpit, but Long Dian sat leisurely in the backseat, even acknowledging us with a nod. His faint smile was truly very infuriating to me. No one is piloting, yet the aircraft is moving. Zhuo-gg frowned and guessed while mumbling, Could the Dictator of Life be piloting that aircraft? Does that mean the Dictators core is in that aircraft? No, if he were ced in the aircraft, thats not safe enough. It could get shot down. Shoot it down! I snapped abruptly, and hurriedly asked Doll, Doll, do you have something like a cannon that we can use to shoot down Long Dian? Yes, but... Doll hesitated somewhat, and then she asked with extreme skepticism, If we shoot him down, Long Dian would definitely die! Prince-gg... Are we really going to use that? Hell die? I felt as if lightning had struck me. Right, what was I thinking? This is not Second Life, this is the real world where people could truly die. I actually said that I was going to shoot Long Dian down. I shook my head. No, we definitely cant use cannons! Dian! shrieked Lolidragon, who had suddenly appeared on the rooftop. We could hear her wheezing even from the ground and realized that she had never run so quickly in her life. Dian, Im begging you, dont do anything stupid!! She screamed desperately, the high-pitched sound rattling even the surrounding ss. Long Dian stared at Lolidragon, his infuriating smile disappearing. His hand caressed the ss... Maybe all he really wanted to do then was touch Lolidragons face. Shui Han, I have already genuinelypleted Second Life. Think of it as a... Long Dians expression changed back into a faint smile, final parting gift to you. Parting gift? Lolidragons voice sounded as though it was shaking. Footnotes Maybe boys appearances also changepletely when they grow up: This is a twist on the usual Chinese saying (Ůʮ׃) about how girls change greatly (usually bing a lot more gorgeous) when they grow up, so much that they are hard to recognize. visiting the inws: This is a phrase used to describe the families of the bride and groom visiting each other for the first time after marriage. Volume 8 Chapter 2 Volume 8 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Second Life C Out of Control C tranted by ErodingPersona After I struggled to stand, I charged to the rooftop with everyone else and saw Lolidragon kneeling down on the ground. Her entire demeanor was that of a person in shock. There were even two tracks of tears running down her face... How am I supposed tofort Lolidragon like this? I couldnt help feeling frustrated. The total number of times I had actuallyforted someone was so infrequent that it was pathetic... I think its mostly been other peopleforting me instead of the other way around. Wow, so you actually know how to cry? I thought that you only knew how to cackle evilly like a witch. Yang Ming walked over to Lolidragon in an infuriating manner and teased her. Lolidragon swiveled her head around. Thats right! After all, Im just a scary old witch that no one loves. Yang Ming suddenly coughed. Actually, riding on a broomstick is also quite fun! Everyone stared at Yang Ming strangely while Lolidragon looked at him, perplexed... I, on the other hand, as Yang Mings elder twin sister,pletely understood what he was trying to do. He was trying to fort Lolidragon. Witches wearing pointy hats are actually very cute too. After all, its not only princesses who get loved by others... I, I for one prefer witches... Yang Ming stammered and stuttered, his facepletely red. Even his voice had gradually be softer and softer. Lolidragon seemed to finally understand that the moronic Yang Ming was trying tofort her. A blush bloomed on her face and, for the first time, she had a bashful look on her face. What nonsense are you talking about?! Both of them looked down with their faces red, once in a while looking up and sneaking nces at the other,pletely consumed in their own little world! Long Dian ran away already, but what about the Dictator, Kenshin, and Sunshine? I worriedly thought of the three people whose statuses were unknown. Since Lolidragon was immersed in her own world, I could only ask everyone else about what to do next. If we didnt hurry up and think of an idea, Fairsky, who was green with envy and shooting death res at Lolidragon and Yang Ming might... whip out a machine gun and shoot randomly in anger, possibly even shooting holes in innocent bystanders. As one of those innocent bystanders, I of course needed to hurry ande up with a n to rescue Sunshine. If they just disappeared like this, it might still be alright, Wicked said. But I dont believe that Long Dian will go into hiding so easily. Theres a one hundred percent chance that he will never go into hiding. Gui immediately exined, I definitely do not believe that Long Dian snatched the Dictator of Life for the sole purpose of hiding. There must be some other plot behind that. Plot? I asked in surprise, Could it be that he wants to use the Dictator to control the world? I remember that he once said that the Dictator could set off the missiles of every country like fireworks? Dian wants to control the world? Hes not that type of person! Lolidragon, who had still been in her own little world, suddenly protested this furiously. The determined look on her face said that she was not going to allow anyone to insult Long Dian. Yang Ming, whose face twisted in jealousy, bitterly asked, Oh? Youre so sure? Then why would Long Dian want to take the Dictator of Life away? Even though I tried with all my might, I just could not fathom it. Could it be that Long Dian had fallen in love with the Dictator of Life and wanted to take him away so that they could live together forever? Ugh, two people who look exactly alike, living together forever... Thats a really disgusting image. Although they heard my question, nobody could give me an answer. Everyone lowered their heads and tried to brainstorm several different reasons why he could have done so. Prince, lets just ignore that for the moment. How are your wounds? Guis worried stare roamed over my body and lingered for a long time on my bruised hands, his concern written all over his face. Xiao Lan, I have already called the ambnce. Dont move about for now. Zhuo-gg gently lifted my hands up and frowned when he saw the swelling bruises littered all over them. Okay. Facing Zhuo-gg, I could only readilyply. If I moved about restlessly, I would definitely receive an endless lecture from him. Prince, you... The baby-faced Nan Gong Zui had walked up to me. He said somewhat helplessly, Youre actually a girl. My heart skipped a beat. Ugh, thats right; my real gender had been revealed. Because the situation with Long Dian had yet to be solved, no one had overly questioned me. How am I supposed to face them now? I couldnt help lowering my head and ying with my fingers. However, repeatedly linking and unlinking ten fingers that had swollen to the size of sausages was really tough. Phew! Nan Gong Zui gave a big sigh, shook his head and said, Luckily Phoenix hadnte along. If she found out that youre of the same gender as her, she might... Hearing this, my head dipped even lower. Normally, I hate bad guys who cheat on a girls feelings the most. Now, I had actually turned into... a girl who cheats on another girls feelings! Im so sorry, Zui... I apologized with my head lowered. I tentatively turned around to face my teammates, whom I had lied to for the longest time. Im sorry everyone, I didnt want to lie to you on purpose. Originally it was because... I turned around and grabbed Yang Ming, who was standing around, not doing anything. I pointed my index finger directly at his nose and loudly proimed his wrongdoing. Its all his fault! Because I fought with him, I went on to be a transvestite! Please, dont me only me! After all, if I was going to die, I had to drag someone down with me. How can I leave my brother, who was the cause of all of this, to just go unscathed? Yu Lian-ds?o suddenly giggled aloud and, while I was still staring in confusion, she looked passionately at Wolf-dg and said, I already knew that you were actually a girl, Prince. Wolf even knew who you actually were! What! My eyes bulged out of my head. Could I have really been such a failure as a transgender person? If Yu Lian-ds?o saw through me, thats alright, but even Wolf-dg, who was as oblivious as me, knew? How did you find out? I asked, dazed. Yu Lian-ds?o smiled gently,id her hand on my head, and patted me. Ive been with you for so long, how could I not tell your true gender? Ah... Doll didnt know that Prince-gg was actually Prince-jijie. Doll chewed at her fingers, pursing her mouth in dissatisfaction. (Its normal that you couldnt tell...) Prince, no, Feng Lan, you dont have any more period cramps, do you? Wolf-dgughed cheerfully. Period cramps? Ah! I suddenly remembered that when I had snuck off to peek at Wolf-dg, I had used something like that as an excuse... Although I did say that I didnt care about guessing who you really were, I had already seen the real you. Even if I didnt want to recognize you, itd be too hard not to do so! Wolf-dg scratched at his face and shook his head. Prince, your expressions and actions were too simr to the ones in the game. Even though your appearances differ, if one took a bit of extra care to notice, it was easy to recognize you. If this is true, then Gui, who sees me in ss every day, had also... recognized me a long time ago? I turned my head around quickly and looked at Gui. I asked unhappily, You purposely acted like you didnt know it was me? Gui had a nk look on his face as he murmured, This... Was it really so easy to recognize you? I flinched. Could Gui not have recognized me? How could that be true? Isnt he a genius with an IQ of 200? You couldnt even recognize Xiao Lan? Were you only able to see Princes looks the entire time? Zhuo-gg ruthlessly attacked. Guis face tightened, and he yelled, Thats not true, I dont care what Prince looks like! Then why didnt you recognize me? I asked coldly. Gui was the one person who had spent the longest amount of time with me, yet he hadnt recognized me. Gui must only like Princes looks after all! I suddenly felt very unhappy. I... Gui was at a lost for words. His mouth hung open, but he wasnt able to say a single word the entire time. Finally, he dropped his head down sadly. Miffed, I ignored Gui and swivelled my head around to look at everyone, nning to continue on taking care of the Long Dian problem. However, Lolidragon made a shushing gesture at me. The blockade on Second Life has been removed? Are you sure? Lolidragon asked, holding a cell phone. There are already people who have entered inside? Have there been any changes in the game? Lolidragon asked while frowning. Upon hearing the reply, her jaw dropped open and her eyes bugged out as she hurriedly demanded, Repeat that! Lolidragon pressed the loudspeaker button and summoned everyone toe closer. The cell phone announced the inconceivable changes in Second Life in session. The shape of the entire world has had little to no changes. The main changes have been in the NPCs. All of the NPCs have been modified to have very high IQs, and the humanoid NPCs in the cities no longer just stand in one spot. They run around like real humans. Even the NPCs who worked to help yers change their sses are now not willing to do that, and areing up with absurd requests. Several boss NPCs are also wandering around. I just saw a boss walking around the streets of Star City and quite a few cities have already been massacred by the NPCs. What on earth is Long Dian trying to do? I couldnt help but ask. A real Second Life, Cold Fox suddenly replied. He had kept silent for so long that I had long forgotten his presence. His sudden words were like lightning, shocking everyone present. After yet another car racing journey, Lolidragon brought all of us to Second Lifes headquarters. I noticed with surprise that the ss I had shattered had already reverted back to its original shape. The Second Life Company really did do things very efficiently. Miss, the Chairman wanted you to see him when you returned. Upon seeing Lolidragon, the female worker at the reception immediately bowed and gave her the Chairmans message. Got it. Lolidragon nodded her head, turned to us, and said, All of you, try going online to see what the game has turned into and check on Kenshin and Sunshine. Ill go see my father first and tell him about Dians escape. After we nodded our heads, Lolidragon told the receptionist, Bring them up to my office and give them the game helmets to allow them to enter Second Life. Yes, miss, the receptionist replied and politely said to us, Please follow me. Lolidragon hurriedly rushed into one of the elevators. Without even saying goodbye to us, she left, the elevator doors closing behind her.She must be really worried. The receptionist brought us to the elevator and elegantly pressed the 44th floor (Lolidragon, you really should have chosen a better floor...). The minute the elevator doors opened, a roomy office, that was obviously farrger than my home, appeared. The decorations on the desk were simple and in and, behind the desk, was arge ss surface providing a view of the entire city. The only thing out of the ordinary was that the bookshelves werent filled with books, but were rather filled with brand name bags like Chanel... The receptionist unhurriedly helped us to set up some ten-odd helmets. She gave a polite ny degree bow to us and said, If you need anything, please let me know. I will help you prepare it. ttered, I nodded at thedy and said to everyone, Then lets all go and see what has be of Second Life. Yes, lets all gather at Flower Citys Central Tower. Zhuo-gg also nodded his head. Everyone put on their helmets and returned to the Second Life that had been thought to be closed forever to us. I put on the helmet and entered the game. When I slowly opened my eyes again, the sight that greeted me was both familiar and foreign... It was the initial scene to create a character, but the GM standing in front of me wasnt Lolidragon. It was apletely foreign NPC beauty. She stared at me curiously and tentatively gave a greeting. Hi? What is going on? Why am I here? Why am I not in Flower City... Ah! Thats right, my character, Prince, had disappearedpletely. Once I remembered this, I couldnt help but feel sad. Do you want to create a character? The NPC beauty blinked her eyes. I already created one before, but my character has disappeared. Can you help me get my character back? I asked without much hope. How could I not try? Prince was a character that I had painstakingly trained. How could I let him go just like that? Of course not. The NPC beauty shrugged her shoulders. If you were previously destroyed by ND or HD, even the God of Life cant bring the character back! Oh... I was a little disappointed but didnt lose hope and continued by asking, Then can you let me y as a guy? I want white hair and red eyes, and then beautification by forty percent? Anythings fine, you can design your character however you like. The games original rules were that the yers could design their characters in any way they wanted! The NPC beauty answered matter-of-factly. What? However we want to design it? Before, it had obviously been based on the persons actual face, and gender couldnt be changed. I stared doubtfully at the NPC beauty. She couldnt be toying with me, could she? Hehe... You look so confused. The NPC beautyughed and urged, Hurry up and create your character. There are still a lot of people I have to help create characters for. Still suspicious, I could only design my character. When Princes appearance appeared before me once again, I couldnt help breathing a sigh of relief. Now all I have to do is just regain my levels, right? Where do you want to be born? The NPC beautyughingly asked. Anywhere is fine... No, the Northern Continent! I want to go to the Northern Continent. I hurriedly changed my words, almost making the same mistake I had made the first time. If I had unwittinglynded in the Southern Continent, I would really have to cry myself to death. The Northern Continent again? Everyone really has no creativity. A group of people all like this sort of look, and another group of people all choose either the Northern Continent or the Central Continent, the NPC beauty murmured to herself. This sort of look... What does that mean? An rm sounded from the bottom of my heart, but before I could ask the NPC beauty, I already started to feel myself free-falling... When Inded on the ground like a meteor, I found my answer... Why... My eyes bulged out as I stared at the group of white-haired, red-eyed people. I yelled loudly, Why are there so many Princes?! The surrounding Princes snickered. Look whos talking. Arent you using Princes looks yourself? I couldnt help yelling back in frustration, Im the real Prince! Haha, yet another person whos saying that hes the real Prince. A snobby and infuriating expression came over one of the people with Princes looks. My God, please dont use that sort of expression, it ispletely staining my reputation and destroying my style! My God, there are actually so many people using my looks, its no wonder the NPC beauty said that... Ah! Oh no, what if Wolf-dg and the rest of them mistake someone else for me? I couldnt help feeling worried. Calm down, calm down. I breathed in two deep breaths, my emotions finally calming down a little. Thats right! I should PM and tell them about this first... But I cant open the PM channel. What on earth is going on? My God! Why cant I PM? I yelled up at the sky. Duh, did you set a name before you entered? one of the surrounding Princes asked coldly. This particr Prince looked very cool. He probably wasnt that obnoxious Prince from earlier. No... Thats right; I didnt even set a name! I suddenly recalled this. The private messaging system haspletely disappeared, a cheerful Prince told me with a smile. What? My entire body turned to jelly. How am I supposed tomunicate with everyone else now? Ignore that guy, we should hurry up and see whats happening at the Central Tower. When an excited Prince finished saying this, the surrounding crowd then started moving in the same direction. I tilted my head upwards and looked toward the Central Tower. Hasnt Wicked mentioned gathering at the Central Tower? Everything will be alright. If I mention that Im Feng Lan, then wouldnt everyone know that Im the real Prince? Realizing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. Alright, move forth toward the Central Tower! I rxed and followed the crowd of moving people. So many people... I stared open-mouthed at the crowds of people thronging the grounds. Everyone, look! This is the ce where the Execution Squad massacred NPCs while outnumbered a thousand to one! Then, Prince bypassed all of the guards and led the charge into Flower Citys za alone. Upon seeing the tens of thousands of NPCs, his expression didnt even change! With a sh of his de, he turned thousands of NPCs into mincemeat, and arrogantlyughed that he wanted the Dictator of Life to stop sending out trash like them... Long live Prince, Liege Lord of Infinite City! Long live the Blood Elf~ The crowds started cheering. This... Is he really talking about me? The corner of my lips stiffened. With a sh of my de, I turned thousands of NPCs into mincemeat? Why is it that my memory tells me that it was the NPCs that had almost turned me into mincemeat? Everyone look! The Execution Squad is here! Some sharp-eyed individual gave a loud shout. Execution Squad! Execution Squad... The tens of thousands of people cramped together in the za suddenly turned wild, screaming out the name of the Execution Squad. Doll! I could also see everyone now, so I hurriedly yelled, Cold Fox! Zui! Fairsky! Doll! Cold Fox~~ The people around me, upon hearing me yell their names, immediately started calling out their names too. The surrounding atmosphere became even more frenzied, almost as if the crowd had gone crazy... I flinched again. Why is this happening? I saw them standing before the Central Tower, their faces all sharing stony expressions. I wanted to rush forward and squeeze through the crowd, but I kept on being pushed back by the frenzied crowd and ended up farther and farther away from everyone... I was so worried that tears were already threatening to fall. Prince! Over here. Just as I was growing more and more dejected, my right hand was suddenly tugged by someone, and a familiar voice yelled for me in panic. I was stunned for a half a beat. Theres actually someone who could recognize me amongst this crowd of Princes? I turned my head around, and Guis slightly seductive demon face greeted my eyes. Gui? Confused, I couldnt react properly. Prince, hurry up ande over here, everyones looking for you. Gui pulled my hand and led me out of the crowd of people. As I squeezed out of the crowd with all my effort, I asked doubtfully, Gui, why were you so sure its me? There are so many people with this look now. Gui stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned his head around and looked at me. His gaze was still as gentle as ever. I will never mistake you for someone else. Your light footsteps, your nk expression. When you fly into a temper, your favorite action is to tighten your fist and show a stubborn expression on your face. Also, you always unintentionally tilt your head to one side. Gui couldnt helpughing, The minute I saw you, I knew you were Prince. My heart warmed, yet I couldnt help retaliating, But you didnt recognize that Feng Lan was me. Guis expression suddenly became distant. It was as if he was not answering me, but was actually talking to himself. He murmured, How could I not have recognized you? But I really hadnt... Maybe I had already known beforehand, but I had promised you... I promised that I would never try and guess your real identity. My promise to you was so important to me, so important that... I let myself be blinded and could not see your real identity. Tentatively, I asked, Gui... What are you saying, why cant I understand a single word? Hearing my words, Gui smiled bitterly. His shoulders dropped, and with frustration he said, I also have no idea what Im saying. Seeing Guis sad look, I scratched my head and couldnt help but say, Its alright. You, you did recognize me, Im really happy, uh... Seeing Guis gaze brighten all of a sudden, I couldnt help but blush. Ipletely forgot the words I had nned on saying. The atmosphere became very awkward. We walked for a short while before Gui abruptly said, Prince, no matter how it has turned out... I still like you. Hearing this, I couldnt help feeling very, very surprised. Could Gui really have such a good temperament? Youre not angry? I, I lied to you and even had other people think you were gay... The more I went on, the smaller my voice became. Even I thought that Gui should be furious at me. Gui fell silent for a while, and then finally said, I am a little angry, yet I dont dare to be angry. I blinked my eyes. Todays Gui seemed to enjoy saying a bunch of iprehensible things. Im angry that you lied to me, angry about the things I dont know but that Wicked knows so clearly... After saying this, Gui gave a light sigh. But I dont dare to get angry. Im scared that you wont be happy, scared that you wont care about me anymore, scared... that I will no longer have any chance of getting you to like me. Gui! I tugged at him, and with the greatest amount of courage I could muster, admitted my wrongdoings. This time its my fault. You dont need to cover for me. Itll just make me feel very guilty. Gui turned around and faced me. He opened his mouth, but didnt seem to know what to say. His expression turned conflicted... Finally, his shoulders slumped and he said dimly, I dont me you for lying to me anymore. We should hurry and meet up with the others. Did Gui want to say something? Deep in my heart, I believed that he did. I, again, strongly tugged at Gui. Being pulled back by me, his face betrayed his surprise. Whats wrong, Prince? Gui asked hesitantly. What did you want to say? Tell me. I stubbornly refused to let go of Gui. Gui acted as though he had made some kind of decision and said, I wasnt thinking of saying something. I was thinking of doing something. Then what were you thinking of... My words were lost in Guis mouth.... I stared wide-eyed at Guis handsome face. His lips were pressed closely against mine... This wasnt the first time Id been kissed, but, but Guis absolutely serious expression made me feel very shy all of a sudden. Embarrassed, I pushed him away slightly. Gui, you... But Gui kissed me again, and this time he even, he even slipped his tongue into my mouth! Panicked, I tried to push him away, but his hands were firmly locked onto the back of my head... Even worse, the character I had just created didnt have any advantage over him in strength. I could not push Gui away. Even though this wasnt the first time Id been kissed, this time I felt as though I truly understood it for the first time, truly understood the feeling of kissing someone... Guis palms were still stronglytched onto me, not allowing me even half a chance of escape. But his kiss was very soft, his tongue light in my mouth... I had no idea what description to use, but it felt very soft, very very soft. It was almost making me feel drunk, drunk on that gentleness. Slowly, Gui stopped holding onto me tightly, and instead started running his hand lightly through my hair. Looking at Gui, who had his eyes closed, his expression drunk and soft, I unconsciously closed my eyes as well and felt Guis utter gentleness: inside my mouth, the gentle touches on my hair, the hand hugging my waist tightly, the light heat between our bodies pressed close together. Oh my God! A guys kissing a guy! The surrounding people suddenly yelled aloud. Gui and I both started. My God! I almost forgot that we were on a busy street. I actually kissed Gui in public, which was made even worse since we were both guys at the moment... A burning sensation on my face made me feel like meat could be grilled on it instantly. I hurriedly pushed Gui away, but just as I was about to smack him and release my anger, I saw someone Zhuo-gg! Never before had I seen Zhuo-gg, who was always so strong and unyielding, with such a weak expression on his face. It was as if all his beliefs had been destroyed. His face was stark white and... His eyes were red-rimmed. I almost thought that Zhuo-gg... was crying? Zhuo-gg... Zhuo-gg didnt say anything and quickly turned around... I might have been wrong, but were Zhuo-ggs shoulders shaking? Gui sighed, and told me unhappily, Prince... The longer you take to decide, the deeper you will hurt the two of us. My heart wavered. Have I... hurt Zhuo-gg? Eh? Both Gui-gg and Wicked-gg are here? Then is this the real Prince-gg? Doll rushed over, opened her eyes wide and stared at the three of us, a little bit of doubt in her eyes. Prince, is that you? Nan Gong Zui frowned, as if he were making a rather hard decision. Baby-faced police! I immediately said. Nan Gong Zui let out a bleak expression. Alright, you really are the real Prince. Prince! Sunshine has disappeared! Fairsky yelled furiously, then couldnt help herself and started sobbing with her head bent low. I started. Thats right!We came here to ensure Sunshine and Kenshins safety! I hurriedly tried to make sense of the situation. Sunshine and Kenshin are not in the Central Tower? There is no one in the Central Tower; even the Dictator of Life is not there. Doll said with worry. What? Sunshine and Kenshin couldnt have... I couldnt help sucking in a breath. This was the thing that I had dreaded the most. Footnotes ...the 44th floor...: The number four in Chinese culture is considered an unlucky number because it sounds the same as death, so many apartments actually skip the 4th floor. Hospitals also do not usually have a 4th floor. Needless to say, the 44th floor is also considered unlucky. What a double dose of bad fortune! Volume 8 Chapter 3 Volume 8 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Danger to the Entire World C tranted by Nausica? <Ding! System notice: Game has experienced a disturbance from the outside world. Please conduct verification.> I paused for a few seconds before finally reacting. Disturbance from outside? Lolidragon is probably looking for us, Cold Fox muttered to himself after a while. Lolidragon is looking for us? Did something happen in the outside world? Quickly I said to everyone, Hurry, lets all go offline and see whats happening outside. I hastened to take off the helmet, and no sooner had I removed it than I received the sudden shock of seeing Lolidragons face immediately before my own. The sight of Lolidragons tearful eyes and trembling mouth caused my own mouth to drop open in surprise. Lolidragon is... actually crying! Prince! What are we going to do? Lolidragon couldnt help throwing herself at me. As she proceeded to sob loudly and uncontrobly into my chest, I found myself at aplete loss for what to do. Whats wrong, Lolidragon? Dont be upset. What happened? I worriedly asked as I hurriedly hugged her. Dian, hehe... sob sob... Lolidragon was crying so hard that she couldnt utter a single word. What in the world has happened? Just what earth-shattering event would cause Lolidragon to break down like this? I simply could not believe it. Even earlier when Long Dian had said all those heartless things, Lolidragon had been able to endure it. Yet here she is, crying her heart out? Long Dian has threatened the entire world! said a verymanding voice as Long-bs imposing figure appeared at the door. With heavy steps, he walked into the room. He no longer had a smile on his face and now wore an anguished yet forceful expression. He threatened the entire world? I nkly repeated, not knowing how to react. Long-bs imposing aura vanished, and his face, which had originally been full of vigor, seemed to have suddenly aged by ten years. In an extremely exhausted tone he said, He used the Dictator of Life to fire a nuclear missile. Even though it wasunched into the ocean, its effects spread to the small inds nearby, resulting in thousands of casualties. ...What? I nearly couldnt respond. Thousands of lives gone... just like that? Moreover, he has also demanded that the entire world send him the things he needs. Otherwise, the next nuclear attack wont be as forgiving. Long-b said, his voice almost pained. How has the government chosen to respond? Nan Gong Zui immediately inquired. Surely the government wont permit him to do whatever he pleases. Thats true, but the government has its hands tied, Long-b said coldly. This world is entirely dependent onputers, and since theputers are now being controlled, the government is unable to do anything. All of the immigration administration, all of the radar detection systems, and all of the satellites are under Long Dians control. The government has no way to track his whereabouts, much less actually capture him. Long-b sighed again. The truth is, even if Dian were to boldly appear before the police in broad daylight, no one would try to arrest him, because ording to the governments information, Long Dians identity and appearance have already been altered. What does Long Dian want? Gui asked. If we know what he wants, we can specte why hes doing all of this. He requested many things, including various instruments and human resources, most of which are rted to the area of biotechnology, but he also wants personnel from the medical field, authorities on neurosurgery, and experts on energy, Long-b said in a frustrated voice. Hm... Im no expert in those areas. Gui turned to look toward Wicked. What do you think, Wicked? Wicked turned his face toward Gui, but said nothing; instead, he violently punched Gui, who was caughtpletely off guard, knocking him to the ground. Everyone was ovee by the same sense of utter disbelief. Gui! I quickly rushed to check on Gui. Arge, red bruise was forming high on his cheek, and trickles of blood were seeping from the corner of his mouth. My heart ached a little when I saw Gui in such a miserable state. Zhuo-gg, why did you hit Gui? I angrily turned on Zhuo-gg, but when I saw his red-rimmed eyes, I found myself unable to criticize him. At the same time I realized that I was the reason Zhuo-gg had hit Gui... With some hesitation, I opened my mouth and said, Zhuo-gg... Zhuo-gg did not look at me, but fixed his re at Gui, who was lying on the ground, and muttered, I wont give up Lan. Thats my line. I definitely wont give up Prince. Even if you break both my arms, I will use my mouth to hang onto her and never let go, Gui replied, smiling an extremely arrogant smile. I couldnt stop myself from fiercely whacking Gui on the head with my hand. What the heck are you talking about? Have you lost your mind? Aplicated look shed across Zhuo-ggs eyes. Upon seeing his sorrowful expression, I felt my heart clench tightly. By dying my decision, am I hurting them even more? Zhuo-dg, Gui, Sislets go take care of Long Dian first! Yang Mings serious voice called us back to our current situation. He sounded almost reproachful, as if he were suggesting that we werent aware of the gravity of the situation. Moreover, Lolidragon, who had been sobbing into my chest, had switched positions and was presently tucked away into Yang Mings chest. Lolidragon gave a shudder, lifted her tear-stained face, and with an expression akin to shock, gave a shout and jumped away from him as she babbled, Wasnt I with Prince? How did it be you? Yang Mings serious expression evaporated in an instant and was reced with an increasingly lewd-looking one as he chortled, Hehehe... Upon seeing such ascivious expression, Lolidragon couldnt stop herself from throwing a kick at him, which Yang Ming easily dodged. As his smile became lewder, Lolidragon became even angrier, her face turningpletely red. As I watched the two y around, I couldnt help mocking Yang Ming, saying, Hey! Whos the one fooling around now? As soon as he heard this, Yang Ming immediately assumed a look of embarrassment, while Lolidragons face filled with guilt. s. As things currently stand, none of you need to help anymore, Long-b sighed heavily. Right away Lolidragon loudly protested, I cant do that! Dad, theres no way I can leave Dian alone. Hearing this, Long-b immediately reprimanded, Its very obvious now that Long Dian is no longer the Dian that we knew. This time he almost killed all of you! Do you think youll be so fortunate next time? But... Lolidragon argued in determination. Enough, Shui Han! Long-b roared. I forbid you from interfering in this matter anymore. I will have the entirepany cooperate to assist the government in arresting Long Dian and bringing him to justice. I will not allow him to harm anyone else. Upon hearing this, Lolidragon dropped weakly onto a chair, all the strength seemingly gone from her legs. On the other hand, Long-b turned to face us and said, The same goes for all of you. Do not involve yourselves in this matter anymore. Especially you, Prince! After saying this, he even gave me a severe look. Why am I the one being singled out? Its not like I particrly enjoy looking for trouble... Nevertheless, under Long-bs terrifying stare, I couldnt do anything besides meekly answering with an Oh. After hearing my reply, Long-b gave another quiet sigh and walked out of the room. What are we going to do? I asked, turning to look at Lolidragon. Are we really going to leave things as they are? Based on Lolidragons personality, there is no way shed just give up... Just do as my dad says, Lolidragon said in a most unprecedented turn of events. Seeing our dumbstruck faces she quietly snorted, Dont be mistaken. My dad looks like hes easy to deal with, but when hes serious, things get really scary. If you dont do as he says, some people will immediatelye to drag you away and throw you into an underground cer where youll be locked up and never see the light of day for over a year. Is it that bad? I asked nkly. That cant be true, can it? After all, Long-b looks so kind... Lolidragon rolled her eyes. Trust me, Ive been his daughter for twenty-some years. So thats it? Were giving up, just like that? asked Fairsky in an extremely frigid voice. We all froze. Then every head turned to look toward Fairsky, whose former look of sorrow had been reced by an icy cold expression. Even Cold Fox, who had been silently standing by this entire time, had never worn such a terrifying expression before. Both Lolidragon and I swallowed. Of course we all knew that not knowing where Sunshine was, or even whether he was dead or alive, had thrown Fairsky into a state of distress. I thought quietly for a bit and then said, We didnt have enough time to carefully search just now. Why dont we try going into Second Life again? Maybe its just that they couldnt wait for us, and since there were too many yers there, they left Central Tower, and thats why we couldnt find them. Really? Fairskys original look of sorrow finally broke through her icy expression. Both Lolidragon and I hurriedly nodded our heads. No one wanted to see that expression on Fairsky again, the one that looked as though she had just walked right out of a freezer. Lets hurry up and log in then. Before Fairsky had even finished speaking she had already put on her helmet,in down, and appeared as though she had already entered the game. "Man, if anything has actually happened to Sunshine, I dont want to imagine how Fairsky will respond," Lolidragon said worriedly. Fairsky would probably turn into a thunderous sky... No, a thunderous sky wouldnt be all that bad... Im just afraid that the Ice Age would repeat itself... Stop joking around, Prince. Lets hurry up and go take a look. Lolidragon smacked me on the head, even as she forced herself to smile. Even though we cant do anything about Long Dian, we need to at least save Sunshine and Kenshin and bring them back. After all, it waspletely my fault that we werent able to download them in time. Lolidragon... I hadnt known that Lolidragon felt this way. I couldnt help wanting to open my mouth and urge her not to me herself, to tell her that there was no way anyone could have known things would turn out like this. However, before I had the chance to say anything, Lolidragon swiftly put on her helmet, and her haste caused to me suspect that she had done it on purpose... Oh well, I knew very well that with Lolidragons personality, I couldnt persuade her out of her thoughts. Perhaps Yang Ming would be able to? After all, every time Lolidragon fell into one of her rare moments of sadness, Yang Ming especially loved to rile her up, and in the end Lolidragon would toss all of her sadness out the window and proceed to try to kill him... I turned my head to look, and as expected, Yang Ming had already put on his helmet. It looked like my idiot brother was pretty serious this time. Lets also go find Sunshine and Kenshin! I turned to look at the others, at the same time putting a helmet on my own head, thus entering Second Life once again. I entered the game, and the second I opened my eyes... I realized that something weird was going on. Why are there so many people staring so intently at me? It was only at this point that I discovered that I was actually surrounded by a massive crowd of legions upon legions of people. Thats the real Prince, The Blood Elf has logged on, Its about time! Waiting here wasnt aplete waste of time, after all. A rush of excited chatter escaped from the surrounding crowd, which included a number of people who had the same appearance as me. Eh? What kind of situation is this? I stammered in iprehension, H-How do you guys know that Im Prince? Of course wed know! The demon bard and the emotionless swordsman have both appeared, so of course everyone knows that youre the real Prince. Demon bard? Emotionless swordsman? What are they talking about... I could guess that the former probably referred to Gui, since there werent that many bards of the demon race... but what the heck was an emotionless swordsman? Obviously there was only me, Gui, and... Wicked? So Wicked is the emotionless swordsman? Alright, I admit that the title is rather fitting. Prince, why are there so many people? At this point, the demon bard also appeared, looking with astonishment at the surrounding crowds of people. As befitting his title of the emotionless swordsman, Wicked, for his part, furrowed his brow, but said nothing. Wow, all three of them look so handsome, some girl eximed longingly, and then swallowed her saliva. I really want to kiss them. As soon as I heard the words really want to kiss, I was suddenly struck by an extremely uneasy feeling... as though if we didnt flee now, that phrase would very quickly be a reality... Crap! Wicked, Gui, lets run for it! I shouted as I prepared to use my Ultimate Run-for-My-Life-Qing-Gong-Technique. But at that precise moment, I tripped over my legs and, in a spread-eagle position, kissed the ground. Seeing my situation, both Wicked and Gui tried to rush over to save me, but unfortunately their speed wasnt as fast as it was before, and they could only watch helplessly as I performed the act of prostrating myself for all to see. The whole scene had fallen silent, and I could even clearly hear the sound of saliva dripping from some persons widely gaping mouth. I slowly crawled up, and holding back my tears I gave a muffled groan. It hurts! Why did I fall? I asked, slightly vexed. At this rate, my fame for my military prowess as well as my prestige were sure to disappear down the drain. Prince, youre only at level one. You cant use qing gong anymore. Wicked softly reminded me. Thats right! No wonder I had fallen in such in unsightly manner. My skills and levels had disappeared without a trace the second Id created a new character from scratch. Sigh, all my levels and skills, gone... Oh well, those can all be regained through training. Forget about that for now. Lets hurry and go look for Sunshine and Kenshin, I hurriedly said to the other two. Prince, maybe you... Gui started hesitantly, then broke off. What? I asked, frowning. Gui seemed to make up his mind, and in one breath he said, Shouldnt we also be looking for Meatbun and Fire Phoenix? Meatbun... my Meatbun!Oh my goodness, I actuallypletely forgot that as soon as my character disappeared, Meatbun would be a wild meat bun. What should I do? Panicking, I wailed, Oh no! I dont even know where Meatbun is. What if hes being bullied by yers and NPCs? Maybe hes already been mistaken for a regr meat bun and has been eaten! Sob sob sob! Meatbun, Mommys so sorry. Meatbun! That bun with a pair of eyes? So that was your bun! The people around me murmured, fuming with anger. A bun with a pair of eyes... besides my meat bun, there cant be anything else with this distinctive trait. I hastily asked, Yes, thats right, have you seen my Meatbun? Of course we have! That gluttonous scoundrel of a meat bun and that despotic phoenix have been tyrannizing Flower City. They have been stealing food from yers one day, and flooding the ce the next. Last time all of the hair on my body was burned to a crisp by that phoenix. This... it sounds like Meatbun and Fire Phoenix are doing pretty well for themselves! *Sweat I wonder if Meatbun would still be willing to be my pet? I couldnt help being a little worried. He would, wouldnt he? Mama! Meatbuns cheerful shout could suddenly be heard. I felt a bit dazed. I seemed to have heard Meatbuns voice, calling for me. Or is it that I was so worried, I imagined it? I looked left and right, hoping to see that white, chubby figure, but I didnt see anything. Bang! My head was suddenly dealt a heavy blow, and while my head spun and my vision blurred I heard... <System notice: You have been attacked by Meatbun, -30 HP.> My god! I was only level one, and had no more than some ten drops of blood. No wonder my swollen head felt as though it were on the verge of exploding. Oh my god, its Meatbun! Everyone run! A flurry of movement embroiled the surrounding crowd, and even the girl who had expressed a desire to kiss me gathered up her skirts and in the blink of an eye fled many meters away. I stood quite still, opened my mouth, spat out a lot of blood, and then spoke. When I did, my voice sounded so feeble that I suspected that I would soon turn into a pir of light and check back at the rebirth point. Meatbun... dont do that again, youllmit matricide... Matricide? Meat-bunbun doesnt know what Mamas talking about, Meatbun said, very happily bouncing onto my shoulder. <System notice: You have been attacked by Meatbun, -10 HP.> I violently spat out another mouthful of blood as I finally understood that, for a level one yer facing a pet over level fifty, even the slightest touch could be lethal! Meatbun, dont move, please, please dont move anymore, I begged, my face deathly pale. At this rate, I was really going to kick the bucket. Where did Mama go? Meat-bunbun missed Mama so much! As Meatbun talked, it began to bawl and howl uncontrobly, and its lovable yet loathsome head kept burrowing itself into my chest... <System notice: You have been attacked by Meatbun, -50 HP, you have died.> ... I looked at the huge cavity that Meatbun had burrowed into my chest, at aplete loss for words. Meanwhile, Meatbun actually bounced out of the bloody hole, its cute face wearing a questioning look. Gui, be careful not to follow me to the rebirth point, I helplessly warned the other pet master, even though I had the feeling that Gui would soon follow in my footsteps. I instantly became a pir of light. I didnt know where the rebirth point in Flower City was, and wondered whether I should wait there for Gui and Wicked, or look for them myself... forget it. Given the degree to which I was directionally challenged, even after Fairsky had found Sunshine and the two had finished throwing their wedding ceremony, I still wouldnt have found the other two. As soon as Inded on the ground, I was ovee by a wave of nausea, and I doubled over vomiting, though nothing came out. Once the nauseous feeling that always followed death passed, I looked up and saw a person, someone who could not possibly be here, yet was actually before me right now... Rather I should say, it wasnt a person. The Dictator of Life! I was a hundred percent certain that it was the Dictator of Life and not Long Dian, even though he possessed an identical appearance. I could not be mistaken about that pair of eyes that revealed a sorrowful resignation to fate. Y-You... I was so shocked that I couldnt even speak properly. Why is the Dictator of Life here? Huh? Where is this ce, anyway? I nced left and right. This wasnt the rebirth point, but a pce, a gray-colored, magnificent pce. Beneath my feety a gigantic magic portal, and behind the Dictator of Life was a veryrge throne. Surrounding us were countless giant pirs, each so wide it would have taken two people topletely wrap their arms around any of them. Meat-bunbun is so muddle-headed, as usual, the Dictator of Life said with a slight smile. As I expected, he really did end up killing you. My heart trembled as I asked, Did you order Meatbun toe kill me? Do you believe that Meat-bunbun would do such a thing? Intentionally kill you? A trace of grief came over the Dictator of Lifes face. I tilted my head to the side, thinking. No, I dont. There was no way Meatbun would kill me intentionally, because... just having to exin to Meatbun what the word kill meant was enough to give anyone a major headache. It would have been faster to find some other NPC toe hack me to pieces. The Dictator of Life broke into a smile, an iparably brilliant smile. It was the most genuine one Id seen since meeting him. I nearly drooled at the sight. The Dictator of Life was a peerless super hottie after all. I couldnt resist telling him, You should smile more often. Its such a waste of that face if you dont smile. The Dictator of Life blinked, and then asked, like a child, Do I look nice when I smile? Yep! Id say even super idols cantpare! I praised him very directly. With beautiful guys, I was always very generous with giving the praise that was due... ah, with the exception of that idiot brother of mine. If I told him he was handsome to his face, not only would I die of revulsion, Yang Ming himself would promptly take me to visit the doctor to see if something had gone wrong with my brain. Then, do you like my appearance? asked the Dictator of Life, a little hesitantly. I vigorously nodded my head, but then I suddenly remembered that the Dictator of Life was also one of my admirers. Thinking of this, my head started hurting again. Gui and Zhuo-gg are already giving me enough trouble to deal with, and now there is the Dictator of Life to add into the mix! Heavens, just when did my charisma be so irresistible? You dont like it? the Dictator of Life asked, suddenly looking very discouraged. No, thats not it. Appearances arent that important, I vaguely said. (Who? Who says Im lying?) Wait a sec- I suddenly wondered what in the world I was doing. Here I am, discussing appearances and looks with the Dictator of Life when there are clearly more important matters at hand. There is the question of Sunshine and Kenshins whereabouts, not to mention the issue regarding Long Dian. I hurriedly asked, What happened to Sunshine and Kenshin? And just where is this ce? I have already sent Kenshin and Sunshine to find yourrades, and this is my real residence, my pce, the Dictator of Life answered simply. Upon hearing that Kenshin and Sunshine were both alright, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief; at least this meant that I wouldnt have to worry about them anymore. However, I would never have guessed that after dying this time, I would neither go up to heaven nor descend into hell, but rather end up in the residence of the Dictator of Life. This was just as well, because I could use this chance to resolve the matter concerning Long Dian. If I could persuade the Dictator of Life to stop helping Long Dian, then everything would be solved. Yet, how am I to convince the Dictator of Life to stop helping Long Dian, who is almost like a father to him? Is it possible that I would have to resort to using my charm and beauty to seduce him? I struggled with myself for a bit, but decided that I didnt want to use this method after all. Thus, I could only cautiously ask, Dictator of Life, can you stop helping Long Dian? Everything hes doing is wrong. I cannot disobey Father, the Dictator of Life told me inly upon hearing my request. I immediately countered, But you did disobey him when you refused to return to his side, didnt you? The situation was different, the Dictator of Life said calmly. At that time, Father was utterly unprepared for my rebellion because he had not imagined that I would revolt. Things are different now. He hasplete control over me, and if he gives me an order, even if it is an order to kill you, I would do it without the slightest hesitation. I found myself at a loss for words. This time, even myst hope was gone. I forcefully asked, Then how did you leave Long Dian toe here? I didnt actually leave Father, the Dictator of Life exined. I am not a human, whose existence is limited to a single ce. For an AI, simultaneously appearing in countless locations is a very simple task. Of course I know that! How big of an idiot do you take me for? A bit dissatisfied I retorted, Im just doubtful that Long Dian would let youe here. Hearing my question, the Dictator of Life stopped abruptly, and remained silent for a very, very long time... until I suddenly realized that he hade here in secret. Considering things in this light, he still had some way to disobey Long Dian. Father is very pitiful, the Dictator of Life finally said. When I heard this, I was filled with extreme rage. How can a scumbag who fired a nuclear weapon and killed thousands of people be called pitiful? I icily said, That scumbag ought to die. The word pitiful has nothing to do with him. Father only treasures too much the happiness he worked so hard to obtain, the Dictator of Life said serenely. Even though I knew I shouldnt sympathize with that scoundrel Long Dian, I still couldnt keep myself from asking, Just what happened to Long Dian? Whys he threatening the world? Whats he requesting those strange items and people for? Ahh... the Dictator of Life gave a deep sigh. Father only wants to keep on living, to remain with the ones he loves forever. If it was me, I might have done the same thing, if it meant that I could remain by your side forever. Even though I already knew the Dictator of Lifes feelings for me, I couldnt keep my face from turning red upon hearing such a direct confession. In an attempt to change the subject, I said, Isnt Long Dian doing fine? I dont see how his life is in any danger. Terminal illness! stated the Dictator of Life directly. Terminal illness... I remained silent for a very long time and recalled Long Dians figure from when I had met him before... It was true, his condition had looked quite terrible, as though he had fallen very ill... Why havent I thought of it before? Father, he... originally he had only wanted to live within Second Life, but that npletely failed, the Dictator of Life said with regret. Now, theres only one way left. A sorrowful smile appeared on the Dictator of Lifes face. Father will merge together with me. This way, not only can he continue living and control the entire inte world, but he can also create an artificial body that can exist in the real world. Prince... the Dictator of Life gently called me. Huh? I was only aware of a sense of dizziness that had enveloped my head, which felt very swollen. This matter is simply tooplex; Long Dian actually wants to merge together with the Dictator of Life? When I have merged with Father, in order for there not to be a conflict between two peoples consciousnesses, I will let go of my consciousness. So, I came here to say goodbye to you, Prince, the Dictator of Life said with a gentle smile. Also, I want to thank you, the Dictator of Life continued in a light voice. Thank you for letting me understand what love is. Why does someone always have to sacrifice themselves? I simply could not understand. Why? The Dictator of Life actually reached out his hand, and wiped away the tears on my face. Dont cry, Prince. Dont worry, Father has promised me that once the n to merge and produce a body has beenpleted, he wont hurt anyone else anymore. He has already hurt too many people, I said hoarsely. There wont be any more casualties. Rest assured, I will do everything I can to not hurt anyone. As he gave me his word, the Dictator of Life gave me a painfully loving look, as though he was concerned that I was still worried. Liar! I angrily shouted. At the very least, you will get hurt. You will die. At this, the Dictator of Life actually smiled happily. Are you worried for me? I forcefully wiped away my tears as I yelled, Obviously! Sounding very content, the Dictator of Life sighed, That is good enough for me. Upon hearing this, I nearly went mad. Even though the Dictator of Life has a very high level ofprehension and intelligence, in the end, this guy is no different from Meatbun! Then, will... will you remember me forever, Prince? There was a look close to longing in his eyes. I wont! I coldly replied. Upon hearing my answer, the Dictator of Life froze at once, as if he had been struck by lightning. If you dare to go and die, I swear that I will forget about youpletely! You hear me? I threatened the Dictator of Life, ring at him. After remaining still for a while, the Dictator of Life suddenly kissed me lightly on my forehead. Thank you. Dont thank me, you have to live Before I could finish speaking, everything before my eyes began to turn fuzzy. The throne, the pce, and the figure of the Dictator of Life all faded away, and the only thing that remained vivid was the bright smile that rested on the Dictator of Lifes face. Prince? Prince? Wake up... I rubbed my eyes. What just happened? Is that the Dictator of Life calling me? But when I opened my eyes, it was Guis handsome face that materialized before me. Huh? Gui, why are you here? Were you also brought here by the Dictator of Life? I asked stupidly, even though I didnt know why the Dictator of Life would bring him here. Strictly speaking, Gui was his love rival, after all. Gui paused. The Dictator of Life? Prince, what are you talking about? I dont understand anything youre saying. Upon hearing Guis response, I also stopped abruptly. Right then, I suddenly discovered that the surrounding scenery looked very strange. I was no longer in that gray pce, but in a most ordinary-looking rebirth point, where there couldnt possibly be any trace of the Dictator of Life. I was definitely in the Dictator of Lifes pce just now, I insisted, notprehending the situation. Prince, did you fall asleep? After you were identally killed by Meatbun, I was also burned to death by Fire Phoenix. When I was reborn, I saw you lying here. Gui looked at me with some concern. I fell asleep? Could it be that it was all a dream? I couldnt help but begin to wonder if my sleeping skills were so amazing that I was able to sleep soundly to the point of dreaming even within the game, but the dream... had felt a bit too real. Was it really a dream? I furrowed my brow, thinking hard. But that smile on the Dictator of Lifes face was so genuine; it didnt look anything like a dream. Prince... were you crying? Gui asked, suddenly staring at me. He lifted my chin up, and looked over my face carefully. And someone even wiped away your tears for you. Gui...Your observational skills are a little too much, dont you think? You even knew that someone wiped my tears away for me? It looked like if I married Gui, I definitely wouldnt be able get away with sneaking around behind his back... Bah!What am I thinking? Im not even married yet and already I was nning on sneaking around... Then I definitely wasnt dreaming. The one who wiped my tears away was the Dictator of Life, I answered with utmost certainty. Oh yeah, Gui, the Dictator of Life told me a lot of things. Help me think of a solution. Okay. Gui did not look entirely convinced, but still he obediently listened. Immediately I narrated in full detail everything that had happened, and then hurriedly asked Gui, Is there any way that the Dictator of Life doesnt have to die? After hearing everything I said, Gui stood silently for a moment, his brow furrowed in very deep thought. Terminal illness... so Long Dian can only survive by merging with the Dictator of Life? The way things currently stand, the most obvious decision is to sacrifice either Long Dian or the Dictator of Life, Gui analyzed critically. Moreover, from my point of view, sacrificing the Dictator of Life is for the best. That way, everything will be resolved even if we dont do anything. And what is more... after all is said and done, the Dictator of Life is not really a human being. Sacrificing the Dictator of Life... is for the best? Even though I knew that Gui could not possibly have erred in his judgment, I couldnt help asking again, Does there have to be a sacrifice? Gui looked deeply into my eyes and said with purpose, Prince, there are many things that cannot be resolved perfectly. If you forcefully insist on a perfect resolution, you may lose everything. Is that the way it has to be? But is the Dictator of Life... really going to be sacrificed like this? Volume 8 Chapter 4 Volume 8 Chapter 4 Chapter 04: Cold Foxs Terrifying Special Training C tranted by bleachpanda Thank you, Prince. Thank you for letting me understand what love is. I suddenly woke up, only to find my face covered in tears and that phrase resounding incessantly in my mind... Dictator of Life.... After the day I saw the Dictator of Life, we also encountered Fairsky and the rest. Sunshine and Kenshin had reallye back, proving that the things that had happened that day werent the result of bing muddleheaded from oversleeping and dreaming everything! They were real! The Dictator of Life really hade to say his farewells. After Lolidragon heard the news that Long Dian had an incurable disease and needed tobine with the Dictator of Life in order to live, she was stupefied and had no idea what to do. Everyone told me that not doing anything and letting thembine would be the best method... But I just couldnt forget the content smile the Dictator of Life had shown just because of a few words of mine. Is sacrificing the Dictator of Life... really the best way to do this? If the Dictator of Life were an actual human being, perhaps everyone wouldnt have made such a decision... However, to me, he was a real human being. It was simr to how Fairsky felt that Sunshine was definitely not an NPC. Sis! You overslept again! What about my breakfast... Yang Ming kicked open the door, only to freeze upon seeing the scene before him. He paused for a long time before finally saying, Sis... Even if you havent slept enough, you dont need to cry like that, right? I can always help you tell Gui that you dont want to get out of bed to go to ss. I bet he wouldnt dare flunk you anyway... Shut up! I immediately used all my strength to throw my pillow at him. As I heard his cry of agony, I felt immensely pleased. Twitching my mouth, I said, Im sad. Sad! Do you understand? Sad about what? Yang Ming replied as hezily remained on the floor, not bothering to get back up. I hesitatingly asked Yang Ming, Do you think... the Dictator of Life should really be sacrificed? There is no one in this world who should be sacrificed! Yang Ming said in all seriousness. But, if we dont sacrifice the Dictator of Life, we will need to sacrifice Long Dian. I stared at Yang Ming. And you know that Long Dian is really important family to Lolidragon. If Long Dian were to die, Lolidragon would definitely be really heartbroken. I know! Yang Ming sighed, But no one should be sacrificed. If Long Dian died, my future wife Lolidragon would be deeply hurt. However, if the Dictator of Life died, my sis would feel remorse and regret toward him for the rest of her life. Yang Ming exaggeratedly held his head in indecision. This is horrible! It really is hard to choose between family and love. What and what? What has this got to do with family and love... My bros ability to speak irresponsibly at any time had really grown day-by-day. I couldnt help but roll my eyes at him exaggeratedly. Sis, I think you still have a week to think about it properly, said Yang Ming, suddenly raising his head. One week? I dont understand, why one week? Yang Ming softly uttered, The government has agreed to Long Dians conditions. They have handed over the people he wants and the equipment he needs. ording to their estimations, making an artificial body might only take two weeks. The fusion n will probably start after that. I need to go save him! I stood up abruptly. Hearing this, Yang Ming nearly fell to the floor again. He rubbed his nose and said, You sure decided quickly when you were so indecisive just now. That was then. Right now, there isnt any time for hesitation! I desperately shouted. Even if youve decided to try, you still wont be able to save him. Even the government cant handle Long Dian, so what could you possibly do? Yang Ming coldly broke my confidence apart. Regardless, I have to go save him! Otherwise, I will regret it for the rest of my life! I said with no doubt in my mind. I definitely couldnt wait here blindly. If I did, I would definitely be tortured for the rest of my life by my conscience. Yang Ming guffawed, You really are my sis. I knew you would definitely go to save him. Follow me. Once again, Yang Ming revealed an enigmatic smile, muddling my mind and making me unable to guess his intentions. Where does he want me to follow him to? However! Yang Ming spun the keys to the hover bike around his finger, Im driving this time. Although I didnt know what Yang Ming was trying to do, I still climbed onto the back seat of the bike. As we sped off, I became more and more confused. Where are we going? Dont we need to go to ss? Gui helped us take leave, Yang Ming replied without turning his head. What? Take leave? I furrowed my brows. In addition, the route that Yang Ming was driving through was a route that I was extremely familiar with. After all, I had speeded on this very roadst time in order to arrive at the transmission station to go to Lolidragons. Could it be that were going to Second Lifes main headquarters right now? Not long after, my spections were confirmed. Yang Ming rode into the transmission station and drove all the way to Second Lifes main headquarters. After he parked, Yang Ming led me into thepany silently, not exining a single thing. After going through many twists and turns, we finally made it to a steel door. At that moment, Yang Ming gestured for me to open the door and enter. I waspletely and utterly baffled about the entire situation, but I still put my hands on the doors handle. I put in some strength and pushed open the door... Ah, you finally came. I thought you had changed and decided to be an obedient andpliant girl, said Lolidragon, who was wearing a set of light armor, as she smiled at me. Its not just Lolidragon, everyone else.... I called out everyones names, dumbfounded, Wolf-dg, Yulian-ds?o, Doll, Gui and Wicked, Nan Gong Zui, Phoenix, Fairsky and also Cold Fox? Why do you always like putting my name along with this guys? muttered Gui, dissatisfied. Wicked also revealed a look of disdain toward Gui. What is...everyone doing here? My mind was filled with confusion. What exactly is going on here? Is it possible that everyone has gathered together for a Second Life get-together? Waiting for you, everyone said in unison. Waiting for me? This reply made me even more confused. I guarantee that my eyes right then definitely looked exactly like Meat-bunbuns whenever he says, Mama, Meat-bunbun doesnt understand. Even if we dont use our brains and merely use a bone in our spines to think about it, we would know that its impossible for you to simply sacrifice the Dictator of Life. Lolidragon revealed an expression that said I saw through you ages ago. If we were to leave you to do everything yourself, we wouldnt know what idents you would get into. Therefore, we thought, why dont we try to make well-made, foolproof preparations and greatly increase the sess rate instead? Yang Ming light-heartedly smiled. But... Everyone said that it would be better to just leave it, I replied a bit guiltily. Howe everyone understands me so well? The past few days, even I myself still doubted whether I should go or not, but everyone already knew that I would definitely go. Its true that if we dont do anything, it would probably bring about the best results since only the Dictator of Life would be sacrificed... However, I understand and know that things are not that simple. Lolidragons eyes revealed her determination. Long Dian... he just hasnt figured it out yet. He wants to stay beside Dad and me but he has forgotten that if he were tobine with the Dictator of Life, he would be immortal. Whereas, the two of us would only have a life expectancy of, at most, two hundred years. Lolidragon stopped for a moment. Then, she slowly said, At that time, how would he cope with his eternal life and endless solitude? Actually, it wouldnt take that long, Yang Ming dimly said. A life bought with the sacrifice of others would definitely bring sorrow. And Long Dian has already sacrificed the lives of over a thousand people. He has already stepped onto a path of no return on which he will never be able to obtain happiness. Thats why were all here, said Wolf-dg as his heartyughter broke the dark and gloomy atmosphere. Its to save the Dictator of Life and Long Dian as well! I finally understood everything. Earlier, although everyone said that allowing Long Dian to merge with the Dictator of Life would be the best oue, in reality, everyone doubted like me and thought, Is this really for the best? And right now, with the support of my teammates, I could finally freely scream, No it isnt! That definitely isnt the best oue! Everyone...is willing to go stop Long Dian and save the Dictator of Life? I asked with a smile on my face. Everyone here agrees to that, Lolidragon lightly smiled. After all, they came to this conclusion much faster than you. Then, once again, Lolidragons expression turned stern. However, this times operation will be severely dangerous. There is a high possibility that we will encounter even stronger robots than the one we ran into before. Therefore, the only ones who can go to save the Dictator of Life are the ones that can pass the test. Lolidragon walked toward a gigantic machine that had a simr shape to a birdcage. It had a circr pedestal and a clear outer shell wrapped around it. It looked like one of those virtualbat games that Id seen in electrically controlled amusement parks, except this one was much, muchrger. This is a battle simtor that the military uses to train their soldiersbative abilities. Fighting inside here is exactly the same as fighting in the real world and, of course, the degree of pain felt can be manually controlled and adjusted. But all of you should be prepared for more than that. In my case, I will definitely set the pain level at one hundred percent, Lolidragon said with no leniency. All of you will have to be familiar with the equipment we used in the previous battle within two weeks. In addition, you will have to fight using this equipment in the simtor. Only those who achieve level B are allowed to participate in the actual operation, Lolidragon strictly said. Anyone who does not reach level B or higher, even if it is you, Prince, will not be allowed to go. Everyone revealed an expression of determination to achieve this no matter what. As for me, it was obvious that I definitely wouldnt allow myself to fail! Everyone, work hard! Lolidragon said, sighing. Level B isnt something normal people can achieve. However, my dad insisted that unless we reach level B, he wont allow us to leave this room. <Beep Beep Beep , your level is A, your level is A> ... I stood, my mouth agape, staring at the simtor. I was positive that the sound hade from the simtor... Who was it? Who is at level A without even going through any training... Cold Fox? said Lolidragon, amazed, as she looked at the shadow inside the simtor. Even more frightening was that Cold Fox was only holding a small knife simr to letter-openers and had no other gear at all! A... How could that be possible? Even I could only reach level B. A is a level that only elite military personnel can achieve... said Nan Gong Zui, dumbstruck as a policeman familiar with the machine. It seems that the most terrifying terrorist is actually the student wearing a high school uniform! Cold Fox turned around and scanned everyone with his eyes. Upon seeing his cold eyes, we started to suspect whether Cold Foxs face had actually appeared on the ten most wanted criminals list before. In these two weeks, allow me to train you guys. As usual, Cold Fox was a man of few words. However, these few words were enough to make our hearts tighten at the thought. And in reality, although this guy might not actually be on the ten most wanted criminals list, his cold-bloodedness could definitely match up to that of the ten most wanted criminals in the world. Wake up at four every day and run fiftyps around the room. The women, run thirtyps. What? Run fiftyps around the room? This room isnt my bedroom man, not to mention, this cant even be called a room. This is a training ground and considering Second Lifes financial status, how big do you guys think this training ground is? Its definitely no smaller than a schools sports field! Everyones faces paled. People these daysck exercise and thus running fiftyps was definitely something outside of our imagination. Cold Fox coldly shot a nce at me, Besides Prince. You have to run fiftyps. Could he be implying that I dont count as a woman? I suddenly had an urge to strangle the man in front of me to death. Afterwards, wear your protective gear and we will do different types of battle training. Then it will be one versus one matches. After speaking up to this point, Cold Fox once again icily shot a nce at me for some unknown reason. Your opponent will be me. I suddenly felt uneasy. Can it be that I identally angered Cold Fox because of being Kenshins master? In the following two weeks, I felt that the sweat on my back never ceased to flow. If the training grounds had a bed, I definitely would have crashed on it and then slept for a week without waking up at all. The fiftyps every morning were already torturous enough. Near the end, my legs would stop responding to me. Every time I wanted to just forget about everything, stop, and shout "I dont want to do this anymore," the Dictator of Lifes smile and his damn "thank you" would appear before me. If running can save him, then running one hundredps or even one thousandps would be worth it. It was because of these words that I was able to survive through the fiftyps on the first day. After I finished running, my face was already ghostly pale to the point that both Gui and Wicked furrowed their eyebrows at me. Seeing their expressions, I knew that they really wanted to tell me to give up and stop running, but they also knew that I wouldnt give up. However, I deeply believed that Guisplexion was much more terrible than mine. As I caught my breath, I couldnt help but say to Gui, Gui, if you really cant do it, then dont force yourself. Look at your face, it looks so horrible! Gui actually revealed a weak smile, Prince doesnt look so good either, so why arent you giving up? Because I need to save the Dictator of Life... I suddenly realized that I was doing this in order to save the Dictator of Life and Gui was doing this for me. This determination wasnt something anyone could break. Meanwhile, Wicked didnt say anything. Clearly, his physical strength was extremely good. It was possible that running was basically his daily exercise, merely that fiftyps may just be a little more than usual. I patted Guis back, encouraging him. Since I knew that he wouldnt give up, there was no need to give him the cold shoulder to try and force him to give up. Judging from the past, giving him the cold shoulder would be nothing; even if I were to bash him up, he still wouldnt give up. I walked to Zhuo-ggs side. Although Zhuo-gg didnt show any expression, I knew that he wasnt happy and that he was, in fact, extremely unhappy. I couldnt help but open my mouth and say, Zhuo-gg, keep on going! At first, Zhuo-gg was shocked, but then he nodded and smiled my way. I finally felt relieved and began happily humming a song while putting on the gear that Lolidragon had meticulously prepared. Sis, you shouldnt do that! said Yang Ming as hezily leaned against a wall, evidently having finished equipping his gear a long time ago. Dont give hope to two men at the same time. It could cause dire consequences in the future. I just dont want to hurt either of them, I said, feeling a bit guilty. Do you remember what I said before? If you try to force a perfect resolution, you will likely lose everything, Yang Ming said profoundly. Has Yang Ming recently been able to speak more like a human? I replied a bit miserably, I know. No matter what, after this, I will give them both an answer. Suddenly, Yang Ming put his hand on my shoulder. Sis, choose Gui! I was stunned. Do you think Gui is better? Yeah. Yang Ming tightened his fist and passionately said, I really like Zhuo-dg as well, but if Professor Min Gui Wen were to be my brother-inw, it would definitely guarantee that I will be able to graduate from university. For my graduation certificate, for this graduation certificate that will help me find a job, for this job that will allow me marry Lolidragon, and for the children that will carry on the Feng family line, you should choose him, Sis! This guy.... Bam! A power glove ruthlessly hit my bros precious little thing, also known as my bros little willy. Then, as my bro tragically howled, Lolidragon came and dragged him away. Lolidragon continued cynically, With this, you dont need to carry on the Feng family line anymore, so just let Prince choose at her own pace! Still have energy to talk? Suddenly, Cold Fox revealed a smile we had never seen before. However, from that point onwards, no one wanted to see that smile ever again, especially afterwards when he dealt with us so brutally and inhumanly... Individually pick a sword or a gun as your weapon, Cold Fox dictated. Those who choose swords, go to the test performance machine and practice swinging the sword five thousand times. Only swings with a power above one hundred fifty will count. Those who choose guns, go to the shooting range and practice. You must hit bulls eye at least five hundred times. After his speech, everyone chose their own weapons while Cold Fox once again shot a nce at me. Come here! Sob... Why is this happening again? I want to sue Cold Fox for discriminating against me! This is your weapon. Cold Fox threw a light sword at me... No, this weapon was different from other light swords. The subtle curve of the des shape... a daos shape? This is a dao! Inaddition, it is exactly the same as my ck Dao! (Of course, this had a white luster instead as it was impossible for it to be ck.) I raised the lightsaber. It felt so smooth and light in my hands, exactly like my good partner ck Dao. It felt precisely the same. I know you are best at using the dao, said Cold Fox simply. Thanks! I said from the bottom of my heart. You know, Cold Fox isnt as cold as he appears. On the contrary, hes actually very considerate and attentive. Go practice swinging! ordered Cold Fox simply. However, he stopped for a moment and then continued, Prince, you have a lot of potential. I could tell from Second Life. That game is one that is real beyond imagination, which is also why I decided to y it. Magic and abilities may not be possible in real life; however, if you are capable of exerting your fighting skills in the game, then you are capable of them in reality. After Cold Fox finished his unprecedented long speech, he reverted back to the silent and wordless him as he quietly supervised everyones practice. Thank you Cold Fox. Really, thank you, I softly murmured,pletely understanding that under Cold Foxs cold appearance was an extremely gentle and caring person. Bastard Cold Fox, idiot Cold Fox, you have no blood, no tears, no heart and no liver... Huff, huff... I said while quietly cursing him in my mind and panting for breath. Stupid Cold Fox, treating us like this. I finally understood what "swing the de five thousand times with each swing having a power of over one hundred fifty" finally meant. Listening to what I was supposed to do as an idea didnt sound like very much, but once the phrase became an action, it was really something that could kill me. Especially when the onepleting these actions was myself, it really... made my whole body feel like jelly and my spine tingle with pain to the point where I couldnt even pick up chopsticks anymore... That was my current situation. Eyes forward and straighten up your back. Your upper body is slouching and youre swinging your de too flimsily. Do you think Long Dian is using a few dogs to obstruct you? Cold Fox said as he ruthlessly smacked his bamboo sword on my slightly slumped back, making my teeth clench in pain right then and there. I hurriedly straightened up my back, focused my eyes on the swinging at hand, not even squinting at any possible distraction, and shouted continuously every time I brandished my de. It was only then that Cold Fox slightly nodded his head in approval and walked over to see how the others were doing. After much difficulty inpleting the five thousand swings, I was as tired as a dog and sprawled across the floor. It felt like only a fleeting moment had passed and I hadnt even rested enough when Cold Foxs frosty voice sounded once again, Youve rested enough! Get up! Spar with me. We can finally spar! The moment this word entered into thenguage center of my brain, I immediately jumped up. My eyes couldnt help but sparkle and shine as I looked toward Cold Fox. It didnt matter whether it was the thought of fighting against the third best yer from the game or the fact that I would be sparring against an opponent in real life that possessed the capabilities of an A level soldier in the military simtion machine; both of these ideas rendered me equally excited. A rare smile surfaced on Cold Foxs face. As expected of one who lovesbat. I looked at Cold Fox who was on the opposite side. He still hadnt equipped his armor and his hands merely held a small knife that was akin to a letter opener. However, every strand of hair on my body that was standing up told me that the guy in front of me was serious! I raised the dao in my hands; my stance was the same as when I was in the game. I single-handedly held the dao and raised it in line with my body at an angle of thirty degrees. This was the best stance that could adjust to changing circumstances. Cold Foxs eyes revealed a hint of admiration. However, he didnt go easy on me because of that. The speed at which he rushed toward me made me feel terrified. In an instant, he appeared in front of my face. I only managed to dodge his attack clumsily, barely avoiding his attack. However, Cold Fox had already changed the direction of his knife, which meant that my throat was heading right for it. I hurriedly turned my head, allowing the knife to barely scrape by me. Cold Fox, however, only had to lightly push the knife before it rested directly against my neck. I lost. It was a loss that I cant even brand as merely a crushing defeat! Cold Fox slowly withdrew his knife and said inly, Return to your position; were doing it again. Unsatisfied, I instantly returned to my original position. Once again, I fought against Cold Fox... However, the result was the same as before. I couldnt retaliate at all. I couldnt even dodge. Again. This time, make use of your equipment, said Cold Fox indifferently. I did make good use of my equipment! I retorted, aggrieved. If I didnt have any equipment, how would it have been possible for an untrained girl like me to be able to spar with Cold Fox, who could possibly be an assassin or a terrorist? Cold Fox snorted, You dont understand the capabilities of your gear at all. Well end it at this today, Prince. You have really disappointed me! After Cold Fox finished, he turned around and left without batting an eye. Cold Foxs words hit me really hard. What did I do wrong? I had been trying really hard to cooperate with Cold Foxs whole training program. As I thought about being wronged, tears started welling up in my eyes. Prince, dont cry. Gui immediately ran toward me and then turned his head toin at Cold Fox who was far away, Cold Fox, arent you a bit too strict? Prince is only a girl and this is only the first day of training. Dont train anymore, Xiao Lan! Zhuo-ggs distressed expression could clearly be seen. We will help rescue the Dictator of Life in your stead. I jumped up immediately and yelled, No! I definitely wont give up! Everyone took quite a fright in reaction to my high-decibel shout. Only Cold Fox inly said, You finally seem a bit more like Prince. I froze. What does Cold Fox mean? He thinks that Im not like Prince? But I am Prince... I immediately rushed before Cold Fox and extended my arms and legs widely to block his way. However, Cold Fox only raised his eyebrows a little and turned to go around me from the side. Wait a moment, Cold Fox, I hurriedly opened my mouth. What did you mean by what you just said? Do you doubt the fact that Im Prince? Cold Fox once again shot a cold nce at me. Which part of you resembles Prince? At least, I have never seen Prince shed tears, and I have also never seen Prince use such sloppy fighting skills. This is real life! Its not a game! I couldnt help but retort. Whoparesbative abilities within games with reality?! Hmph, Prince is actually held back by these words? Cold Fox icily said in ridicule. I... have been held back by these words? Could it be that because I unconsciously thought that it was impossible to do these things in reality, I then couldnt do them? I touched the equipment on my body and tried my best to recall all the battles I had fought in Second Life. The first battle. How could I forget? I changed from being extremely scared of wolves to yfully chopping them like I did fish. At that time, I learned that the most important thing was to look for their weaknesses and use the simplest yet most effective method to attack. I also remembered the first time I fought against a yer. It was against Dark Emperor and my opponent was Wicked. The resounding moment whenever our weapons collided had exhrated us at every turn. I closed my eyes. The images of all the battles I had fought shed across my mind. Unknowingly, I began doing my favorite exercise: dancing with my de! One after another, I performed all kinds of horizontal shes and vertical chops. My movements were smooth and apanied by firm but flexible shifts. In addition, my body slowly felt lighter and lighter. I am an agility-based warrior; my speed should be extremely fast and light and dodging attacks should be simple for me! I took a few strides andnded on the wall beside me. Using my speed, I ran up it in one go. At the end, I turned my body and safely dropped down to the ground face-to-face with Cold Fox, less than half a step between us. Prince! Cold Fox once again revealed one of his rare smiles (Although Iter realized that those were "dangerous" smiles and not "grinning" smiles!) From tomorrow onwards, besides running, youre dueling with just me. Lets not wait until tomorrow. Take this, Cold Fox! I said, smiling and filled with confidence as my chest beamed with pride and delight. No problem, Cold Fox said with a hint of excitement in his eyes. In an instant, I withdrew a step and in the same moment that I retreated backwards, I shed horizontally at Cold Fox with my lightsaber. Cold Fox took the tactic of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao. He didnt guard against my lightsaber but instead raised his knife and thrust it toward me. In the moment that would have decided life or death, we both retreated a step, dodging the opponents attack. Excellent! Cold Fox bellowed loudly. He took the initiative to go on the offensive and, with his speed, he instantly appeared before my eyes. In the moment Cold Fox started his movement, I had already raised my lightsaber in line with my chest, using the daos length to keep the distance between us. After all, my daos attack radius wasrger than his. Keeping a certain distance between Cold Fox and me was the best way to ensure that I wouldnt lose. Right as Cold Fox was about to enter my attack radius, he suddenly switched to a strange stance. His hand that was holding the knife changed into...the throwing knife position. I abruptly realized, It couldnt be... You would have been dead, Prince, Cold Fox said steadily, if this were a real battle. Like I had feared... Discouraged, I dropped mybative stance. A loss is a loss. I magnanimously admitted, Yeah, I lost. But thats all right, theres still a lot of days left for me to defeat you. Cold Foxs eyes revealed his admiration. However, he only uttered, The time for dinner passed long ago. Lets go and eat. Then you can go and familiarize yourself with how you should be using the equipment. After he finished speaking, Cold Foxs eyes left me. He used his eyes to inspect everyone and said, Everyone else, after dinner, I will correct your fighting techniques. With that, Cold Fox walked to the door and casually took a boxed meal from the ones that were delivered and began eating without a care for the others. Lolidragon couldnt stop herself from asking me, Prince, at that moment, you guys hadnt even crossed des yet, so why did you say you lost? I matter-of-factly replied, Didnt you see Cold Foxs motion? There was a throwing knife in his hand, and if he were to really throw it at me, I believe that with Cold Foxs ability, I would have definitely died in one hit. Holy crap, a throwing knife? Although Yang Ming didnt have a feather fan, he still posed as if he were an elegant and handsome knight-errant. He continued ying his act and bowed with his hands together to Cold Fox, It couldnt be that brother, you are the descendant of Xiaoli Feidao? Excuse myck of manners. Chu Liu Xiang, youd better hurry up and think about what errors you are making inbat or else afterwards, we will see a good show where Chu Liu Xiang is miserably taken care of by Xiaoli Feidao, Lolidragon coldly ridiculed. Unfortunately, after dinner, Chu Liu Xiang was taken care of by Xiaoli Feidao, and it was an extra tragic kind of "taking care of." Footnotes "...also known as my bros little willy...": Literally, Lan says, "...also known as my little bros little bro." In Chinese, "little brother" can be used as a euphemism for the same as willy. "lightsaber": At first, we were going to call light swords this, but then we decided that a dao is much more like a lightsaber than swords are. Light daos will be called lightsabers in this trantion (we just really wanted to use lightsaber somewhere). Whenever Lans dao is not prefixed by "light," we will still be calling it a dao, but when it is prefixed by light, it will be known as a lightsaber. "...extended my arms and legs widely to block his way...": In the original, Lan describes her stance as extending her arms and legs into the Chinese character "big," which looks like this: . She was obstructing Cold Fox with her entire body. "(Although Iter realized that those were "dangerous" smiles and not "grinning" smiles!)": This is a pun on the characters for "smile," which can be written as ΢Ц (wixio), while dangerous smiles is written as ΣЦ (wixio) with the same pronunciation, just different characters. "...besieging Wei to rescue Zhao...": This was a strategy used in the Battle of Guiling where the state of Wei was attacked to direct attention away from the state of Zhao. The strategy is part of the Thirty-Six Stratagems and means avoiding head on battle. Strike at weaknesses elsewhere. "Xiaoli Feidao": Literally, this can be read as "Little Li Flying Dagger," also known as the Romantic Swordsman. The Romantic Swordsman is a wuxia (martial arts) novel series featuring a man whose signature weapon is a flying dagger. "Chu Liu Xiang": Chu Liu Xiang is the protagonist of the wuxia novel series by the same name. He is someone who robs from the rich to help the poor. Yang Ming has been said to imitate his mannerisms in Second Life. Volume 8 Chapter 5 Volume 8 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Departure C tranted by lucathia Everyone,e here for a moment. Lolidragon suddenly mysteriously gathered everyone together. Lolidragon, what are you doing? I had just been having an awesome battle with Cold Fox, and there were only three days left before our two weeks were up. Even though I had long passed level B, I had still not reached level A. Cold Fox even coldly tossed me the words, Not even close, making me feel super pissed off. If I didnt pass level A to prove myself to Cold Fox, how would I ever feel satisfied? Stop grumbling and hurry over! Lolidragon walked in front of arge screen, pressed a few buttons, and then the screen disyed... an excited Sunshine and an exasperated Kenshin! Fairsky! With iparable excitement, Sunshine gazed at Fairsky. Sunshine! Immediately, Fairsky rushed to the front of the screen, almost pressing her entire body against it. Rapidly, she fired off like a machine gun, Sunshine, are you alright in the game? You havent been bullied by yers or NPCs, have you? Do you have enough to eat? When youre cold, remember to wear more clothes. Okay, Ill wear more clothes. Sunshine smiled idiotically in his overwhelming happiness. (Youre an AI... You try getting sick!) Since Sunshine already had someone caring for him, I also asked after Kenshin. Kenshin, how have you been? Not too good. Kenshin furrowed his brows. Originally, I had only asked in afterthought. I didnt think Kenshin would actually answer not good. I nked out for a moment before I hurriedly asked in worry, Has something happened? NPCs have been endlessly attacking the cities. With just Sunshine, AnRui, Fire Phoenix, Meatbun, and I, plus a few other yers of Infinite City defending, things are a little tough. Kenshin revealed a worried expression. NPCs are attacking the cities? My eyes widened. What in the world is going on? NPCs are actually attacking the cities now? Besides Infinite City, all the other cities have been attacked too, and the damage is extremely extensive. Right now, fewer and fewer yers dare to log on to Second Life. Sunshine even revealed a helpless smile as he said, In contrast, there are a lot of NPCs running about now. Sorry, we dont have the manpower to protect Sun, Moon, and Star Cities, said Kenshin faintly. Thats fine. I was thankful from the bottom of my heart. Youre willing to help us protect Infinite City. I am super, super thankful to all of you for that. Sunshine, Kenshin, have you helped us pinpoint Long Dians current location? asked Lolidragon urgently. Pinpointing Long Dians location? Whats going on? I asked in iprehension. Lolidragon rolled her eyes. Idiot! If even the government is unable to find Long Dian, how would we be able to find him? Of course we have to depend on NPCs with self-awareness just like he does! Sunshine smiled as he said, We found him. Fortunately, the Dictator wasnt on guard against the two of us. When I ran into him, the Dictator even greeted me and told me to treat Fairsky well. He told me that a girl like Fairsky is very rare. Fairsky couldnt help but blush. Thats not true, Im so overbearing... Sunshine revealed a passionate expression. Fairsky is lively and honest. I love Fairsky the most. Hearing this, Fairskys face looked even more like a cooked crab, with how red it was. Alright, if you want to profess your love to each other, do thatter off to the side. Right now, tell us where Long Dian is located first. Lolidragon spread her two hands out, looking helplessly at this pair of lovers who did not know what being corny meant. Hes on an ind. After Sunshine spoke, a world map suddenly appeared on the screen. Slowly, the map locked onto a specific area. Lastly, a small ind appeared on the map. An ind! That makes things difficult. How are we going to escape the Dictator of Lifes notice and reach that ind? Lolidragon furrowed her brows. With the Dictator of Lifes power, if we even approached the inds vicinity, we would be discovered. Simple. Calmly, Kenshin said, In two days, the government will send supplies to Long Dian. All you have to do is sneak onto that airship. Sunshine and I will help you avoid the Dictator of Lifes detection. Whoa, you can even do something like that? I stared at Kenshin in shock. Kenshin fell silent for a while before he said, Originally, the fusion n would have worked as well if Long Dian wanted to fuse with either me or Sunshine, but the Dictator convinced Long Dian, so Long Dian decided to continue fusing with the Dictator... Everyone fell silent. I sincerely believed that the Dictator of Life would definitely do this. He was... truly too kind. Prince, I leave the Dictator to you. Kenshin looked straight at me. Dont worry. Even if you didnt ask me, I would definitely save him. Without a hint of cowardice, I looked at Kenshin, and Kenshin, who always had a cold face, actually revealed a rare smile. Okay, then lets decide on who will go. Lolidragon revealed a cruel smile. Cold Fox goes without saying. Nan Gong Zui has also reached level B for some time. Prince has passed as well. Wicked also has no problems. Feng Wu Qing has also passed, and of course so did Wolf-dg. Lastly, theres also me. Ive sessfully passed! Boo, cant Doll go? Dolls two eyes filled with tears. Doll also passed. No! Everyone yelled at the same time. Princess, if something were to happen to you, it would cause a grave foreign affair problem. Yu Lian-ds?o furrowed her brows. Oh... Doll couldnt help pouting, but she also knew the severity of the situation, so she did not argue any further. Fairsky and Phoenix are out too. As expected, asking women to train and reach level B in two short weeks is a bit too much. Lolidragon shook her head and sighed, forgetting that there were three women who trained and passed level B in two short weeks, and one of them was even herself. Fairsky and Phoenix smiled helplessly. Let me go! An iparably mournful and unrelenting sound arose. Yes, Gui was currently pulling on the corner of my shirt as if his life depended on it, and he kept repeating, Let me go let me go let me go... I helplessly lowered my head to look at him. But you havent passed... I know. Gui dispiritedly let his shoulders drop. Then dont go and be a burden! said Wicked, mercilessly. Guis shoulders shuddered, but he still persevered. I want to go. Based on what abilities? Wicked went as far as roaring, Do you want to drag Xiao Lan down? Do you want her to lose her focus in dangerous moments to protect you? I... In pain, Gui used both hands to cover his face. I want to go with Prince. I felt a little sorry for him, but I still did not n on letting Gui go. After all, it was too dangerous, and I did not want to see anyone get hurt. You can just wait for me here. Its alright even if you dont go with me. I... After Gui barely managed to squeeze this word out, he slowly lowered his head and said no more. Even though I knew Gui was very disappointed, I could do nothing about it. I could only leave him and start discussing with Lolidragon. How were we going to stow away on the airship the government was going to use to send supplies to Long Dian? We can help you avoid all detection from machines, but you will have to avoid human eyes by yourself, Kenshin clearly exined what he could do. After I heard this, I happily said, Thats enough. Even though someone like Long Dian had appeared and caused the entire world to begin worrying about the usage ofputers, we had been dependent onputers and the inte for such a long time already. Humans became unable to step away from technology ages ago. Even with Long Dians appearance, people were still depending mostly onputers for surveince. Lolidragon, remember to download me into a smallputer that you can bring along with you. This way, I can help control the situation on the scene, and I can also keep in contact with Sunshine in case we need to change tactics. For the first time, Kenshin lengthily rambled on, The two of us are not as powerful as the Dictator and cannot be in too many ces at the same time. This is the most we can do. That is enough. I nodded my head. After stowing away on the government ship, I could only call the experience a thrilling and exciting activity, as well as an unsuitable exercise for people with bad hearts. Thankfully, everyones hearts were functioning quite normally. With Cold Foxs expertise in stealth, along with Kenshin and Sunshines guidance, we were, on a whole, rmed but not in danger of a heart attack... Ah, Im actually knowinglymitting a crime. This is bad! Even though Nan Gong Zui had protested before our departure, he still obediently apanied us in breaking thew because our current situation left us with no choice. He even utilized his position as a police officer to help us avoid many dangerous traps. However, once we stepped onto the ship, we discovered that the situation was kind of bad. The ships cargo capacity truly wasnt veryrge, so there wasnt enough space for all of us to hide in. The moment the government began transporting supplies onto the ship, they would discover the lot of us for sure. I clenched my teeth and then yelled at the tablet pc Lolidragon held in her hands, Kenshin, start up this airship and head toward Long Dians location, then seal off the governmentsmunication with Long Dian. Dont let them useputers to contact Long Dian to alert him about the ship being seized. Are you nning on directly impersonating government workers to head over there? Lolidragon was stunned. By the time I finished instructing Kenshin, the airship had already begununching. Kenshin also straightforwardly said, The government workers are pressing closer. Theres no time for hesitation. I will start the ship. Everyone, please stay seated and buckle your seat belts. Hearing this, we immediately found seats and sat down. We almost didnt have time to buckle our seat belts when all of a sudden the airships main body shook and then we took off, rising into the sky in an instant. Sunshine, have you opened the gate? Kenshins face appeared on the airships screen. Next to his face there was a small image of Sunshine, like Kenshin wasmunicating with him. I am in the process of opening it, but were too pressed for time, so theres no way for me to open it wide. Very professionally, Sunshine said, Kenshin, it would be best if you tilt the airship vertically to fly through. Understood. Kenshin still had no expression on his face, but in an instant, the airship went from a horizontal state to a vertical state. I have this feeling like Im riding a m... Yang Mings face was pale as he recalled the frightening memories of riding AnRui. Kenshin, there are small airships chasing you from behind. After Sunshine said this, a radar image appeared on the screen. There were truly some small airships chasing us from behind. They seem hostile. Sunshine wrinkled his brows. Should we retaliate? I had a sudden sh of inspiration. Sunshine, you can pretend to be the Dictator of Life and issue them a warning, telling them not to chase us, or else wellunch nuclear weapons. Happily, Sunshine smiled and said, Okay, this way we wont have to attack them. It only took a moment for the small airships behind us to stop. They no longer dared to take any action, and they let us swagger through the gates in our departure. After all this, we finally breathed a sigh of relief. Well then, Im going to focus all of my efforts on stopping the government from releasing a public statement. Kenshin, Im going to leave it to you to help them avoid the Dictators detection. Sunshines happily smiling face slowly disappeared from the screen. Under Kenshins control, the airship flew very smoothly. I couldnt help but break the silence,menting, In the past, if someone had told me that I would steal a government airship, I would definitely have scolded him for being such an rmist. Hearing my words, Nan Gong Zui smiled wryly. I had the same thought. Everyone startedughing, and since I was bored sitting on the airship, I started thinking about Cold Foxs strong fighting abilities and his expertise in stealth. I couldnt help but ask, Cold Fox, just how did you gain such a strong fighting ability? Once my words left my mouth, everyone stared curiously at Cold Fox. It looked like they had been harboring the same question for quite a while. My family is part of the criminal underworld, said Cold Fox simply. Everyone fell silent for a bit until Nan Gong Zui couldnt help but ask, Even if crime syndicates know how to use a dao, its still only used under circumstances with no other alternatives. They will definitely use guns if guns are avable. A crime syndicate member like you using flying daggers for all situations, I really havent seen before... As Nan Gong Zui trailed off, Cold Fox remained silent. Instead, it was Nan Gong Zui himself who stopped as if he was thinking about something. Finally, Nan Gong Zui carefully asked, You cant be... someone from the Guan Dong Group? Guan Dong Zhu? Hasnt this type of food been gone for a long time? I thought I was the only one who knew about the deliciousness of this type of food. I didnt think Nan Gong Zui would also be interested in it. No. Cold Fox nced at Nan Gong Zui.Just as Nan Gong Zui started rxing visibly, Cold Fox wore an extremely rare smile as he said, I am a member of the Ice Emperor Syndicate. Ice Emperor Syndicate? I waspletely confused, but Nan Gong Zuis mouth dropped wide open, making me very worried that his jaw might fall off at any time. After a moment, he revealed an expression of sudden realization as he shouted, Silver-Masked Quick Fox from the Ice Emperor Syndicate! My god! Howe I didnt make the connection? I was stillpletely confused, but my brother Yang Ming had already revealed an expression full of worship. Touched, he said, Who knew that I was guided by Silver-Masked Quick Fox in martial arts? Sniff, my life isplete. Is this really such a big deal? Before, he had still been mocking Cold Fox with Xiaoli Feidao, yet now he looked like a rabid fan of Cold Fox. I couldnt help but cut in, Whats going on? Whats the Ice Emperor Syndicate? Silver-Masked Quick Fox? Oh please, Sis, the righteous syndicate of the criminal underworld, Ice Emperor Syndicate. You dont know about them? The Ice Emperor Syndicate has a famous assassinSilver-Masked Quick Fox. You dont know about him? He was rumored to be a fierce person who killed the prime ministers of two countries. Yang Ming revealed an expression that implied I was truly ignorant and inexperienced, but he suddenly thought of something else and loudly shouted, My god! My sis was actually able to spar against Silver-Masked Quick Fox for ten minutes. Sis, youve be a top tier fighter. nkly, I looked toward Cold Fox. This guy got rid of the prime ministers of two countries? They dont count as prime ministers. They were merely the military leaders of rebellions from small countries, exined Cold Fox indifferently. Thats still impressive... So this guy really is a terrorist. I tilted my head to think. Oh well, its not like there are many ordinary people among this group. We have arrived above the ind. Kenshin calmly said, Prepare fornding. Quietly, we sat in our seats to wait fornding, but when the airship finally rocked slightly once wended, all of us impatiently undid our seatbelts. I cant help you with what follows. Kenshin straightforwardly said, I will remain here to look after the airship and wait for your return. Sunshine will be responsible for shielding all of you from here on out, but we dont know how effective Sunshine will be against the Dictator of Life. Be careful. I nodded my head. Got it. One after another, everyone got off the ship. When I abruptly turned my head to look, Cold Fox had his gaze fixed on the screen on Kenshin. In a cool voice, he asked, When everythings over,e to my ce? I can guarantee your safety. Kenshin fell silent for a good while. Well speakter. For now... Help me protect Prince. Got it. Cold Fox didnt pursue the matter further, and turned to leave. Kenshin actually cares this much about me. I couldnt help crack a smile. So this guy is also the type to be cold on the outside, but warm on the inside. Once I left the airship, I surveyed our surroundings. Other than the aircraft parking lot where we parked the airship, the other areas made me feel like I had arrived at a primitive forest, but this was fine. This way, we didnt have to be worried about not being able to find Long Dian on this small ind. The entire ind only had one building. Even a world-ss idiot with directions like me could leisurely walk up to the ce. Everyone, hide. Somethingsing, Cold Fox warned suddenly. We quickly hid in the thickets surrounding us, and then we peered through the small openings between the leaves. Two robots were walking toward our direction. One was a humanoid robot while the other was a horse-shaped robot, and it was even pulling along a horse carriage that I had only ever seen in my history textbooks. The two robots stopped in front of the airship, and the humanoid robot even walked into the airship. It didnt take long for him to walk out and broadcast, The inside of the airship contains no supplies; the inside of the airship contains no supplies... Airship, the airship has notnded yet... The airship has crashed. Once he said this, the humanoid robot led the horse-shaped robot and left. What happened? The airship was perfectly alright and parked right there, yet this robot first said the airship hadntnded, and then said the airship had crashed. Just which nerve of this robotsC No, I mean, just which screw of this robots wasnt screwed tightly, causing its brain to break down? Lolidragon walked out of the thickets and called out to us. Come over quickly. Sunshine has already helped us in confusing that robot. I suddenly realized that it was Sunshine who had done this. I hurried out of the thickets, asking, Are we heading to the building now? Wait for a moment. Sunshine said that this ce is strange. He wants to look into it first. Lolidragon wrinkled her brows in apparent worry. After a while, Sunshines warm voice came out of the tablet pc in Lolidragons hand. Phew, I spent a lot of effort deactivating the buildings security system so that it wont react to you, but be careful everyone. My control against robots isnt great. Inside that building, there are a few robots that I was unable to hack into. Got it. When we see robots, we will try to evade as many as we can. I nodded my head. It was truly apt calling this an ind with a primitive forest. All around us were trees, and it looked like humans had yet to develop the area. If it werent for that building, I would absolutely never believe that someone hade here before. Stepping over the ground that was overgrown with moss and crawling with vines and weeds, our group passed through very carefully. Although I was the nimble type, I still stumbled a lot, so dont even mention the others... Of course, this didnt include Cold Fox and Lolidragon. Cold Foxs abilities could already be described as inhuman, and Lolidragon was a thief that could even burrow underground in-game, so a little forest like this wouldnt trip her up. What was lucky for us was that this small ind was as described: truly very small. We didnt have to walk for long before the entirety of the building clearly came into our view. The entire building looked like an old, five-story apartment. It had ugly, ash-colored walls and a rectangr shape... What was different was that it did not have any windows, not even a single one. The entire wall was bare, and the only door shed with the gleam of metal. It looked like it would not be easy to break, and by each side of the door stood a humanoid robot. No windows. This is actually not what I expected, Cold Fox murmured. Are we going to break through the front door? Or does Sunshine have other means? I asked. You can enter through the front door. I already told the robots by the door to let you inside, came Sunshines voice from the tablet pc. I took a deep breath. Then lets go. After I said this, I took the lead, walking toward the two robots by the door. Nheless, when I walked by them, I still could not resist timidly looking their way. However, they did not react even the slightest bit, so I finally rxed. When I walked up to the door, an ethereal, androgynous voice came from the door. Confirming the identities of the arriving parties. Please do not move. Begin scan... Scan concluded. Your arrival brings much joy, Prince. Once the ethereal, androgynous voice finished speaking, the metal door slowly opened. I walked inside, and mypanions behind me also followed me in. Except for an old elevator, the ce was absolutely empty. Then theres no choice except to enter the elevator? I motioned toward the elevator, turning my head to ask for everyones opinions. Everyone nodded their heads. Only Cold Fox showed hesitation on his face. I couldnt help but ask, Cold Fox? Do you think that somethings wrong? Cold Fox lightly wrinkled his brows and said, Its too simple, so simple that its strange. Youre saying that the course of events that got us here was too simple? I carefully pondered Cold Foxs words. True, this is really not what I had expected. Even the government has no choice but to follow Long Dians words, yet we were able toe here so easily? Oh please, what was easy about this? You guys just dont know how hard it was. Lolidragon rolled her eyes and started exining, Dian can now control all of the satellites of the world. These satellites alone are enough for him to seize control over the entire worlds transport means. Also, without satellites to probe for us, trying to find a small ind in the boundless ocean would require more luck than Columbus finding newnd. On top of that, this ind ispletely protected by a heat-sensing apparatus. Unless your body temperature is lower than zero degrees Celsius, you will be discovered immediately. Even if you were to wear a special outfit thatpletely insted you, how would you reach this ind? Any ships or nes that approach would be discovered right away. Unless you row a canoe or swim over, added Lolidragon in a disdainful tone. Of course, that was something that would never happen. If someone unexpectedly found this ce, then they could have directlyunched missiles to destroy the ind, Wicked tried to raise a conjecture. Lolidragon shook her finger. First, all of the missiles in the entire world are pretty much under Diansmand. Even if the government immediately makes new missiles, and they dont connect to any inte system and dont use the satellites to direct the missiles flight, Dian still has all types of missiles from all over the world under his control. He can use those to intercept them. Lastly, Lolidragon simply said, Reaching this ind is actually a very, very difficult task. If not for Sunshine and Kenshins existence, I would never have let any of you take part in that special training because we wouldnt have had any means of finding this ind. Dont even mention actuallying to the ind. Phew, then its a good thing the Dictator of Life returned Kenshin and Sunshine to us at that time, or else we would have had our hands bound without being able to do anything about it. I sighed in relief, and turned my head to ask Cold Fox, Then can we enter now? Cold Fox paused for a bit before he nodded his head. Okay, lets enter the elevator, everyone. I took the lead and walked into the elevator. With the robots outside and the deactivated security system as examples, I no longer doubted Sunshines abilities. This is an ordinary and standard elevator. I sincerely believed this, and I even felt it needed a good fixing. There was nothing inside the elevator except for a few number buttons for the different floors, but what was strange was that other than the digit two that was glowing, all the other buttons were darkened. When I pressed the numbers that werent glowing, the elevator did not respond at all. Could it be... We can only go to the second floor? With trepidation, I pressed the two. The elevator immediately moved, slowly rising. In a short while, we arrived at the second floor, and the door slowly opened... I sucked in my breath. In front of my eyes, there was... What kind of animal is this? I really didnt know. I could only tell that its outer appearance was like that of a huge, white dog, but it felt a little more noble and elegant than a dog... Curse it! This was the first time Id ever used descriptions like noble and elegant to describe an animal. Its face was exceptionally unusual with a snout that was particrly sharp, and its two eyes were particrly slender as well, giving off a clever and crafty kind of feeling. Its tail was even stranger. It actually had nine tails, and its ninerge tails were waving behind it. A nine-tailed fox? Cold Fox couldnt refrain from lightly shouting out. Footnotes Guan Dong Zhu: Pronounced the same as Guan Dong Group but written with different Chinese characters, Guan Dong Zhu refers to oden, a type of Japanese dish that contains several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, and fish cakes in broth. Guan Dong is the Chinese pronunciation of Kantou, an area in Japan. Volume 8 Chapter 6 Volume 8 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Deception C tranted by dahlys Fox? So this is a fox. I had never seen a fox before, so it was no wonder I didnt know what it was... But to think that foxes actually have nine tails! That was a real eye-opener. So foxes actually have nine tails... Sigh, if I had known this before, then I would have put more effort into studying biology properly. How could I have not even known that foxes have nine tails? Of course foxes dont have nine tails! Lolidragon said as she fiercely punched me. This should also be a robot, said Wicked, who immediately pulled out his gun as a precaution. A robot? I eximed. I dont believe it. Its too beautiful. Humans... The fox actually talked, and it had an extremely pleasant voice too. It said, You are not my master. Besides my master, no one else is permitted to enter this ce. Oh? I calmed down a little. Since the fox could talk, it couldnt possibly be a real fox. After hesitating for a bit, I asked, Do you know what we have to do in order to continue going up? Why can we only reach the second floor? Haha,ughed the nine-tailed fox. I know how you can continue going up. Once you have defeated me, the elevator will automatically allow you to go up. Defeat you? Why is this situation so simr to a fighting game? After fighting through an army of cannon fodder, I will finally meet the final boss, and the stage will be cleared when the final boss is defeated... Thats right, said the calm andposed nine-tailed fox as it paced around. Then bring it on! I dont have much time to waste, since the artificial body could have already been created. I immediately drew my lightsaber and was about to charge forward when Cold Fox stretched out a hand and stopped me. He furrowed his brow slightly and said, Let me test its strength first. Oh. Although Im a little disappointed, I should let Cold Fox attack first. Even though the first enemy that appears is usually just cannon fodder, there was always the possibility of this being an exception to the norm, especially since the one we were dealing with now was the Dictator of Life who was even harder to fathom. He had even given me a meat bun for a pet, so nothing is impossible, right? Cold Fox slowly walked forward, moving closer to the nine-tailed fox one step at a time. The nine-tailed fox seemed to know that the person approaching it was very strong. Its fur bristled slightly and its nine tails stopped moving randomly. Instead, the tails fanned out like a peacocks tail. Cold Fox stopped walking and remained where he was... No, he was no longer standing there. I suddenly discovered that the Cold Fox that was standing there was just an afterimage, and the real Cold Fox... I immediately looked in the nine-tailed foxs direction. As if it were in a frenzy, the nine-tailed foxs white fur bristled and shot out like needles. A few hundred of these needles were all aimed at a very fast-moving figure. I jumped in rm. Oh no, Cold Fox wont get hurt, will he? However, Cold Fox moved left and right quickly, causing all the needles to pierce the ground and soften back into normal fur. At that moment, Cold Fox moved in front of the nine-tailed fox and hurled a flying dagger at it. However, he missed as the nine-tailed fox dodged to the side gracefully. ording to my previous experiences, Cold Fox would definitely pursue the enemy whenever he could, and would never give up all the way until the opponent felt likemitting suicide. However, this time, not only did Cold Fox not pursue the enemy, he actually turned around and walked back, coldly saying, Prince, you try it. Me? I was stunned. You should be more than enough to take care of it, said Cold Fox before he irresponsibly walked to the back and closed his eyes to rest. Then I will not hold back any longer. Once again, I drew my lightsaber and walked toward the nine-tailed fox, eyes gleaming... Wait! shouted the nine-tailed fox suddenly. I looked at it suspiciously. What on earth does it want to do? The nine-tailed fox walked toward me slowly, moving closer and closer... Could this be a trap? I immediately raised my guard and held my lightsaber thirty degrees from the ne of my body. The nine-tailed fox finally stopped walking when it was three steps away from me. It looked me in the eye... The fox said, My Lord! I have an eighty year old parent and a three year old child to take care of. The entire fox den depends on me to survive. If you y me, my family will have no one to depend on. As the nine-tailed fox recounted its sad story, ity down on the ground and bawled its eyes out. The foxs previous aura of nobility and elegance instantly vanished, and he... no, it appeared extremely miserable, so much so that one who heard the story would cry, and one who witnessed it would grieve... I could not help but... raise my leg and kick it ruthlessly before scolding, I was almost fooled, you sly fox. The nine-tailed fox paled when it heard what I had said. It eximed, How did you know I was trying to fool you? Thats obvious! I red at it while saying, Have you forgotten what you are? Youre a robot. Have you ever heard of a robot that has parents and can give birth? Ah! The nine-tailed fox looked extremely shocked. Chagrined, the fox said, I forgot. I fell! The fox was indeed another NPC that just couldnt get any stranger. How on earth did Long Dian educate the Dictator of Life? Why are all the NPCs created by the Dictator so weird? Boo hoo hoo, Ive lost. You guys can go up now. The nine-tailed fox raised its forelegs and cried tragically. H-How can it be that simple? Stunned, I remained where I was. Its true, the button to go to the third floor has lit up, said Lolidragon as she stuck her head out from inside the elevator. Quick, hurry up ande in, we can go up now. I followed everyone into the elevator in a daze. I didnt know at this point whether I shouldugh or cry. Originally, I had wanted to have a warm-up exercise, but in the end, I didnt get any warm-up at all. Even Cold Fox didnt look happy... A proper fight with the nine-tailed fox would have been better. The elevator door opened again. As expected, a monster appeared on the third floor... but the description I used isnt quite right; this should be a can of a monster! Why? I said, shedding a drop of cold sweat. Why does it have to be Pepsi, not Coca C? Coca C is obviously the more famous brand, and curvy bottles also look better than aluminum cans. I heard that Pepsi sales are higher than Coca C sales. Perhaps thats the reason why the Dictator of Life chose Pepsi, exined Lolidragon calmly. Thats right, a can of Pepsi as tall as a man has appeared in front of my eyes... I wonder how this thing attacks. Its really hard to imagine, said Cold Fox, who also couldnt help but be curious. Err... I couldnt imagine that as well. However, we quickly learned how a can of Pepsi attacked. We saw the pull tab of the aluminum can being pulled out, the can tilting itself forty-five degrees... Get down! Cold Fox shouted as he pushed me to the ground forcefully. BANG! A loud noise and vibration scared me out of my wits. While I was confused, someone suddenly threw me out of the elevator. I turned around, only to see Cold Fox tossing everyone out of the elevator, which had been damaged beyond recognition. There was a huge hole at the back of the elevator which allowed one to actually see the forest outside, and the elevator itself looked like it was on the verge of copse. Cold Fox,e out quickly! I eximed. After Cold Fox had thrown thest person, Wolf-dg, out, he too leapt out of the elevator. However, the elevator had already begun to fall, and at thest second, Cold Foxs legs brushed against the falling elevator... I heard Cold Foxs soft but extremely clear grunt of pain. Cold Fox propped himself up and shouted at the same time, Prince, finish it off! I turned around abruptly and saw that damn can of Pepsi begin to tilt itself again. I quickly charged forward and straightened it with a kick. Now, the can opening faced the ceiling... Oh no! I immediately retreated as the Pepsi spat out anotherrge pir of c water that punched a hole in the ceiling. An unknown object suddenly dropped down from therge hole andnded on the Pepsi cans body with great precision. Furious, the unknown object yelled, Pi~ka~chu~~ The strong electric discharge stung my eyes with its brilliance, and I could not help but cover my eyes with my hands. After some time, I noticed the horrible smell of a burnt object. I opened my eyes only to see a burnt, round pir with that unknown object on top of it. Unfortunately, I did not get a good look at the unknown object before it was turned into ash. What on earth is going on? I asked, my head in a blur. Probably... A little uncertain, Lolidragon answered, The robot on the fourth floor seems to be able to use lightning attacks, and it happened to fall down when the hole was punched through the ceiling. Angry, it attacked with lightning, but the Pepsi can happened to attack with its water pir again. Just like that, both robots electrocuted themselves to death. This ending really left me... totally speechless! I abruptly remembered that Cold Fox had let out a grunt when he leapt out of the elevator. I immediately looked toward him, only to see him standing at his original position with a cold expression on his face, as if nothing had happened. Is Cold Fox okay? Doubtful, I looked him over. Blood! I suddenly noticed that there was a bloodstain at the base of Cold Foxs right trouser leg. I rushed toward him, pushed him over with one movement, and raised his right foot to see if it was okay. Cold Fox grunted softly. Wolf-dg, hurry up and take a look at Cold Foxs foot! In a panic, I shouted to Wolf-dg, the only medical staff present. Wolf-dg furrowed his brows as he examined Cold Foxs foot. I wanted to remove Cold Foxs shoe so that Wolf-dg could examine him more carefully, but Wolf-dg quickly stopped me by saying, Prince, dont remove it. The bones in the sole of Cold Foxs foot have been shattered, so you must not touch his foot at all costs. Most importantly, dont remove his shoe, as it will help stabilize his foot. Cold Fox... I looked at Cold Fox, but didnt know what to say. If he had not risked his life to save everyone, he would not have gotten hurt. With his usual icy expression, Cold Fox said, Time is short. Since the elevator is broken, you guys should use the hole that the Pepsi can made to go up. Use a human pyramid to send one person up, and then have that person dangle a rope down for the others to climb. In the face of Cold Foxs calm attitude, I also calmed down without realizing it. Okay, I said. Using the human pyramid and rope method, we sessfully climbed up to the fourth floor. Of course, the robot on the fourth floor had already been destroyed together with the Pepsi can. But how would we proceed to the fifth floor without an elevator? Wicked took his time to load a bazooka, and he fired three shots in a row at the ceiling. After arge hole had finally been made, I happily thought to use the human pyramid again to climb up. We were soon going to see the Dictator of Life. Wicked, make the holerger so that we can see where the fifth floor robot is,manded Cold Fox coolly. Thats right! There was a robot guarding the fifth floor, so we could not climb up unprepared like we had done for the fourth floor. I stuck out my tongue and silently berated myself for being too careless. Wicked fired several more rounds, but there was no response from above. Also, the hole was only big enough to let us see a third of the room. Wicked frowned and began shooting at different parts of the ceiling. He even carried a machine gun in his left hand and raked the ceiling with gunfire. Under Wickeds shocking destructive power, the ceiling soon seemed like...it was going to copse. Oh no! Wicked said calmly. Looks like Ive gone overboard with the shooting. ... Everyone was dumbfounded, and even Cold Fox couldnt refrain from making a helpless expression while saying, Everyone lean against the wall. I had just leaned against the wall when the ceiling announced that it was doomed. It fell down inrge blocks, and the resultant huge cloud of dust nearly caused me to cough my lungs out. But where is the robot? I did not dare rx, and instead searched for traces of the robot within the dust cloud. Found it! I saw an oddly shaped object. Although I didnt know what it was, it definitely wasnt human. I stepped lightly toward it because if I could use this opportunity to finish it off from behind, that would save us a lot of trouble. I moved closer to the unknown object one step at a time. This thing looks a lot like a bus stop sign. How does something like that fight? Dont tell me it can summon buses? Whatever, Ill just go for it! I immediately elerated and charged at the bus stop sign, aiming my lightsaber at its thinnest part... Actually, the entire pole was uniformly thin. Anyways, I used all my strength to cut it in half. I felt a little resistance from the lightsaber when it hit the pole, but after I put in more strength, that resistance disappeared and the bus stop sign was sliced in two. Prince, you... shouted Lolidragon in shock. Hows that? Im really strong, arent I? ted, I turned around and said, I defeated the fifth floor robot in one strike. ...You mean that this bus stop sign is the fifth floor robot? Lolidragon picked up the two halves of the bus stop sign and tossed them around unconcernedly. She said, If this counts as a robot, then I could probably add a sixth floor and guard it with the toaster I have at home. I looked at the thing that Lolidragon was tossing around. One half was a long metal pole, and the other was a round metal board. It really could not possibly be anything except a bus stop sign. Wait, I said, noticing the words written on the round metal board. Neither the name of the bus stop nor the avable bus services was written on it. Instead, there was this sentence: Was the fighting game fun? I hope that Prince did not get hurt. I stared into space for a long, long time. Even if I had used the dandruff on my head to think, I would still know that this was definitely a message that the Dictator of Life had left behind. However, what on earth does this mean? We have been deceived! Zhuo-gges face was very, very cold. He said, This is not Long Dians base of operations, its just a sham. Thats impossible! Lolidragon retorted. This ind is definitely Long Dians base of operations. Sunshine and I confirmed this fact over and over again. Dont get agitated, Lolidragon. Wicked just said that this ce is a sham, not that this whole ind is a sham, said Nan Gong Zui as he analyzed the situation calmly. Something is definitely wrong, sighed Cold Fox. Visibly annoyed, Zhuo-gge hit his forehead several times and said, We should have known that he would take precautions against Kenshin and Sunshine when he returned them to us. What should we do? How are we going to find them now? Lolidragon was so depressed that she just plopped down on the floor. She said, There are no other buildings on this ind, so Long Dians base of operations is probably underground. At this point, even if we kept digging without any rest or sleep, it could take us months or years to find him. I furrowed my brows and asked uncertainly, Lolidragon, isnt there something called a metal detector? I seemed to remember reading about things like that in adventure novels. There is! Lolidragon jumped up, but then started pulling her hair desperately. I didnt bring one! I didnt prepare a metal detector. Ahh! How could I be so stupid? If we had a metal detector, we would immediately know where Long Dian is. Hisboratory definitely contains metal! Hmph, I dont need a metal detector. I already know where Long Dian is, Wu Qing, who had been keeping quiet all this time, said suddenly. Not only that, the moment he opened his mouth, everyone was taken aback. Where is he? Lolidragon jumped vigorously and rushed to Yang Mings side. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him, saying, Hurry up and tell us! He is in a ce we cant find, even if we use a metal detector. Yang Ming smiled mysteriously and took a deep breath before saying, The aircraft parking ground! Ah! Nan Gong Zui eximed in shock. Thats right, the aircraft parking ground already has a lot of metal. Even if we went there with a metal detector, we would just think that we were detecting the metal in the parking ground, and not Long Dians base of operations. So we had already stepped on Long Dians head just now, but we didnt realize it? muttered Lolidragon to herself. Those ipetent robots were meant to dy us, concluded Cold Fox. Everyone looked upset, and I also could not help but be affected by this failure. However, the Dictator of Life was still waiting for me to save him. I calmed my emotions and firmly said, Lets go. We have already wasted too much time. Upon hearing this, everyones fighting spirits ignited once more and we rushed back to the aircraft parking ground without resting. After we told him how we had been deceived, Kenshin simply said, This is not unexpected. The Dictator of Lifes abilities are above mine and Sunshines, and Long Dian is a rarely seen genius among humans. Your failure was hard to avoid. How do we get in? Everyone looked around for an entrance to the base, but our efforts were in vain. No matter how we looked at it, this appeared to be a normal aircraft parking ground. The cement floor was hexagonal in shape, and a metal fence surrounded the entire ce. There was even a metal signboard which had the words Danger! Living people may not enter written on it. Want to ask Gui? asked Kenshin inly as he looked at our exhausted and troubled appearances. Can you contact Gui? I asked hopefully. After all, Gui was a genius with an IQ of 200. He should be able topete with Long Dian. There is no need to contact him. Kenshin said something very strange. No need to contact him? The moment I asked this question, an unlikely person walked out of the airship. Need I say who it is? Of course its Gui! In front of everyones shocked faces, the fully equipped Gui made an embarrassed expression. He stuttered as he exined, S-Sorry, but because I really wanted toe with Prince, I hid in the airship a day earlier. The engine room is just big enough for one person to hide in... I could not resist scolding, You really are an idiot. You even stayed in the aircraft parking ground, the ce closest to Long Dian, alone. If Long Dian had felt like taking the airship into his base of operations, there would have been no way for Gui to avoid being detected. Im sorry, I just wanted...to follow you here. If I did anything more, I would just be a burden, said Gui. The more he said, the gloomier his eyes became, and the weaker his voice. Anyway, youre still alive and in one piece, thats the most important thing, I said. I could not bear to me Gui any more. After all, he had just wanted to follow me. Gui, hurry up and tell us, how will we be able to enter Long Dians base? demanded Lolidragon hastily, as though she could not wait any longer. Gui muttered to himself in a low voice, then walked in front of the metal signboard and said, Living humans may not enter? Interesting. Lolidragon, Sunshine is inside your tablet pc, right? Lolidragon nodded earnestly. Sunshine, lets see if you can invade this signboard, said Gui, smiling mysteriously. If my guess is correct, the reason living people may not enter is because only NPCs can approach this signboard. Okay, I will try it, said Sunshine. After that, he paused for a moment. Only one or two seconds had passed when he happily spoke again, saying, Its fine, theres an AI inside this signboard. I have already opened the entrance. Faster than you could blink, the entire hexagonal, cement floor started to sink. After I had gotten over the initial shock, I immediately pulled out my lightsaber as a precaution. Who knows how many robots could be gathered down there? The door has opened, the door has opened! A few panicked voices shouted, as if they were very happy at being saved. Those did not sound like voices of robots, but it was better to be careful. I pulled Gui behind me and nagged, Gui, you are not very strong in battle, so you should stay behind me as much as possible. Okay, said Gui in a happy but slightly sorrowful voice, happy to be cared for by the person he liked, but depressed that he had to let his beloved woman protect him. The hexagonal floor finallynded on the ground. To summarize the situation, about twenty people looked at us with fear and expectation, leaving us extremely confused, wondering what was going on. Are they people or robots? Are you robots? someone on their side asked, first in surprise and then in fear. No, of course not, I answered, shocked. We are definitely human. Thats great! They actually started to hug each other in joy. One of them said, Are you here to rescue us? Has the government finally found a way to control him? Filled with suspicion, I asked, Just who are you people? They are the worlds most talented people, said Zhuo-gge suddenly. He then walked toward an old man with a white beard. The old mans eyes had nearly popped out in astonishment. Professor, I have been very worried for your safety. It looks like youre okay, said Zhuo-gge as he held the white-bearded old mans hands, face filled with emotion. Ling Bin? Why are you here? The white-bearded old man was so surprised that he stuttered. There is something I must do, said Zhuo-gge, smiling. On the contrary, Professor, why are you people allowed to wander around freely? Wont Long Dian restrict your movements? The white-bearded old man shook his head, saying, Previously, he kept threatening us by saying that he wouldunch a nuclear weapon and destroy the world unless we helped him. Thus, we had no choice but to help him sessfully create an artificial body. Also, we performed some strange brain surgery on him. Did you guys take the opportunity to kill him during the operation? asked Lolidragon, worried. Of course not! yelled a doctor in a white coat. He said that he had already set a time for theunch of the nuclear weapon, and if the surgery failed, causing him to die, no one would be able to stop it. The doctors face was so pale it was almost white. He continued, That was the first time Id ever heard about that kind of surgery. I did not expect it to be sessful... Luckily, we seeded in the end. Oh my god, this lunatic actually wants the whole world to die with him, said the old man, who could not help but shudder at the thought. However, I felt like I had been struck by lightning. The surgery was sessful? Does this mean that the Dictator of Life has already...disappeared? Volume 8 Chapter 7 Volume 8 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: The Eternal Legend C tranted by dahlys So you guys came after all. What a waste of the Dictators repeated pleas for your lives. This voice was all too familiar. It was Long Dians cold and taunting voice. I turned and looked at him, unable to believe my eyes. Long Dian no longer had white hair; his ck hair had been restored. His leisurely worn white robes and exceedingly beautiful face made him look just like an angel that had fallen into the mortal world. If I had not known what he was really like, that might have been what I would have thought. However, I knew very well that the man in front of me now was a devil who had murdered thousands of people, threatened the whole world, and even condemned the child he had created! Even though that child had cared so much for him! He killed the Dictator of Life. I clenched my fists. In the end, I... didnt make it in time to save the Dictator. Is the Dictator of Life already... dead? I asked in a hoarse voice. No, I must not cry! Long Dian dismissively said, He has never been alive, so how could he die? He was alive! No one can understand that better than you. You know that he is not just an intelligentputer. After hearing what he had said and seeing his attitude, I lost my temper. Did the Dictator sacrifice his life for such a person? Of course hes just an intelligentputer. He always will be. Long Dians expression had also changed. There was no smile on his face, just a cold, heartless expression. YOU! A sh of anger rose up from the bottom of my heart. If I did not let it out, I felt that I would vomit blood. I raised my lightsaber and charged toward him without hesitation. In a few strides, I was already swinging my lightsaber directly at him. I know that I must not do this. I know that this is murder, but... isnt him killing the Dictator of Life also murder? Prince! shouted Lolidragon in shock. Although I swung my de down, my hands did not encounter any resistance. I hadnt managed to cut anything at all; it had been just an afterimage. I immediately retreated, raising my vignce at the same time. Where is Long Dian? Cold Fox suddenly yelled, At eleven oclock! I looked in the direction Cold Fox was pointing. Long Dian continued to smile faintly, but his eyes were filled with madness. He raised his right hand and actually moved it directly in front of my lightsaber... Before I could stop my de, he was already gripping the lightsaber with his hand. Thats right, he actually grabbed a light weapon that could burn though everything with his bare hand! I could not help but reveal an expression of shock and horror. He cant even be harmed by a lightsaber. What should I do now? Suddenly, a shadow flew toward Long Dians hands. Long Dian did not pay it much attentionsince even a lightsaber could not harm him, what was there for him to worry about? However, dark red blood started to flow from Long Dians hands... No, that probably was not blood. Since Long Dian was no longer human, it was likely something created to mimic blood. Where that dark red blood flowed from, a flying dagger was firmly stuckCold Foxs flying dagger. For the first time, an expression of rm appeared on Long Dians face. His eyes seemed even more insane and his voice was filled with irrepressible anger as he demanded, How? How could you hurt me? My skin ought to be made of the toughest man-made skin avable that even a light weapon cannot harm... Unless you old folks are lying to me! Long Dians eyes slowly turned to face the group of the worlds most talented people. No, we wouldnt dare lie to you. Trembling, the doctor who had spoken continued, We dont dare to gamble with the whole world at stake. Following your wishes, we used the highest quality and toughest man-made skin. The fact that you just blocked a light weapon is the best piece of evidence for that. Long Dian looked at them suspiciously. He was probably thinking that these cowering old folks wouldnt have the guts to lie to him, so he slowly shifted his gaze toward the person who had thrown the flying daggerCold Fox. rmed yet curious, Long Dian pulled out the dagger as if he hadnt felt any pain and asked, What kind of weapon is this? Its a special weapon. Im the only person in the world who has that weapon, said Cold Fox indifferently. Long Dianughed softly, saying, Haha, in the future, no one will have this weapon. Then, Long Dian actually did something crazy. He stabbed his own stomach with the flying dagger. Just like that, the entire dagger went into his body. After doing this, Long Dian raised his hands and shrugged, saying, My apologies. Looks like your flying dagger will be in my stomach forever. Youre a total lunatic! I could not help but yell at him. Long Dianughed even more arrogantly. Thatughter made all the hairs on my body stand. Could the Long Dian in front of me even be considered a normal human anymore? Why does he seem even less human than before? Previously, he was cold and expressionless, but now... he just made people feel utterly disgusted. Dian... Why have you be like this? Lolidragon finally could not help but cover her face with her hands and cry. Long Dian finally stoppedughing in that frightening way. The expression that shed across his eyes, was it concern? I was extremely familiar with the look in those eyes because Gui also often had that kind of expression. That has nothing to do with you. Long Dian went back to his devil-may-care attitude. He said, Shui Han, you should leave. For old times sake, Ill let you go. Lolidragons entire body shuddered. She raised her head and asked in disbelief, What do those words mean? Long Dian did not speak. He just smiled cruelly. You want to kill everyone here? Two streams of tears fell from Lolidragons eyes. She stood in front of everyone else, her arms wide open, saying, I wont allow that. I wont let youy a finger on anyone. Long Dian smiled even more cruelly. With one movement, he instantly appeared in front of Lolidragons eyes, making her jump in shock. However, at that moment, a light sword shed at Long Dian. He caught the sword unconcernedly and looked at the attacker. It was a young man, and a rather handsome one at that. Unfortunately, he was my younger brother who rarely ever got serious, Feng. Yang. Ming. And now was one of the rare times when he got serious. I wont let you hurt her, be it mentally or physically. Although his sword had been grabbed, Yang Ming still stared at Long Dian without fear. You... Long Dians eyes narrowed. A man with no sense of responsibility is not fit to be her man. Yang Ming smiled an annoying smile that was unparalleled when it came to making one want to hit him. If this were a normal situation, I definitely would not be able to resist dragging him to a game of Happy Corner. (Note: An inhumane punishment carried out on a mans little XX. It often results in irreparable mental and physical damage to the victim.) But right now, I really admired my little brother, regardless of whether he was actually being manly or was just in crazy. Long Dians smile vanished again. The insanity in his eyes let everyone know that he was going to start killing now. Yang Ming also became as wary as he could, although that probably wouldnt make much difference... Long Dian did not use any shy moves; he just swung his palm toward Yang Ming. Yang Ming used his light sword to defend against Long Dians attack, but Long Dian was so strong that the light. Sword. Actually. Broke! Yang Ming! I howled in rm. However, I was toote. Everything yed out like a movie in slow-motion. Long Dians palm was unavoidable, and it seemed that Yang Ming would lose his life by Long Dians hand. However, Lolidragon suddenly threw herself at Yang Ming, her back facing Long Dians palm. Shocked, Long Dian could not stop himself in time. He could only shift his hand slightly to the side... hitting Lolidragons shoulder! Lolidragon immediately vomited blood, the fresh red blood spattering on my younger brothers face and chest. His eyes widened, letting the blood flow into his eyes. He hugged Lolidragons body as she slid down, calling in a hoarse and trembling voice, Lolidragon? Loli... dragon? Finally, sobbing, he choked out, LOLIDRAGON! Let her go! This voice belonged to none other than Wolf-dg. Frantic, he tried to pull Yang Mings arms, which were wrapped around Lolidragon, away. He said, Let her go, Wu Qing. I need to look at her wound. At this point, I also rushed to their side. I forcefully pulled Yang Mings arms away from Lolidragon, yelling, If you dont want Lolidragon to die, then let go of her quickly! The moment Yang Ming heard that, he immediately let go and let Wolf-dg hold Lolidragon. As Wolf-dg carefully examined her wound, Lolidragon opened her eyes and weakly said, Wu Qing, are you alright? Im... sorry... for getting you involved. I-Idiot! Yang Ming shouted angrily, So what if you got me involved? Even if I have to spend the rest of my life immersed in a water tank with you, I would never regret it! Lolidragon could not help butugh, but this actually made her cough repeatedly because of the blood. Wolf-g, how is Lolidragons wound? Yang Ming looked like he was about to burst into tears. Her corbone and upper arm bone are fractured. I need an operating room right now! Without hesitation, Wolf-dg turned to face the cowering doctor, You guys just operated on Long Dian, so you definitely have the best operating room here. Quickly, take me there. We do have one, but we dont have any blood for transfusion. The doctor frowned. My blood type is O. Its the universal donor, right? asked Yang Ming worriedly. Wolf-dg nodded and immediately bent down to set Lolidragons injured shoulder in ce. With Yang Mings help, he carried Lolidragon into the operating room. I wanted to follow them, but Cold Fox suddenly stretched out a hand and blocked my path. Not understanding what he was doing, I looked at him, but he was looking in another direction... I followed his gaze and saw Long Dian. Long Dian, whose eyes were deeply filled with pain. There is nothing more dangerous than an injured wild beast, said Cold Fox in a grave tone, worry evident in his eyes. I... have nothing left. With two streams of tears flowing down his face, Long Dian looked up toward the sky and shouted, I HAVE NOTHING LEFT! After shouting, Long Dian started to hyperventte. However, he suddenly stopped breathing hard andughed hysterically, Panting? Why am I panting? I dont even need to breathe. Hahaha, I actually hyperventted? Has Long Dian... gone crazy? Why is he acting so strangely? I also began to feel the truth in Cold Foxs words, that there was an injured wild beast right in front of me. A wild beast with a broken heart... insane, yet possessing incredible destructive power. WHY? WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE STILL ALIVE AND WELL? With a deranged look on his face, Long Dian looked at us and said, You people are just some lucky children who have never gone through any hardships before. Why am I the one who has to die instead of you? I have been working hard for so many years. So many years of happiness, gone just like that... HOW CAN I BE SATISFIED WITH THIS!? Even if its like that, its not up to you to decide whether others should live or die! I said severely. Really? Even my own life was taken away so easily, so why cant I take away others lives too? Long Dian smiled faintly; it was a smile full of malice and blood thirst. Hes going to attack! My heart skipped a beat. Cold Fox, who was beside me, suddenly stuffed something into my belt and whispered quickly, I have three flying daggers, but my leg is injured. Prince, I need you to cooperate with me in order to subdue Long Dian. I nodded. No matter what, I had to help him. Otherwise, all the people behind me would probably lose their lives. Wicked, please support us. Although light guns cannot hurt him, they can still hinder his movement, muttered Cold Fox, his mouth barely opening as he spoke. Got it, said Wicked in a low voice. Deep breath, OK! I shouted, LONG DIAN, YOUR OPPONENT IS ME! Cold Fox jerked violently, saying, Prince, you... I smiled and said, I cant let an injured person do everything! I raised my lightsaber, nning on defeating Long Dian in one strike with the flying dagger when he was at his most rxed. Even... even if both of us get seriously injured and neither side wins, I will not hesitate. I must not let Long Dian hurt any of the people behind me! You, a woman, want to challenge me? Long Dian revealed a look of disdain, as he had only contempt for the word woman. Thats right, challenging you is exactly what I want to do. I calmed my emotions. This would be my hardest battle, but in order to protect everyone, it was a battle I could not afford to lose! Long Dians eyes narrowed, and without saying anything more, he immediately leapt toward me. His weapons were the same palms that had hurt Lolidragon, and from Yang Mings painful experience, I knew that I must avoid a direct confrontation with Long Dian. I dodged to the side, making Long Dians attack miss. However, Long Dians reflexes were inhumanly good... Err, he isnt even human, actually... Long Dian did not even stop. He simply rotated his body by ny degrees and charged toward me again. I dodged Long Dians palms again, but a sudden strong gust of wind suddenly hit my stomach... Damn it, I actually forgot that Long Dian has legs. There was no way to dodge, so I had no choice but to endure his kick... The sound of several gunshots rang out, causing Long Dian to pause for a moment. I instantly understood that Wicked was restraining Long Dian, and I nced at Cold Foxs eyes eyes that were waiting for the best opportunity to hunt down its prey. Create the best opportunity for Cold Fox to strike! I made my decision and pulled out the flying dagger in my belt. I waved the dagger in front of Long Dian on purpose, and observed the change in his expression with satisfaction. Holding the dagger tightly, I taunted Long Dian on purpose, Long Dian, lets have a bet. Well bet on thisst attack, whether you die or I perish. Anger shed across Long Dians eyes. Moving as quickly as I could, I charged toward Long Dian, hoping that Cold Fox would seize the opportunity to stab Long Dian while his attention waspletely focused on me. Xiao Lan, dont... Zhuo-gge suddenly warned me. But how can I stop now?Long Dians full attention is on me, so I must keep going! This thought shed across my mind. In the next moment, just as Long Dian and I were about to sh... Long Dian suddenly disappeared, and I swung my weapon at thin air! Suddenly, I heard a grunt. Long Dian had actually gone and attacked Cold Fox, and Cold Foxs body was slowing sliding down to the ground. Shocked, I wanted to run to him. Cold Fox! Dont go there! Zhuo-gge held me back with all his might, even as he fired relentlessly at Long Dian to prevent him from dealing the final blow to Cold Fox, who was lying on the ground. However, light guns were obviouslypletely beneath Long Dians notice. He raised the flying dagger that had been in Cold Foxs hand and was going to stab Cold Foxs head with it... Haaaaa! Nan Gong Zui suddenly jumped down onto Long Dians body from above, a light gun in his hand. However, the difference between him and Wicked was that his gun barrel was in contact with Long Dians body, and it was pointed directly at his heart. BANG! Zui fired without hesitation. Will this shot be effective? Long Dian stood still as bright red blood slowly flowed out of the gunshot wound. Did we seed? Ugh! Regret showed in Nan Gong Zuis eyes. It was very vexing for him that a shot fired right next to Long Dians heart still could not stop him. Long Dian stabbed Nan Gong Zui with Cold Foxs dagger, aiming to push the dagger all the way into Zuis chest. If Zui hadnt dodged to the side at thest moment, this dagger would undoubtedly have pierced his heart. However, his current situation was not much better than having his heart pierced. The flying dagger prated Zuis shoulder, going right through him and even pinning him to the wall. Zuis face was shockingly pale, and cold sweat flowed down his face. However, even though it was so painful that his face had contorted, Zui absolutely refused to let out any cry of pain. Zui! I was so horrified that my face had also paled. Oh my god, Cold Fox has fallen on the ground and no one knows whether he is alive or dead. Now, Zui has been pinned to the wall... Long Dian nced at me and Zhuo-gge coldly. However, the people he walked toward were not us, but the group of more than twenty professors, doctors, and scientists... With one punch, he sent an old man with a white beardZhuo-gges professorflying. Right after that, amunication device suddenly appeared in his hand. Long Dian smiled icily, saying, Are you trying to contact the outside world for help? I will let your wishe true. Long Dian snapped his fingers. None of us had forgotten that besides having a ridiculously strong body, Long Dian could also move freely around the Inte. A snap of his fingers could mean that... a nuclear missile has been fired? As this thought urred to me, my facial expression became as ugly as it could possibly be. There are four CCTV cameras that can be rotated a full three hundred and sixty degrees in this room. From now onward, a video of everything that happens here will be sent to every broadcasting station in the world. All the television channels will show only what is going on here. Long Dian smiled brilliantly, saying, Happy now? Your lifeless bodies will be seen by the whole world. What a psycho. Worried, I looked at Cold Fox, who was lying on the ground with his situation still unknown, and Zui, who was pinned to the wall. Both of them desperately needed treatment. We couldnt afford any more dys. Zhuo-gge, we have to save the two of them, I said resolutely. I will save them, you stay here and dont follow me, replied Wicked without hesitation. No, Zhuo-gge, its too dangerous, I stubbornly objected. Xiao Lan... Long Dian said coldly, Why argue? I can just go over there instead, right? After saying that, Long Dian really charged at us. I immediately raised the flying dagger in my hand, which was the only thing that could prate Long Dians skin... LONG DIAN! Guis voice suddenly rang out like thunder. Long Dian quickly turned his head around to look. The enormous airship to the side had begun to move with Gui standing in its cockpit. The image of two people also suddenly appeared on the transparent ss of the cockpitSunshine and Kenshin. Dictator of Life! shouted Sunshine, worried. Is it just my eyes, or did Long Dian sway a little when he heard the three words Dictator of Life? Stop messing around, Long Dian. With a voice so icy that it could chill peoples hearts, Kenshin said, Otherwise, even if you and the Dictator of Life are the same person, I will not let you go. Oh? And how will you defeat me? asked Long Dian with a cold expression on his face. We will crush your artificial body using this airship. Although you can escape into the online world, Sunshine and I will trap you inside Second Life and infect it with several viruses that will delete everything. Kenshin described his n while remaining absolutely calm andposed. Long Dians face had also changed noticeably. He said viciously, Do you two think that you can escape from the virus? We cannot escape, said Kenshin frankly. On hearing Kenshins indifferent tone, Long Dian started to breathe harder... Looks like he forgot that he doesnt need to breathe again. Long Dian stood there silently, as if he were thinking about something. Worried, I looked at Cold Fox, who was still lying on the ground, and Nan Gong Zui, whose face was bing paler and paler. I hastily shouted, Kenshin, please make him decide quickly. If not, Cold Fox and Zui are going to die. Kenshin frowned and was just about to open his mouth to urge Long Dian on when Long Dian suddenly moved. He was so fast that I didnt even have time to respond as he grabbed my throat with one hand and sent Zhuo-gge flying with the other. Unable to breathe properly, I desperately wed at Long Dians hands with my own two hands. However, skin that could not even be harmed by light weapons was obviously not going to be scratched by my nails. On the other hand, Kenshin fell silent. Oh no, Kenshin definitely would not be able to smash me to pieces as well. What should we do now? Suddenly, the thought that the Dictator of Life still existed in Long Dian rang out in my oxygen-deprived brain. Even though the Dictator of Life gave up on his consciousness, could he possibly still be around? Otherwise, why would the words Dictator of Life have affected Long Dian? D-Dictator of Life... I choked desperately. Long Dian shuddered again, but he himself did not notice this slight movement. He only reflexively squeezed my throat even harder. Damn it, Im starting to lose my consciousness. Stop, dont you dare hurt Prince! Gui, who had been on the airship, suddenly charged at us recklessly. Since he could send even Zhuo-gge flying with one shove, naturally, Long Dian did not consider Gui a threat. He simply raised his leg slightly and kicked Gui, sending him a long distance away and making him vomit blood continuously. Probably because he saw my face turn pale, Gui did his best to crawl back toward us. He said, Stop, or you will strangle Prince. If Prince dies, you wont have a hostage to threaten Kenshin with. Long Dian furrowed his brows and rxed his grip. Impatient, he yelled at Kenshin, Get lost. You two better take the airship and scram, or I will break this womans neck. Dictator of Life, I am here because you said thank you to me that time, I squeezed out through my teeth. Long Dian looked at me suspiciously and tightened his grip, but rxed it immediately after. His expression changed dramatically as he finally sensed that something was wrong. However, this also confirmed my suspicions that the Dictator of Life had notpletely vanished. Dictator, do you remember who I am? Im Prince... Prince... A look of longing shed across Long Dians face. He lost his focus for a moment and actually released me. Long Dians expression then changed to one of disbelief, and he tried to grab me again... By then, I had already picked up the flying dagger that had fallen to the ground. However, I wasnt going to stab Long Dian with it; I had another n. I cut off my hair with one movement, leaving it around the same length as Princes. I leaned toward Long Dian, but said the Dictator of Lifes name instead. Dictator of Life, do you remember? You thanked me for letting you understand the meaning of love. Many expressions shed across Long Dians face. There was shock, gentleness, some regret... Dictator of Life, you too saw what your father did. Dont give in to him anymore, I shouted rather emotionally. Prince... Long Dian hung his head. Did I seed? I moved even closer, hoping to see whether the Dictator of Life had returned... Long Dian, or the Dictator of Life, held out his hand to me. Is it the Dictator of Life? I watched as he slowly lifted his head, eyes filled with deceit... and that hand was currently being thrust at my heart... I finally understood how my younger brother had felt when Lolidragon protected him. In front of me stood Gui, a cruel hand piercing right through his chest. Gui, please dont die. My mind initially nked out, but it was then slowly dyed with the red of Guis flowing blood. No! Gui must not die!At that moment, I finally understood. I definitely cannot lose Gui, absolutely not! However, the expression that appeared on Guis face was part gratification and part apologetic. Before copsing, he said something in a voice that was too soft to be heard. Thank god youre okay... There was blood everywhere Lolidragons, Cold Foxs, Nan Gong Zuis, Wickeds, and Guis... Myrades have all fallen. Everyone has fallen. My tears were flowing, but I felt a frightening emptiness in my heart. I raised Cold Foxs dagger and simply said, Long Dian, you said that you had nothing left to lose. What a coincidence. I too have nothing left now. I red directly at Long Dian, who actually looked away as if he were feeling guilty. Calmly, I said, Come. Let us finish this. Long Dian also revealed an expression which showed that he wanted to end all this. At that moment, I took the initiative to attack. The terror, the fear of death, and the fear of pain that I originally had, all of it disappeared. The only feeling that remained was the need to defeat the person in front of me, the person who had taken everything away from me! In a sh, I appeared in front of Long Dian, moving with a speedparable to his. Of course, the price I paid was how all of the muscles in my body were protesting. No matter how sore my body felt, however, it could not bepared to the pain of witnessing all myrades copse one by one. My flying dagger shed at lightning speed with Long Dians hands. Surprisingly, I could actually match Long Dians speed. With his bare hands, Long Dian was defending against a flying dagger that could actually hurt him, so naturally, he did not stand to benefit. Soon, his hands werepletely stained with blood. Realizing that he could not continue like this, a devious look appeared in Long Dians eyes again. It was a pity that I could not guess, and did not have any extra energy to guess, what he was up to. I was already pushing myself past my limit just to keep up with Long Dians speed. Even the light armor that I was wearing was making crackling sounds, making me worry about whether the armor wouldst until I defeated Long Dian. I was still thinking about how to end this battle as quickly as possible, when Long Dian, who had been avoiding the flying dagger, suddenly took the initiative and moved his hands toward the flying dagger that I was holding. Before I could even figure out what Long Dian was trying to do, my flying dagger was already stuck in one of his palms, and his other hand was lunging toward my stomach. Knowing that if the blownded solidly on me I would probably never get up again, I had no choice but to let go of the flying dagger and retreat in the same direction as Long Dians attack. This was the only way to sessfully avoid most of the damage caused by Long Dians terrifying strength. However, the remaining force of the attack was bad enough. The immense pain in my stomach made my face turn deathly pale. Without the flying dagger, I had no choice but to pick up the lightsaber. Although I already knew that it was useless, I was used to holding a dao. Long Dian pulled the flying dagger out of his palm, twisted it until it was like a screw and tossed it aside. He then moved slowly toward me. Trembling slightly, I could not help but move a step backwards. However, I actually kicked something. ncing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cold Fox, who was lying down on the ground... I have three flying daggers. This sentence suddenly sprung up in my mind. Three daggers! I calmed my emotions, and charged at Long Dian recklessly. When he noticed that I was wielding a lightsaber, a smile of disdain appeared on his face. I made a show of shing at Long Dian with the lightsaber multiple times, blows which Long Dian easily blocked using his hands. However, my goal was not to defeat Long Dian with a lightsaber. What I want to do is... Once Long Dian let down his guard, I used the lightsaber and sliced into the old wound in his stomach... causing the wound to immediately split open. You! Furious, Long Dian mmed his fist onto my back. This blownded solidly, and blood instantly sprayed out of my mouth like a fountain... I sank to my knees right in front of Long Dian. Someone who did not know what was going on mightve actually thought that I was prostrating myself before him. So, Prince, you still lost in the end. Long Dian smiled cruelly, saying, Now, Im going to make you die a very painful death. Count it as my return gift for when you made the Dictator revolt against me. I had lost too much blood and my consciousness was beginning to fade, but I was only one step away from sess. I cut my thigh with the lightsaber, the new pain bringing me to my senses. After that, I stuck my hand into the wound in Long Dians stomach without hesitation. Hmph, you wouldnt happen to think that you can hurt me with just your hands, right? Long Dianughed, but as if remembering something, he added, Dont think that I have any organs for you to injure. My organs are there just for show; they do not serve any purpose. I managed to find a hard object while searching around inside Long Dians stomach. In an instant, I pulled it out, stood up, tightened my grip on Cold Foxs flying dagger and shed at Long Dians neck with all my strength... Thunk! And there was naught but a headless corpse in front of me. In the next instant, I thrust the flying dagger into the head that had fallen on the ground and hacked it into mush. Can I actually kill Long Dian by doing this...? Probably not. I plopped down on the ground. He can return to the online world... Long Dian... is dead. Kenshin actually said this outrageous line. Icked the strength to open my mouth, so I just turned my head and looked at Kenshin, asking him a wordless question. The two of us have been constantly monitoring him, and he has not returned to the online world. Kenshin simply stated what he knew. Sigh, hes still human after all. When he saw his own head fall onto the ground, he instinctively thought that he was dead. Just like that, his consciousness also vanished, sighed Sunshine. Quickly... save the other... people... I panted desperately, before feeling giddy and finally bing enveloped in darkness. What all of us had forgotten was that Long Dian had originally wanted the entire world to see our lifeless bodies. However, his n had backfired and the whole world could see that the terrorist was now dead. Also, he had been killed by a famous person that everyone knew: the Lord of Infinite City in Second Life the Blood Elf Prince! Although Prince had been wearing light armor that covered his entire body, and no one ever found the real Prince, the legend of the Prince who saved the whole world would always remain... bing an Eternal Legend! Footnotes Happy Corner: Yu Wos description isnt too far off. DO NOT click on unless you really want to know. Light armor that covered his entire body: Princes face was hidden by the armor, so no one knew if it was actually him. Volume 8 Chapter 7.5 Volume 8 Chapter 7.5 Extra Chapter: Epilogue (End) C tranted by Eilinel The story has finally reached this point! I couldnt help but heave a sigh of relief. I have finally finished penning down the final battle! I had only realized as I was writing how dangerous and adrenaline-inducing the battle had been. As someone who had been involved, I could only feel my heart racing and beating really loudly. Afterwards, everyone started living their own separate lives. Wolf-dg and Yu Lian-dso were finally married in real life as well, and both of them followed Doll back to her country. Wolf-dg continued to practice medicine there, and Yu Lian-dso continued her job as a financial advisor as well. Five yearster, Doll became the queen of her country. This was really shocking newsDoll, a queen? God bless her country; hopefully it will survive until Doll steps down from the throne. In the end, Nan Gong Zui married Ice Phoenix... although there was a mishap during the day of the wedding ceremony. Fan actually appeared without notice! With an obnoxious smile, he presented the bride with 999 red roses... Everyone was worrying whether the bride would be the first person to raise an objection if the priest were to ask if there was anyone who objected to the marriage, when Phoenix did something that all of us apuded in our hearts. She walked up to Fan, raised a 10-centimeter-high bridal heel, and kicked Fans XXX with all her might. Im not too sure, but I thought I heard a Pop! sound at that moment! However, the thing that broke definitely hadnt been Phoenixs heels... After we called an ambnce to send Fan to hospital, Zui and Phoenixs wedding ceremony ended perfectly (though I would have preferred to call a garbage truck instead of an ambnce!). The sweet couple then went on to be the nemesis of all criminals; they were known as the Criminal-Busting-Couple. The most unbelievable thing was... Lolidragon actually became my sister-inw! Moreover, it was a shotgun marriage... Although my younger brother and Lolidragon were in a rtionship, Lolidragon kept refusing to marry Yang Ming because he was a few years younger than her. However, one day, for some unknown reason, Yang Ming borrowed a sewing needle that I had never used before and poked somethingahem, you know, the thing that starts with con and ends with domas though he had an unforgivable feud with it... Three monthster I had a sister-inw and a nephew who was due to be born in seven months. Hehe, now that Ive reached this point, everyone must be worried about Sunshine and Kenshin, right? Alls well that ends well. In order for Sunshine to be together with Fairsky in real life, Gui and Zhuo-gge finally agreed to work together. With Lolidragon and Doll providing funding, Project Artificial Body Development was established. Basically, the project was an extension of Long Dians initial n to develop an artificial body. In the end, Sunshine was able to move out of the game and forever stay by Fairskys side in reality. Their location at the moment is currently unknown, as they are always traveling around the globe. They might be adventuring in Africa right now for all I know! As the saying goes, one example will trigger a chain reaction. Since Celestial wanted to pester Doll, he was the first among the rest of the NPCs toe out of the game. Currently, he is working as Queen Dolls exclusive bodyguard. Next was my cute Meatbun. If I had left it alone in Second Life, it would have definitely created a new record for flooding in Second Life. Naturally, after that, Fire Phoenix insisted on ying in reality together with her husband, so we let it out too. Finally, we even created an artificial body for Kenshin, who hadnt really wanted to enter reality. (Of course, one very important factor for the creation of his body was the fact that Cold Fox had been threatening Gui and Wicked with flying daggers.) Kenshin is still refusing to follow Cold Fox home. Since he has nowhere else to go, he stays in my house. After he started to clean my house because he had nothing else to do, he became my ces ultimate housekeeper. The floors of my house are always as shiny as a mirror, and if you dont pay attention when walking on it, you would probably fall from the fifth floor to the first floor. Cold Fox stilles to spar with Kenshin every three days, though to date, he has never won. (Obviously! Gui and Wicked designed Kenshins body as the supreme bodyguard type. Even if you were to shoot at Kenshin with a machine gun, he wouldnt have any injuries at all. It would take a miracle for a human to beat him.) Ah, that reminds me, my cousin Rose and Broken Sword got married shortly after the final battle. When they found out that I was Prince, they were so surprised that their jaws nearly dropped. Nheless, they didnt forget to use this information to ckmail me into giving them a very big red packet for their wedding... Now that I think about it, I havent seen everyone in a while. Ever since that battle ten years ago, everyone went their separate ways and returned to their normal lives. It has been such a long time that I cant help but reminisce about the time we spent together... BANG! My cypress door which cost me an arm and a leg was suddenly kicked open. I couldnt hold my anger in and yelled, Just who dares to kick my precious door and disturb me? Dont you know that today is the day when I pretend to have a calm disposition? But, Xiao Xiao Lan was asking for you. With an innocent smile, my mom put the cute little girl in her arms down. That pair of big eyes that was exactly the same as mine was the source of my pride! Although everyone keeps telling me that Xiao Xiao Lan looks more like her dad, her eyes are a carbon copy of mine. Daddy~~, said Xiao Xiao Lan. Once my mom put Xiao Xiao Lan on the ground, she wasted no time running into my arms. Its Mommy! Resigned, I corrected my daughter for the Nth time. Its not! Xiao Xiao Lan said while pouting with her tiny mouth, My kindergarten teacher said that the person who carried and gave birth to Xiao Xiao Lan is Mommy, while the other person is Daddy! This... I twiddled my thumbs, feeling slightly guilty. Its because Im scared of pain... so, so that time I... Gui, I want a child! I blurted all of a sudden. The story started when my stupid brother, after the Long Dian event, finally won the heart of big sister Lolidragon. After his marriage proposal had been shot down tens of times, my brother finally married Lolidragon with the help of a sewing needle. At the day of my brothers graduation, he suddenly received the news that his wife was going intobor, so he left the ceremony abruptly in his graduation robes, dragging me along. Sis, drive faster! Yang Ming was like a cat on hot bricks. He was so anxious that he forgot he had sworn never to ride anything that I was driving ever again, and he even wanted me to speed up. Alright, since he was so anxious, I pressed down harder on the elerator until we were going at three hundred kilometers per hour... Fortunately, little Long Ming still has his dad! I held Lolidragon and my brothers baby, Feng Long Ming, in my arms. As I stared at his soft body and chubby arms, I thought that he looked really cute! However, my stupid brother kept saying that whenever he saw the way I held little Long Ming, he would nearly have a heart attack, so he always refused to let me hold the baby... ...The only chance I ever had of carrying Long Ming was when he wasnt around, and Lolidragon had passed him to me so that she could sneak out and buy LV and Chanel goods. Gui, who had been massaging my shoulders, was stunned for ten seconds when he heard my sudden deration. Then, he asked excitedly, But dear, didnt you say that you dont want to give birth because you are scared of pain? Thats right, it will be painful... I said. I tilted my head and recalled the time when Lolidragon was in the delivery room. The way she kept yelling that she wanted to kill Yang Ming while she was giving birth gave me a sense of trepidation. (Though, Yang Mings yell when his arm was broken by Lolidragon as he stayed by her side while she was giving birth wasnt that much softer...) Babies are so cute, but it would be so painful... I knocked my head with my hand repeatedly and didnt realize that I nearly dropped little Long Ming. Gui quickly took little Long Ming away from me to prevent a tragedy. Namely, the tragedy where Yang Ming, Lolidragon, my parents, and Long-b hunted me down. What should I do... I thought harder and harder... Kenshin, who had been cleaning quietly at the side, suddenly walked over in silence and put a newspaper down before leaving silently as well. Kenshin, didnt Cold Fox ask you out for tea? I recalled that Cold Fox had asked Kenshin out thest time he was here. Im not going. Kenshin answered simply and directly, I still want to be a man. What a good reason for not going. I bit my index finger and shrugged, Is there any difference between going and not going? Even if you dont go, Cold Fox will stille over to our house to drink with you. To be exact, this is Lolidragons house. After Kenshin stated this fact, he continued vacuuming the house. Poor Cold Fox, I wonder how much tea he would have to drink before he can win Kenshins icy heart... I casually picked up todays newspaper, thinking about reading which political figures were messing around today, but when I saw the headline, my eyes lit up like two infinitely dazzling light bulbs! Gui, look! With eyes that were still shining brightly, I looked pleadingly at my dearest husband, Gui. This is... Gui was dumbstruck. He stared at the newspaper in my hand in disbelief, and then looked at me. Written clearly on the newspaper was, XX Hospital Has Sessfully Impregnated A Man, And He Gave Birth To A Healthy Baby Yesterday! I looked at cute little Long Ming in Guis arms, and then I looked at Gui with my most irresistible puppy dog face... Gui has never let me down. Ten monthster... Hubby, hang in there! I said as I looked at Guis pale face anxiously. Ok... said Gui. Hey on the bed with a pale face and kept gasping for air. Wolf-dg, Gui will be fine, right? I quickly asked Wolf-dg, who was wearing a surgeons scrubs. In order to help Gui deliver the baby without a hitch, Wolf-dg had speciallye back from overseas. Heughed in a sunny way, and put his mask on. He said, Dont worry, itll be fine. There is no problem at all with Guis prenatal examination reports, so he will definitely be able to give birth to a healthy child. Rx, Prince. Gui will be fine! said Yu Lian-dso. She was dressed as a nurse, and she consoled me with a smile, You should leave the room first. We are going to cut his abdomen open so we can take the child out now. What? They are going to cut Guis abdomen open? Wouldnt he die then? After all, doesnt one kill a fish by cutting its stomach open? I was panicking so much that my tears kept flowing, Boohoohoo, dont cut Guis stomach open! I dont want a child anymore. Gui, dont give birth anymore! You will die! Sob... Three ck lines were visible on both Wolf-dg and Yu Lian-dsos faces. Gui suppressed the pain with his willpower and gently consoled, No, I will be fine. Dear, you should go out and wait. In a moment, I will be out and holding the baby for you to see. I stopped sobbing. A little suspicious, I asked, Is that true? Yes, you should leave faster! said the three of them in unison. I pouted and said, I want to stay and keep Guipany. All of a sudden, the door to the delivery room was opened and Zhuo-gge appeared at the doorway with a resigned look on his face. He walked to my side, hugged me with one swift movement and proceeded to drag me out of the room. As he left, he said, You guys can start now! Bastard! Dont you dare take advantage of my wife while Im giving birth! yelled Gui. He was so angry that he leapt up from the bed and continued, Do you hear me, Wicked? Let go of Prince! Wolf-dg grabbed Gui and threw him back onto the bed in one movement. He then sighed, What a troublesome husband and wife pair indeed. Next, since I didnt hear Guis voice yelling for Zhuo-gge not to do anything to meing from the delivery room anymore, I started to get worried instead. Dont tell me that, like a fish, Gui died after his stomach was cut open? I couldnt stop my imagination from running wild, and I paced back and forth furiously outside the delivery room as though as my life depended on it. So, how is my brother-inw? He still hasnt given birth to the baby yet? said Yang Ming as he slowly walked over. He tried to maintain a serious demeanor, but he couldnt suppress hisughter anymore. As he pped Zhuo Ling Bins back, heughed so hard that he became short of breath. He gasped, Hahaha Zhuo-dg, you really should rejoice that you didnt marry my sister, or you would be the one giving birth right now! Rejoice? Zhuo Ling Bin repeated with a slight smile. The bitterness at the corner of his mouth couldnt be wiped off. He knew that if he had been the one who had taken the final blow for me and ended up lying on the sick bed for a month, the person giving birth right now could have been himself. Unfortunately, thinking of what ifs waspletely meaningless. Waaa... The clear sound of a baby crying came from the delivery room. I opened my mouth wide. Has the baby... really been born? After a while, the door to the delivery room was pushed open. Yu Lian-dso walked out with a cloth bundle in her arms. I walked past Yu Lian-dso withrge strides,bining three steps into two, and stopped in front of Gui. His eyes were still shut tightly, and his face was still pale, but it was evident that he was still breathing... I finally let out a sigh of relief. I softly caressed Gui who was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and smiled broadly. I thought I should say something. Good job, hubby. In order to name the child, Gui and I referred to astrology, the Eight Trigrams, I-ching, Tian Di-ching, I Chin Ching etc. All in all, after very careful consideration, we decided to name the cute daughter that Gui worked very hard to give birth to as Min Lan Lan. Everyone affectionately nicknamed her Xiao Xiao Lan. She has grown up to be the superbly cute young girl in front of me now. Oh right. Daddy, Zhuo-gge is here, said Xiao Xiao Lan while smiling happily. Xiao Xiao Lan should call him Zhuo-shshu; only Mommy can call him Zhuo-gge. Once again, I corrected my daughters messed-up terms of address. Oh Daddy, just to let you know, Mommy and Zhuo-gge are fighting! Xiao Xiao Lans face was full of excitement as she said this, and she even punched the air energetically with her little fists. What? My eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets. Theyre fighting again? But Ive been here this whole time, so I couldnt have been the one who lit the fuse... Why are they fighting again? I asked. I dont know! answered Xiao Xiao Lan. She tilted her little head and tapped the dimples on her face with her forefinger in confusion. She continued, After Xiao Xiao Lan said that she wanted to marry Zhuo-gge when she grows up, Mommy immediately said he would fight Zhuo-gge to the death, so Xiao Xiao Lan really doesnt know why they are fighting. ...You want to marry Zhuo-gge? I picked Xiao Xiao Lan up and said, Xiao Xiao Lan, the age gap between you and Zhuo-gge is more than thirty years! Why does it matter? Xiao Xiao Lan puffed out her chest and counted her fingers, saying, Long-jijie is older than Ming-gge by a few years, Kenshin-gge and Cold Fox-gge are both men, Doll-jijie and Celestial-jijie are both women... Celestial is a man, he only looks like a woman. Once again, I corrected my daughters mistakes. Also... Xiao Xiao Lan, are gge and jijie the only terms of address you know? There is also Meatbunbun-gge and Fire Phoenix-jijie! Thest couple that Xiao Xiao Lan used as an example was neither human nor even living creatures! Dont tell me that due to being wrongly influenced by these messed-up couples, she has decided that she wants to marry Zhuo-gge? I didnt know whether I shouldugh or cry. Then again, it was quitemon for humans to live for about two hundred years now, so a thirty-year age difference shouldnt be a problem, right? Though, Gui would definitely go crazy over this... Alright Daddy, Xiao Xiao Lan wants to go and y with Meatbunbun-gge now, said my beloved daughter as she skipped happily out of my study. I reminded Xiao Xiao Lan, Be careful of Fire Phoenixs jealousy. Dont get burned by her. Yes~~~, answered Xiao Xiao Lan as she closed the door to the study behind her. I wonder how long Gui and Zhuo-gge are going to fight for? I said as I scratched my face. Although I knew that Zhuo-gge wouldnt injure Gui heavily, if that handsome face of Guis were injured, Id still feel pained. As for Zhuo-gges safety, I didnt need to worry about that at all. These two have been fighting for the past ten years, and I have never seen him get injured before. More often than not, it was Guis wounds that I had to tend to while he winced in pain. Kenshin is cleaning the living room, so they cant continue fighting for long, my mother exined with a smile. Kenshins there? Then I have nothing to worry about, I said, relieved. I then decided to continue working. Who? Who is the one who said that my job is just me pretending to be ady? Thats not my job, okay? Im writing a book! A book! Dictator, summon my iplete book, Imanded to the air. A holographic human form appeared before my study desk. He had a head of flowing red hair and grey eyes, and there was even an exotic magic tattoo under his left eye. The Dictator of Life gently smiled and asked, Are you going to finish writing the book now? Yes! Iughed. Thank goodness I have the Dictator of Life to help me out, or else I would mess everything up. Luckily, after Long Dians consciousness disappeared, the Dictator of Lifes consciousness came back, and he returned to the world of the inte... However, that guy Kenshin said that revealing that the Dictator of Life was still alive would create a lot of problems, so it would be better to say he had died...That made me really sad for a while! Anyway, this story is finally nearing its end. I gently knocked my head and said, Let me think... Mm, lets do this. From then on, everyone lived happily ever after. Is this a good ending? That is perfect. What about the title of the book? asked the Dictator of Life with a smile. As I opened my mouth to answer, the door to the study was mmed open once again. Just like before, someone rushed into my embrace. Heined with a face covered in tears and snot, Dear, Wicked is trying to make off with our Xiao Xiao Lan! I am not! Wicked said in a stern voice with pursed lips. No? If you arent, then why would Xiao Xiao Lan say that she wants to marry you? You obviously saw how young and innocent our Xiao Xiao Lan is, and thats why you deliberately tricked her! You perverted pedophile! Not to be outdone, Gui roared back. I. Am. Not. A. Pedophile! Zhuo-gge snarled each word with gritted teeth. Yes you are! Gui said with iron conviction, Back then, you fell in love with my wife when she was only a few years old, and now you are aiming for our Xiao Xiao Lan. If you dont call this pedophilia, what do you call it? Gui, stop creating a ruckus. I quickly said in order to stop the escting situation. Zhuo-gges faces was so livid with rage that he seemed like he was going to go berserk soon. If Gui had continued causing an uproar, I mightve ended up bing a widow today. I... I was only worried about our beloved daughter, Gui said as he wore an expression of hurt, hugging me in the process, and then he looked at Zhuo-gge with a victorious expression. Rest assured. Rather than me, you should be more worried about yourself, the gay-with-a-daughterplex! Zhuo-gge coldly sneered back. What did you say? Gui asked, furious. The two of them immediately started fighting again. With his martial prowess, Zhuo Ling Bin was dangerous even if he was unarmed... At least, against Gui, a defenseless professor, his attacks were lethal! Although Gui couldnt defeat even one finger of Zhuo Ling Bins, he could still use the only attack he knew, which was to dodge constantly while picking up random stuff beside him to throw in Zhuo Ling Bins direction. I watched my belongingsmy book, my paperweight, and my mousebeing thrown around by Gui. Zhuo-gge destroyed my flower vase and chair with his random kicks. My precious study is being devastated by these two tactless people... Im furious! I was so angry that N number of my veins popped out, and my fists were clenched tightly. Finally, I unleashed my ultimate attack, bellowing, Cold Fox! Some people are increasing the amount of cleaning that Kenshin has to do! As the words left my mouth, Zhuo-gge froze in midair in the middle of a kick, while Gui looked at the mug he was going to throw and carefully ced it back at its original spot. Cold Fox is truly the most ruthless of all. Especially when ites to matters concerning Kenshin, he doesnt know what it means to have mercy! After all, no one wants to go against a person who, at the age of eighteen and still wearing his school uniform, already wielded flying daggers as a member of the criminal underworld! Unless you feel youve lived too long and want to die immediately, that is. From the door, two figures walked in silently. One of them was Kenshin, and the other was his perpetual stalker Cold Fox. Everyone is here, said Kenshin sinctly. Everyone? Who is everyone? I thought, confused. Wicked and Gui, are both of you fighting again? asked Wolf-dg. His heartyugh was so loud that it could be hearding from outside the study, and it was apanied by the sound of Yu Lian-dsos softughter. Wolf-dg/Wolf-g! The three of us said in unison. Wolf-g, why are you here? asked Gui, surprised. Oh? Has everyone forgotten what day today is? asked Yu Lian-dso. The smile on her face was as warm as ever. Yu Lian-dso is here too? I said as I rushed into her arms, unable to restrain myself as I hadnt seen her in a long time. Youre an adult now, yet you still act like a spoiled child. Yu Lian-dso gently chided me, but there was an obvious hint of a smile in the corner of her eyes. This fellow has always been like this. She hasnt grown up at all. Lolidragon teased me as she leaned on the doorway. As the saying goes, a leopard never changes its spots! said Yang Ming as he revealed a helpless expression. Astonished, I asked, Eh? Why are both of you home early today? Doesnt Gui usually have to drive to the pub in order to drag the two of you, who arepletely wasted, home? Sigh, the pub has closed down, said Lolidragon with an expression full of heartfelt pain. Oh? It cant be that... I only picked a few fights in their shop. To my surprise, they went out of business and now we have to look for a new pub again. Yang Ming sighed as he shook his head. He said, Lolidragon, if you had flirted less, then I wouldnt have had to fight with that group of perverts. Hmph! Youre the one who should flirt less. This reminds me, what happened to that hot babe fromst time? replied Lolidragon, determined not to be outdone. As expected, the closure of the pub was caused by these two people. I shook my head. Prince-gge! A dignified face with a hint of yfulness appeared beside the door. The androgynous beauty standing beside her revealed the identity of the young girl. Doll! Celestial! Now I was really shocked. If a queen hade and leaned on your door, even if you knew her true nature, you would be shocked, right? I asked in slight disbelief, Doll, why are you here too? Hehe, this is because Doll wants to marry Celestial! Doll said while pouting. You want to marry him? I asked, though I wasnt very surprised about that. After all, Fairsky and Sunshine had already set an example.But how is this linked to the reason why shes at my house now? However, my chancellors said that because I am the Queen, I cant marry Celestial. Therefore, I abdicated and passed the crown to my younger sister. Doll was all smiles as she said, Now Doll doesnt have a ce to go anymore, so is it alright for Doll to stay with Prince-gge and everyone else from now on? Of course! Ive always felt that this house is too big and the number of people staying here too few. Its not lively enough! I said,ughing happily. What was Prince-gge doing? The Dictator of Life has been grinning stupidly beside you this whole time. The observant Doll noticed the virtual form of the Dictator of Life awaiting my order beside me. Ah! I eximed, almost forgetting that the Dictator was still waiting for me to name the book. Im naming my book! On hearing this, everyone looked at one another. They said, Didnt you already name it long ago? Ah? My books name has already been decided? Howe Im the only person who doesnt know that? Everyone felt that, regardless of whether you were a guy or girl, youd forever remain in our hearts as the Blood Elf Prince who alwaysughed with pride, cherished hisrades, and was a most incredible person; but since youre really a woman, we reluctantly named you Half Prince. [? Prince END] Footnotes Big red packet: Red packets contain a sum of money folded inside red paper and are given both during Chinese New Year to unmarried younger rtives as well as to the bride and groom during their wedding ceremony. A big red packet refers to there being more money inside, not to the actual size of the red packet. Tian Di-ching, I Chin Ching: Thesest two are rather unexpected choices... Tian Di-ching was a method used by ancient Chinese to tell time by the heavens. For example, one day was split into 12 hours (not 24!), 5 of which were night. Also, it was used to mark the calendar by the seasons. I Chin Ching is changing tendon exercise, which is a way of training ones muscles and tendons. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yijin_Jing. Zhuo-shshu: Shshu means uncle. Volume 9 Chapter 1 Volume 9 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Feng Long Ming, Part One C tranted by raylight My name is Feng Long Ming, and I am sixteen this year. Perhaps you may feel that my name is a good name, with the meaning of bing famous throughout the world just like a dragon. However, I apologize for having to shatter your conjectures. The reason why I am called Feng Long Ming is because my father is called Feng Yang Ming, and my mother is called Long Shui Han. With my parents personalities that I know too well, they had probably written out all six words of their names on pieces of paper, and then chose three of them to form a name... Thank God! I wasnt called Shui Long or Feng Long, or even worse, if they had picked Feng Shui, then I really dont know if I should or shouldnt go to a Feng Shui master to ask him to take me as a disciple. Truthfully, I have never understood how my father and my mother, being so messed-up, managed to raise a sensible kid like me. Could it be the result of things developing in the opposite direction when they be too extreme? (Wrong! Thats cause both your parents and my parents are messed-up, thats why they would throw a four-year-old girl to a five-year-old boy to take care of. If you, who had started being a recement father since the age of five, hadnt be more serious and responsible, the two of us would have been reincarnated a long time ago.) Min Lan Lan is also nicknamed Xiao Xiao Lan. Her mother and my father are twins. Of course, that makes her my cousin, and her way of speaking always hits the bulls eye. This was not the most ridiculous part about my parents. To give an example, my parents love going to the pub the most C no, perhaps I should say, the two of them enjoy ending pubs the most. Up until now, the two of them have already semi-destroyed twenty pubs andpletely destroyed fifteen pubs. There were all sorts of strange reasons for the destruction of the pubs, such as jealousy, people from the criminal underground looking for revenge, and trouble from getting drunk. There was even one instance where my mom suddenly wanted to cook a poached egg for my dad to eat and so she borrowed the pubs kitchen to use. The strange thing was, the kitchen exploded C right at the same time my mom stepped out of the kitchen. My dad went to the hospital because my mother had used dish detergent as sd oil. The dance hall of the pub also got destroyed because my mom called her own fire truck to help extinguish the fire in the kitchen. Unfortunately, at that moment only Xiao Xiao Lans mom had been at home, and hence the fire truck was driven there by her. Just as the intensity of the fire was diminishing due to the dance hall staff using ten and more fire extinguishers, the fire truck crashed into the pubs dance hall. Wheres the fire? Xiao Xiao Lans mom asked honorably while holding a water hose. Afterwards, the fire trucks engine caught on fire. Xiao Xiao Lans mom had a lot ofmon sense, so she immediately evacuated the people, yelling, Everyone, hurry and run away. When vehicles catch fire, its very dangerous because they will explode! After all the people had evacuated and Xiao Xiao Lans mom stepped out of the pub as the final person, the vehicle indeed exploded. The photo of theposed way she walked out of the pub with the ze of the explosion roaring behind her was published in the news for a whole week, with the headline: Fire-fighting Heroine! Though the staff of the pub went through a lot of effort to try and rify that the explosion was caused by this fire-fighting heroine. After what happened, the dance halls within a hundred kilometer radius of our house all have a warning sign hanging outside: Dogs and the Feng couple are not allowed inside! My parents powers of destruction are like a nuclear warhead; extremely powerful, and they instill a fear in everyone that they wouldnt be able to get out of the way in time. However, Xiao Xiao Lans parents are not inferior in any respect. Like environmental pollution, you might not know how scary it is. It is just like how you use stics very happily, but you would definitely never think that your stics actually have something to do with the hole in the ozoneyer one hundred and eight thousand miles away. Upon seeing Xiao Xiao Lans mother beaming from ear-to-ear as she served fine dishes one after another on the table, every visitor would give a thumbs up as they say one line: What a good wife and loving mother. If this really were the case, Xiao Xiao Lans dad wouldnt be pushed around so badly by her mom. Originally, I too didnt understand what the rtion between hair gel and a hole in the ozoneyer was C no! I mean I didnt understand what exactly was so scary about Xiao Xiao Lans mom. After all, she does great cooking, and always stroked my head while smiling. What exactly was there to be afraid of in this kind and gentle housewife? These kinds of doubts continued until a certain day, when five or six kidnappers burst into our house. Even the security guards at my house had been overpowered, but Xiao Xiao Lans mom was still cutting a bunch of ingredients in the kitchen. She had said that she wanted to attempt Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and this dish required a lot of time to prepare. She had to cook it well in advance, otherwise she wouldnt make it in time for dinner... Getting back to the topic, I only wanted to tell you all that, when this housewife was facing the kidnappers, she was extremely calm and at ease. She even reminded the kidnappers, You didnt release the safety on your guns. You cant shoot like that. One kidnapper flew into a rage out of humiliation, and was so angry that he wanted her to go into the living room and squat properly. However, Xiao Xiao Lans mother only gave a slight frown and said, Can I stay in the kitchen to look after the fire? Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is not easy to cook, since you have to pay attention to the heat level. As you can imagine, the kidnappers would of course not allow their hostage to stay in the kitchen to cook Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. An impatient expression flickered across Xiao Xiao Lans mothers face, and then she raised the kitchen knife that was by her side and gave a few quick swipes! Swish, swish, swish, bang! In the first three swings, the guns that the kidnappers were holding broke into pieces. Last of all was the sound of the kitchen knifes handle knocking a kidnapper unconscious. (I have always wondered, what material is that kitchen knife made of?) Xiao Xiao Lans mother shouted, Kenshin, take care of the children! Our housekeeper, Kenshin, was still using the vacuum cleaner to vacuum the floor. Once he heard her words, he moved so quickly that he was a blur, and instantly hauled Xiao Xiao Lan and me to the second story. I forgot to mention to everyone that our house is a duplex apartment. From the second story, you can clearly see what is happening in the living room on the first floor. In this way, Xiao Xiao Lan and I managed to enjoy the view of A housewife wielding a kitchen knife beating up five kidnappers armed with guns. Ever since that time, Xiao Xiao Lan and I never dared to disobey her mothers words... We became as obedient as her dad. Speaking of which, I couldnt help but sigh as I looked around the deserted European-styled vi. I had only left for a short while, so how was it that when I came back, the scene of everyone gathering together and bustling in excitement hadpletely vanished without a trace? What a waste of my efforts to specially buy dishes that go well with alcohol. Where did everyone go? Perhaps Kenshin would know? I guessed, and then walked to the kitchen. As expected, inside there I saw an apron-draped Kenshin cooking soup. I forgot to mention, this guy with red hair and a scar on his face, Kenshin, is my familys distant rtive. Because he has no one else to depend on, he has always stayed in our house as a housekeeper. His cleaning work is extremely good. To find a speck of dust in our house is harder than ascending to the heavens... Though I say that, actually Xiao Xiao Lan and I know an enormous secret. This secret was something that Xiao Xiao Lan and I found out by ident. Actually, Kenshin is not just our housekeeper, but also part of a crime syndicate! The reason why we know the truth was because we found out that Uncle Leng who alwayses to look for Kenshin to go out is actually part of the Ice Emperor Syndicate that is famous in the criminal underground. Not to mention that he is even the most famous assassin C Silver-Masked Quick Fox! Kenshin must be one of Silver-Masked Quick Foxs assassins, both Xiao Xiao Lan and I guessed. However, we werent scared of Kenshin because of this, for in our hearts, Kenshin was still the multi-talented housekeeper who we went to when we were hungry! Kenshin, where did everyone go? I asked. Kenshins gaze shifted onto me, and without any change in expression, he answered, To the ce where they first met. When are theying back? I was not surprised at all, for Xiao Xiao Lans and my parents were always running around somewhere. Tomorrow, maybe. Kenshin lowered his head to taste the soup again, and then turned around to tell me, Time to eat. I nodded my head and carried the cooked dishes out. Once I stepped into the dining room, I saw Xiao Xiao Lan scrutinizing a simtion helmet. Curious, I asked, You want to go to the simtion supermarket to buy stuff? As if! Xiao Xiao Lan replied casually, If I want to buy stuff, I have to try it before I buy it. The items in the simtion supermarket arent the real product. Then what are you doing? I just found this in a bunch of stuff that Long ji-jie brought back. Im not sure if it is a new product by herpany, so Im checking it out right now. Xiao Xiao Lan looked at it for a moment, and then couldnt help but frown as she muttered, Thats strange. This simtion helmet doesnt seem like a new product. Instead, it appears to be an old model. Perhaps my mother is buying random antiques again? I put a te on the table. This was something that had a high possibility of happening, for my moms ability to shop was simply shocking. She shopped so much that besides our house we had built an additional storeroom of 661.02 square meters, just for the sake of storing the random items that my mom bought. Xiao Xiao Lan shrugged her shoulders, saying, Well know once we put it on. Saying that, she really put on the helmet that came from unknown origins. I was a little worried, for the items that my mom brought back, if they werent beauty products, clothes, essories or bags, then they were usually dangerous items! It was not always the case, butst time, my mom brought back an ancient Egyptian ne, which turned out to be a cursed ne. At that time, we kept hearing footsteps and a woman weeping in the middle of the night in our house. This kind of situation continued up until Xiao Xiao Lan and Iined to Xiao Xiao Lans mother. Then, it ended. Because after that, the ne was hacked into seventeen, eighteen pieces. Based on the cuts, the weapon should have been a kitchen knife. Because of that, my mom even had a quarrel with Xiao Xiao Lans mom. However, after a kitchen knife spun past my mom and impaled deep into the wall behind her, other than throwing out the ne, my mom didnt do anything more. At this moment, Xiao Xiao Lan suddenly shrieked, Its a simtion game! What game? I rxed. So it was a game. Perhaps its newly released by thepany. Xiao Xiao Lan didnt say a word more. I was suddenly suspicious, and shook her shoulders in a panic, shouting, Xiao Xiao Lan? Xiao Xiao Lan, hurry up and answer me! Xiao Xiao Lan was dazed for a moment, and then she gave me a strong flick on the forehead. After removing her helmet, she muttered in dissatisfaction, What? I was just about to create a character to go in and look. I rubbed my innocent head, and said, I was worried about you. It would be better not to casually wear a helmet from unknown origins. If you want to y a game, then itd be better to use your own helmet. Isnt yours the best simtion helmet thepany has to offer? But this is not the same! Xiao Xiao Lan seemed a little excited as she eximed, This simtion helmet is specific to one game, unlike our multi-purpose simtion helmets that can go into the simtion supermarket to buy stuff, or read and whatever, and even y all kinds of games. And also... Xiao Xiao Lan had a strange look on her face as she continued, This game is the forbidden game of the legends. I have only heard about it, but I have never found an entrance into it. Forbidden game? What game? I was a little puzzled. Wasnt it just a game? What was in there to make it forbidden? Could it be that it was too violent, was that why it was banned? Xiao Xiao Lan gave a big smile as she answered, Second Life. Second Life? I raised an eyebrow. I didnt have much interest in this ordinary game name, and only advised Xiao Xiao Lan, Hurry up and lets go eat. I think you really are about to embark on your second life. When Xiao Xiao Lan heard that, she stuck out her tongue, and then picked up her rice bowl in a hurry. She even started talking while eating in an udy-like fashion. Come and join me in the game? Since there are four helmets anyway. Unenthusiastically, I replied, No, I have no interest in games. I dont like talking to Artificial Intelligences at all; their manner of speech is too boring, with no changes whatsoever. Did you forget that the two of us have yed many games, but there hasnt been any that we yed for more than a week? Thats true. Xiao Xiao Lan was unable to retort back, but the contentious side of her couldnt help but try to argue, However, its not that you dont like talking to Artificial Intelligences. You really love taking with the Dictator of Life! I was a little at a loss for words but I replied, Thats not the same. The Dictator of Life is developed by ourpany, and is the best AI. How could youpare him with the others? Besides, he really is very knowledgeable, and by talking with him, you can learn a lot. Xiao Xiao Lan continued to pester me to y the game with her. I simply couldnt take her pestering anymore, and hid in the study once I wolfed down my food in a hurry. However, even I sort of knew that since I was young, I could never go against Xiao Xiao Lan. In at most one more day, I would definitely be dragged into ying the game with her. Since that was going to be the case, I might as well make use of the rest of today to investigate why Second Life would be called a forbidden game. Dictator of Life, I called his name. Afterwards, as per usual, I waited for his hologram to appear. Usually, the Dictator of Life would appear immediately, but this time, the Dictator of Life instead made me wait for a whole ten or more seconds before he appeared. The red-haired, gray-eyed Dictator of Life who even had exotic markings under his left eye appeared before me. With a slightly apologetic expression, he answered, Sorry, I was in the process of settling what Feng Lan has instructed me to do, henceforth I came out a lot slower. I didnt know what kind of big problem Xiao Xiao Lans mother gave to the Dictator of Life this time. I rememberedst time she actually wanted the Dictator of Life, an AI, to design a new menu. For that short period of time, the stuff that we ate in our house all had a kind of strangeness to it that we couldnt put into words, especially after hearing the Dictator of Life read out the contents of the menu. Ingredients needed: Two hundred grams of Ipomoea aquatica, has to be grown via hydroponics so that the amount of chemicals used is decreased, which will prolong the life span of the liver; 0.136367 grams of sodium chloride, 0.0456 grams of sodium glutamate, one piece of Capsicum annuum L., to be cut into one cm in diameter, and 0.03 cm tall cylinders. Stir-fry at a high temperature of a hundred and fifty degrees, and then put it onto the te. With that, itll bepleted. At that moment, three ck lines appeared on the face of Xiao Xiao Lans mother. She hurriedly went to ask her husband what kind of precious ingredients the Dictator of Life was talking about. Like that, the two of them walked into the kitchen while discussing, and atst, they served a te of.... Ipomoea aquatica, is actually water spinach. Ipomoea aquatica is just the scientific name, exined Xiao Xiao Lans dad with an upset face, with a little bit of helplessness. Isnt sodium chloride salt? said Xiao Xiao Lan as she realized abruptly. What on earth is sodium glutamate? my dad asked with his arms folded. MSG. Xiao Xiao Lans mom spread out both of her hands, looking as though she was defeated by the Dictator of Life. Capsicum annum L, this I know, its bell peppers. I took in a deep breath. Sobined, these things would be... Stir-fried water spinach with bell peppers... Sob, are you trying to make me eat this dull and tasteless food? My mom secretly ate a bite of it, and immediately started making a big fuss about it. The Dictator of Life said that this way, the salt content wouldnt exceed the amount youre supposed to intake... Looking at Xiao Xiao Lans mothers expression, I knew that in the future, she probably would never ask the Dictator of Life to design a menu again. When I stopped reminiscing about those memories, the Dictator of Life was still silently awaiting my instructions in front of me. A little apologetic, I opened my mouth to say, Sorry, I made you wait for a long time. I wanted to ask you about something regarding a game, a game that is called Second Life. The Dictator of Lifes expression momentarily froze. This was an expression that I had never seen him wear before. However, he instantly recovered the faint smile that he wore before. Why have you suddenly gained an interest in gaming? I shrugged my shoulders. Xiao Xiao Lan dug out a helmet from my moms pile of stuff, and she kept bugging me to y. The Dictator of Life gave another faint smile, and started to exin the story behind Second Life. Second Life is the first game to be able to achieve a realism level of ny-nine percent, causing a sensation across the whole world. Also, eighty percent of the poption entered into this game. However, in the end there was an ident, and because of that, the game went out of control. The gamepany waspletely unable to handle the game, and was even unable to shut down the game. Hence, they could only give an order to recall all of the helmets. This game would hence be known throughout history as a famous title. But my mom still managed to buy this helmet, I replied and gave a sigh. As expected, my mom specializes in buying dangerous stuff to bring back home. Its not bought. The Dictator of Life smiled gently and answered, Second Life was the first game released by your motherspany. What? I abruptly stood up. I had never heard the adults mention this before, and since this matter happened inside our own familyspany, I couldnt help but start to be concerned. What kind of ident happened at that time? How did it make this game be a forbidden game? For once, the Dictator of Life didnt answer my question. He stared at me, and then said, You can go find out yourself. I walked hurriedly to the living room, and then grabbed Xiao Xiao Lan who was in the middle of watching television while snacking. Ignoring her protesting expression, I fastened the helmet onto her head, and then put another helmet onto my own head. Seeing the pitch-ck darkness in front of my eyes, I started to think about how this matter was rted to my own familyspany. Not to mention that the Dictator of Lifes strange reaction also led me to greatly suspect that perhaps the ident that happened back then had a very big rtion to our family? I made up my mind to uncover the truth! Hello! I havent seen anyone in a long time. After the brief moment of darkness, my eyes were flooded with light. A beauty radiating charm was floating in the air, and she sized me up with curiosity and excitement. She was even smiling with her lips pursed up from time to time, which made me feel wrong from head to toe... Almost as though a beauty was trying to seduce me. I shook my head to shake off this absurd way of thinking. What was in front of my eyes was but an A.I, also known as an NPC in game. They were absolutely incapable of having genuine emotions. Suddenly, the beauty winked, asking, Do you have any rtion to the girl who came in at the same time as you? I blurted out, Thats my cousin! The beauty snapped her fingers, and then another shadow fell from the sky, even shouting, That hurts! My butt is about to split apart! I, who had been startled, looked over abruptly. Isnt the one lying on the ground Xiao Xiao Lan? I hurried over to help her up, and then the two of us stared at the beautiful NPC with indescribable astonishment. Can we start creating our characters now? asked Xiao Xiao Lan in dissatisfaction as she rubbed her butt. The beauty chuckled. How could it be so simple? If you want to go in, you have to tell me why you want to go in. As she finished, she even winked at me flirtatiously. Otherwise, ask this handsome boy here to act coyly with me, and perhaps I may let you guys in. What are you trying to pull, you A.I, your personality setting is really too lousy. If you dont let us in, then fine! Xiao Xiao Lan said, nearly hitting the roof in anger. Xiao Xiao Lan, calm down. I was extremely interested in figuring out what reason had led to the loss of control over the game. Therefore, I could only turn towards the beauty, and then test the waters with my answer, We want to go in because... we want to y the game? Save it! The beautyyzily in the air, and while looking at her own nails (This action is sure simr to my mom), she replied, This game has long been closed. If there isnt any special reason, I cannot let you guys pass. We wish to find out the reason why this game went out of control. The words slipped out of my mouth as I became anxious. At that moment, the beauty raised her head slightly, and then floated in front of me. What is there to look for? The reason for the loss of control is because humans couldnt handle the NPCs inside, thats all. What kind of nonsense are you spouting? How could the NPCs go out of control, theyre not living people, Xiao Xiao Lan retorted. The beauty revealed a faint smile filled with contempt, and in a tone of disdain she asked, Are you sure? Of course were sure about it. I say, you are a real person, right? Why are you scaring us like this? I stood in front of Xiao Xiao Lan, and asked her angrily. The beautyughed loudly, nearly to the point of bing breathless. I am a human? Am I? Hehe, fine, just consider it as if your reason passed. You guys can go in and find the reason Second Life went out of control. Xiao Xiao Lan and I both couldnt understand what kind of crazy things this person in front of us was talking about. However, thend under our legs suddenly gave way, and the two of us immediately had the feeling of falling from a great height. Xiao Xiao Lan and I hugged each other tightly, bearing with this terrifying feeling of freefall. Oh yeah, as for your characters, theyll be randomized. Who asked you, little beauty of a sister to badmouth me! Also, if you want to know the truth, go look for Prince. Thest words of the beauty came over from the air, and they seemed to be apanied with sounds of chuckling. Prince? I firmly remembered this name. After a while, the two of us finally reached the ground. I surveyed my surroundings; blue skies and white clouds, with green trees surrounding a few houses made of wood. It was just like the appearance of a small vige. Iforted Xiao Xiao Lan, who was cowering in my embrace. Xiao Xiao Lan, its fine now. We have reached the ground, and the scenery here is not bad. Long Ming... Xiao Xiao Lan muttered. Whats the matter? You... Your chest is so soft! Xiao Xiao Lan said, and even squirmedfortably on my chest. What are you talking about, hurry up and get up. Lets go and take a look around, I said disapprovingly. Even if we are cousins, Xiao Xiao Lan, you cant lie on my chest like this! Long Ming? Your voice sounds like a girls. Xiao Xiao Lan lifted her head in suspicion, and then looked at me, stunned. I was also stunned. The person in front of me, in what way was it Xiao Xiao Lan? A head of ck, short hair that was not just handsome but stylish, and on an angr face was a set of dashing and thick eyebrows going upwards. The eyes were a shade of amber, and the lips were a nice bnce between thick and thin... However, all these were not important. What was important was that the person in front of my eyes was M.A.L.E. Not to mention that he had biceps that made me so envious I wanted to die. I could guarantee that, under this guys clothes, you could definitely find a six-pack. At this point, Xiao Xiao Lan had regained her senses as well. She lowered her head and looked towards my chest, and then became dumbfounded. I too followed her line of vision and looked down, and then saw that at my chest there were two pieces of big and swelling meat! Seeing the beautiful shape of these two pieces of meat, I was very certain that it definitely wasnt that I had be obese, but rather... Wow! The D-cup that I have always dreamed of! Xiao Xiao Lan said nkly, and then revealed an expression of pain. Why? Why didnt you grow on my body, but on my cousins body? This line of Xiao Xiao Lans finally broke me out from my daze, and I instantly jumped to my feet, roaring, Why would the D-cup that you have always dreamed of grow on my body? Finishing my words, I abruptly realized that my voice was not like a usual low growl in the least bit, but rather, it was more like a womans shriek! I raised both of my hands to my mouth to cover them in disbelief, but then I saw something that was even more shocking again. Both of my hands were actually wlessly white and tender, with fingers slender like a pianists... Oh my god! I quickly turned around to question Xiao Xiao Lan intensely, Xiao Xiao Lan, hurry and tell me, what do I look like right now? Xiao Xiao Lan tilted her head to one side as she scrutinized me. Long golden hair, oh, I also really wish to have this kind of hair; a pair of clear blue eyes that are like the sky, theyre simply breathtakingly beautiful. I think that just using these eyes of yours, you can seduce all the guys in the whole world. A goose egg-shaped face, with a small and upright nose, and even rosy lips. You sure you didnt put on lipstick? Hearing this, my face had already gone pale. However, Xiao Xiao Lan shrugged her shoulders, and continued again, Along with the pair of wings on your back, you look remarkably like an angel. My response was to instantly hit the floor. Hey, hey, Long Ming, hurry and wake up! You still havent told me what I look like! I sat at the side of the pool, dismayed. Then I looked at Xiao Xiao Lan with a nk look, and Xiao Xiao Lan too returned the look to me. The two of us almost spoke in unison as we eximed, Why am I not you! Sigh! The two of us sighed at the same time, with helplessness written over our faces. The truth was extremely clear; the two of our genders seemed to have been coincidentally reversed. I was a sexy and pretty angel beauty with a D-cup, and my female cousin Xiao Xiao Lan had instead turned into a handsome man with solid muscles and a tall and imposing figure! This was simply teaching girls to go down the wrong path. If it werent for my intervention, Xiao Xiao Lan would have nearly pulled open the crotch of her trousers to see how big she was. The cruel thing was, Xiao Xiao Lan had also forbidden me from lifting open my ownpels to sneak a peek at how big I was. How vile! Xiao Xiao Lan abruptly stood up and roared to the heavens, It must have been that womans doing! I sighed again, and then forced myself to raise my spirits. Lets go. Well go ask around about what exactly Prince is, and clear up the doubts regarding this matter, and then afterwards, we wont need to remain as... Trannies! Xiao Xiao Lan said the word that I couldnt say through gritted teeth. Xiao Xiao Lan and I looked all around the vige, and walked into a pharmacy. As expected, we saw a youngdy standing behind the counter, full of smiles. The moment she saw us walk in, her eyes immediately sparkled as she weed us. May I ask what kind of medicine you want to buy? Uh, we are not buying medicine. We merely want to ask you, do you know Prince? Xiao Xiao Lan asked. Once Xiao Xiao Lans words came out, the smile on the youngdys face immediately vanished and was reced with a scowl. If you dont want to buy any medicine, then get out! My ce is not a consultation center. Coming to ask me about everything. Someone even asked me how to summon the system menu, and didnt even buy any medicine, what the heck! Dammit! What a fierce NPC, I couldnt help but secretly curse her in my heart. Damn, this is the first time I have ever seen such a fierce NPC. What do you want? You want to pick a fight? Xiao Xiao Lan clenched her fist, and scolded her back mercilessly. The female NPC actually stuck up the finger right in the center of her five fingers, and even made a sinister expression while doing so. This is also the first time I have ever seen a level one yer dare to fight with an NPC. If you want to fight, thene on! Ill tell you first, that Im level fifty-five! The two women confronted each other like this in front of me. Xiao Xiao Lan was indeed my most ferocious... No, I mean my most courageous cousin. Even if she heard that they had a difference of fifty-four levels, she still showed no signs of cowering. Let me ask you. Xiao Xiao Lan squinted her eyes, asking, What is the level of pain that one feels in this game? The female NPC coldly replied, Thirty percent. Xiao Xiao Lans imposing manner immediately crumbled, and her face paled. She instantly cowered behind my back. Long Ming, I hand this fellow over to you. Hey, you are a one hundred and eighty centimeters tall man, you think that this woman of a hundred and sixty centimeters can protect you? the NPC said with disdain. I looked behind me, and I still had to raise my head to be able to see Xiao Xiao Lans shadow of shrinking in fear. Though I was shorter than that NPC, I still upheld the attitude that a man should take care of women. I stuck out my chest, and was about to reason with the NPCdy... Why are you sticking them out so far for? I know that you have a D cup, said the female NPC coldly. Sob sob sob.... I couldnt help but squat in the corner to mourn the loss of the solid chest that I had before. Facing two people who had no will to fight, the NPCs attitude became even more scornful. With both her hands across her chest, she roared, If you want to ask something, go look for the vige chief! Xiao Xiao Lan and I scrambled out of the pharmacy, and Xiao Xiao Lan seemed to instantly recover from her cowering manner and stood up straight. In a manner as though she were being driven mad, she yelled, Damn that repulsive NPC! Wait till I surpass level fifty-five, I will definitelye back to give your ass a good kicking! Lets go, Long Ming, lets hurry and train! As she finished her words, she actually really grabbed me and started to dash out of the vige. What was worse was that I lost to her in terms of strength, and was hence dragged away by her like this, with both of my feet even leaving two trails on the ground. Xiao- Xiao Xiao Lan... Whatever you want to do, its fine, but lets go look for the vige chief first, I shouted, wanting to cry yet unable to do so. Oh yeah, we have to look for the vige chief. Xiao Xiao Lan abruptly broke out of her huff, and instantly headed back towards the vige chiefs room. However, the problem is, Xiao Xiao Lan, you havent let go of me! Unfortunately, Xiao Xiao Lan, who was bursting with anger, paidpletely no attention to me. Just like this, she dragged me into the vige chiefs house. Thankfully, the vige chief looked extremely normal. He was an elderly grandpa who seemed to be rather benevolent, and was even smoking a pipe. After hearing about the reason why we hade, the vige chief opened his mouth to say, in a manner as though he were recalling the past, Prince, huh? I remember very clearly. He too, was born in this ce. Born in this ce? Could it be that Prince is a yer of this game? I frowned, but then I immediately overthrew my own conjecture. This should be one of the scenarios within this game, for its impossible for NPCs to remember a yers name. Then, what is so special about Prince? I asked out of curiosity. Footnotes Feng Long Mings various name possibilities: Feng means wind. Long means dragon. Ming means name. Shui means water. Shui Long would have meant water dragon, and Feng Long would have meant wind dragon. Feng Shui trantes literally to wind-water. It is the ancient Chinese art of cement, and it is a system ofws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in rtion to the flow of energy (qi), and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into ount when designing buildings. It aims to achieve harmony with the environment, and bring positive energy along with prosperity. For more info, look up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui Buddha Jump Over the Wall: This is actually a type of shark fin soup thats famous in Chinese cuisine. The soup consists of many ingredients and requires one to two full days to prepare. Somemon ingredients, though not limited to, are abalone, shark fin, ginseng, etc. As one can see, its a pricey dish. The reason for its name is because legend has it that there was a traveling schr who cooked the dish near a Buddhist monastery, where the monks were meditating. The smell was extremely tempting, and hence, though monks are not allowed to eat meat, one of the monks jumped over the wall for it. One said that even Buddha would jump over the wall to eat the delicious dish. For more info, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Jumps_Over_the_Wall Uncle Leng: Leng is how cold is pronounced in Chinese. Its the first character from Cold Foxs online name. Volume 9 Chapter 2 Volume 9 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Feng Long Ming, Part Two C tranted by raylight Hoho, that boy, he raised a great uproar in the vige the moment he was born. The elderly vige chiefughed as he said, All the girls in the vige had chased after him relentlessly, scaring that boy so much that he climbed the fence to leave the vige. Xiao Xiao Lan swallowed her saliva and asked, Does he look very handsome? Was said to be Second Lifes number one pretty boy. From what I saw, that boy is indeed good-looking. He is a handsome elfd with white hair and red eyes. After saying that, the elderly man chuckled again. White hair and red eyes... I tried to take note of it in my brain hurriedly, but then I furrowed my brows. Doesnt this mean Prince is an elf with albinism? Because his whole body iscking in mnin, it resulted in him having white hair and red eyes? Poor thing! Number one pretty boy! Xiao Xiao Lans eyes turned into two hearts, and then she impatiently wanted to drag me outside again, her mouth shouting non-stop, Quick quick quick! Lets hurry up and look for Prince. I want to see a pretty boy! Wait a moment, Xiao Xiao Lan, wait a moment! I havent finished asking... I struggled desperately but to no avail, for the game was too cruel. I couldnt win against Xiao Xiao Lan even if I pitted my whole strength against her. Bang! A loud sound rang out, and then I felt a sharp pang in my back, hurting me so much that even my face contorted. Only at this point in time did Xiao Xiao Lan return to her senses. She turned around to look, and eximed, Wow, your wing has been knocked askew by the door! Who do you think caused this? I resentfully looked toward Xiao Xiao Lans embarrassed face, and then forced myself to bear with the paining from my wing. I turned around and continued to ask the vige chief, Vige chief, then may I ask if you know Princes current whereabouts? Prince? Everyone knows he is in Infinite City, said the vige chief, as though it were a matter of fact. Infinite City? Where is that? I asked with wide eyes, doubtful that things could be this simple. Right in the center of this continent. The vige chief put down the pipe that he had been smoking all along, and then looked at us with a worried expression. You two youngsters, dont even think about going to Infinite City. At the very least, wait until youre level fifty to sixty before going. There are a lot of monsters along the way, and Infinite City is not a safe ce. Im afraid that it might even be more dangerous than going outside. Level fifty to sixty? Xiao Xiao Lan and I were stunned. How long would we have to train for to reach that? Yeah, right now, the world outside is very dangerous. Only small ces such as ours here are this peaceful. Once the vige chief said the word peaceful, his face broke into a satisfied smile. After asking this question, Xiao Xiao Lan and I didnt have much to ask anymore. Things were simple. After training to level fifty to sixty, we could then head to Infinite City and find Prince. Our mission would be satisfactorily aplished after we asked for rification of the entire story. Though it sounded like a simple enough task, we didnt even know when we would be able to aplish the first item on that list. Thus, at the moment, Xiao Xiao Lan and I could only sit at the roadside, propping up our chins while lost in thought. Ive thought of something! Xiao Xiao Lan abruptly stood up, and then excitedly grabbed my shoulders and shook me frantically. Well go find someone to help us train. Though this is a forbidden game, I have heard that there are still many people who like to y survival games secretly ying here. This world is so big. Who knows if we would be able to find anyone? I said unhappily. Even if we find someone, why would they waste their time to help us? Once I said this, Xiao Xiao Lan suddenly looked at me with a strange gaze, making goose bumps rise all over my body. She even used a strange hand gesture to sp my face. Because of this! My face turned pale, and then I spat out a line, Dont even think about asking me to seduce someone! This is a very fair trade. For the women, leave them to me, and for the guys, Ill leave them to you! Xiao Xiao Lan revealed an expression that said, I, too, am making sacrifices, but I really wondered... How many females like to y forbidden games? Thinking about having to wear an enchanting smile on my face, and act coquettishly with a bunch of perverted fellows, f***! Just thinking about it made my gastric acids feel like they were surging upwards continuously. Once again, I tly rejected Xiao Xiao Lans suggestion, I dont want to seduce guys! Instead, Xiao Xiao Lans eyes opened wide, and she stared past me. At this moment, I too found out that I had been unknowingly covered by a shadow. I turned my head to look and saw a pair of feet wearing a good pair of boots. Then I slowly lifted my head upwards to see a belt embedded with emeralds. After lifting my head higher, a handsome face with a gentle and faint smile appeared in front of my eyes. Also, he extended his hand to me, and was waiting to help me get up... Go to hell! I swatted away his hand, and then jumped up onto my feet by myself. Who are you? I immediately stood in front of Xiao Xiao Lan, blocking her, and stared at the guy in front of my eyes with fear and vignce.A dark elf with white hair and green eyes, and his appearance is coincidentally the type that Xiao Xiao Lan loves the most, the mature good-looking type. The equipment on his body looks high quality. This kind of person could probably dispose each of us with a single slice of his sword. Wow! A really handsome guy! Xiao Xiao Lan screamed in intoxication again. When I red behind me at Xiao Xiao Lan, I only saw a muscr man salivating, with both eyes turning into hearts. He even used both hands to cup his face in a manner of acting cute... The whole image was so terrifying that it gave me shivers across my whole body, and I really wanted tomit the crime of battery against my own cousin. I turned to face the handsome guy from just now. He had obviously seen Xiao Xiao Lans terrifying expression. His whole body had gone stiff, and he was even slowly taking several steps back... Wait... Handsome, dont be scared. We wont hurt you. While saying that, Xiao Xiao Lan was even throwing a flirtatious nce full of tender feelings at the handsome guy. Oh, God, dont use a muscr guys body to show a girls coy mannerisms. I turned to look toward the good-looking guy once more. Xiao Xiao Lan was only a level one yer and was wearing the simplest and crudest equipment while one could tell with a single nce that the dark elf was a high-leveled yer. Yet the current situation was one where he was being forced into the corner by a level one yer, and the high-leveled yer was even showing a donte over and please dont hurt me look. Xiao Xiao Lan, dont move any closer. Hes about to be scared to death by you. I grabbed Xiao Xiao Lan desperately, and used so much strength that I was about to burst a blood vessel. However, Xiao Xiao Lans determination to get closer to the handsome guy was simply too strong. The two of us still continued toward the good-looking guy. At this moment, my wings suddenly trembled twice, and my feet also suddenly left the ground by a few centimeters. The feeling was as though I was about to take flight... Im an angel, right? Then I should be able to fly. Once I considered that, I moved my wings with all my strength, and I hugged Xiao Xiao Lans waist tightly with both my arms. Atst, Heaven recognized my hard work; I brought Xiao Xiao Lan away from the ground by three meters... Which was also three meters further away from the handsome guy, making Xiao Xiao Lan so angry that she kept struggling as though her life depended on it. Xiao Xiao Lan, dont move. Were going to fall. I hadnt even finished speaking when Xiao Xiao Lans hand hit my wing with a smack. My bnce was instantly broken, and so Xiao Xiao Lan and I free-fell to the ground. Bang! Owie, it hurts like mad. Why is this games pain level set so high. Xiao Xiao Lan once again clutched her butt and gave an anguished wail, not at all realizing that under her butt, there was a person about to die who had cushioned her fall. Xiao Xiao Lan? The good-looking dark elf suddenly walked over, his face full of doubt. Xiao Xiao Lan lifted her head up, and then replied tenderly and shyly, Yeah, I am Xiao Xiao Lan. Oh God, I simply didnt dare to look at the color of the dark elfs face (Shouldnt it be ck?). A muscr, good-looking male saying that he is called Xiao Xiao Lan. This- this- can you even listen to this? When did you start to y this game? However, not only did the dark elfs face not turn pale in fright, he even extended a hand to pull up Xiao Xiao Lan. He also attentively brushed away the dust on her body. Just recently. Xiao Xiao Lan was also thoroughly in a panic over the dark elfs intimate actions, and she could only stand rooted to the spot. Oh, do you need me to help? asked the dark elf out of goodwill. Eh? Youd do that? Xiao Xiao Lan asked in shock. Of course. Ill go and help you guys buy equipment and red potions first. Once the dark elf finished speaking, he went straight to the store. Wow, we met a good-hearted person! Xiao Xiao Lan was screaming and bouncing in excitement, and then with a shy and proud face, said, And its even a good-hearted, handsome guy. I wiped away the blood at the corner of my mouth, and then coldly threw cold water on her enthusiasm. Right, and hes even a gay, handsome guy. Dont forget that right now, you are a man! I guess he must have fallen in love with your muscles and handsome face. As though she had been struck by lightning, Xiao Xiao Lans face turned from shy to vicious. She looked at me, and then she lowered her head to look at her own pectoral muscles and six-pack. Then, she seemed to have a dizzy spell as she eximed, Oh God! He actually doesnt love you, the big-chested angel, but has taken a fancy to me, this muscr man. This is simply too disgusting! What is too disgusting? The dark elf still had a gentle smile on, and at the same time, he was holding a bunch of equipment in his hands. Eck! I nced at the equipment in the dark elfs hands, and then calmly said, He said that hitting slimes is too disgusting. Oh? Then how about we fight wolves? The dark elf seemed not to mind as he handed over the equipment to both of us. What sses are you two nning to choose? I raised my ches-breasts up high, and said full of spirit, I want to be a priest! Xiao Xiao Lan seemed to have a touch of embarrassment as she said, This one wants to be a warrior. Pretty fitting for your races. The dark elf nodded his head, pleased. While the dark elf guided us to the training location, he exined, The wolves teeth are very sharp, so be careful. Especially Xiao Xiao Lan. Getting hurt is very painful. Then, he pointed to a lone wolf. Go and try fighting it. Remember, you must be careful. If you cant do it, run back here, and I will save you. After foolishly smiling, Xiao Xiao Lan easily held the machete on her back in her hands. Then, with a powerful swing of Xiao Xiao Lans strong arms, the machete rushed toward the poor little wolf in a roundabout fashion. Xiao Xiao Lan was as usual, urate to the point of being scary. The de hit right in the center of the wolfs head. White brain mush mixed with blood leaked out of it... Xiao Xiao Lan, your skills havent deteriorated at all, I praised without any attempt to cover my awe. Whatever weapon, regardless if they were knives, axes, wooden rods, guns, or bows, as soon as they touched Xiao Xiao Lans hands, they would all be super lethal weapons! It was exactly this unrivaled talent of hers that made her scare all the guys away no matter which game she was in, and she was never able to be someones girlfriend... This also indirectly triggered Xiao Xiao Lans thirst for guys. Haha! But of course! Back then, I was known as the invincible female hero who ruled the ce with just a knife. Xiao Xiao Lanughed wildly without any restraint,pletely forgetting about beingdy-like... Though right now no matter what she still wouldnt look like ady. I also seemed to remember that Xiao Xiao Lans true nickname was Historys Strongest Violent Woman, or Female Broadsword that made even monsters tremble at her name, or Female Pervert that made all the handsome guys avoid her in fear. Long Ming, go over to the side and rest first. Youre not a priest right now anyways and cant heal. Stand more to the side so you wont get hurt. Xiao Xiao Lan told me to stand further away as per usual so that I wouldnt get hurt. I obediently walked under a tree to avoid the ring sun. Xiao Xiao Lan had a smile on that harbored ill intentions as she slowly approached the poor wolf pack. While I was cooling off in the shade, I chewed on a steamed bun. All of a sudden, I thought I heard the dark elf mutter, As expected of her daughter. I looked at the dark elf with suspicion, but he was instead fully concentrated on gazing at Xiao Xiao Lans brutal killing form and had not noticed me in the slightest. I too looked at Xiao Xiao Lan with curiosity, but I didnt understand what was so fun to watch about a man chopping up wolves, making blood spray and bone show. I couldnt help but turn my head away, not wanting to see Xiao Xiao Lans serious vitions of animal protectionws. I waited and waited. Under the cool shade of the tree with thefortable, gentle wind, I couldnt help but start to doze off. I fell into a deep sleep. It wasnt until there was a sudden sharp pain at my chest that I abruptly opened my eyes. What I saw was only Xiao Xiao Lans expression of surprise, and following Xiao Xiao Lans gaze, I saw that Xiao Xiao Lans two hands were on my chest like ws, and she was even squeezing, damn it. It feels reallyfortable squeezing them. No wonder everyone likes big-breasted women so much. After saying that, Xiao Xiao Lan stuffed her face in between my chest, and then she even gave a big sigh out offort. Bang, pop, pow! I ruthlessly gave her the triple consecutive flicks to the foreheadbo, the only attack that I knew, which was also the one that Xiao Xiao Lan was the most afraid of. Once I used this move, she would always hide in a corner, hugging her head while repenting on what she had done. Of course, this time was no exception. Youre supposed to be fighting monsters. Whye over and sexually harass me, I cursed unhappily. I only wanted to tell you that were already level ten, and Wicked told us to go change our sses first. He just gave me a sum of money and said that he had business, so he had to go off first. He even said that hell see us in Infinite City in one month, said Xiao Xiao Lan with a tone of one that had been wronged. Wicked? Is that the dark elfs name? I asked. Xiao Xiao Lan nodded her head. I gave a helpless sigh. A month? It looks like Xiao Xiao Lan and I will really have to work hard and put great effort into training. First of all, lets go change sses! Xiao Xiao Lan dragged me back to the vige in high spirits. Then, as though on purpose, she actually dashed into the pharmacy. Once more, we saw the professional smile of that NPCdy. However, this time, the moment she saw us, her face immediately turned cold and harsh. Xiao Xiao Lan seized the opportunity to yell first, Twenty bottles each of extrarge red potions and blue potions. Afterwards, Xiao Xiao Lan looked at the NPC with a proud look. The NPCdys face twitched twice, and then changed from a cold and harsh face back to a professional one again. She took out the potions dexterously. Here, customer, these are the potions you wanted. Xiao Xiao Lan took out a gold coin and then waved it in front of the female NPC. She even pretended to cough and ask, Miss, could I ask you a question? The professional smile of the NPC froze for a moment, and then while smiling, there came the sound of grinding teeth as she replied, Of course you may. Please go ahead. Where do you go to change your ss to warrior and to priest? The corner of Xiao Xiao Lans mouth kept on rising higher. For the warrior, its in the main square. For the priest, go look for the vige chief. Her expression was one mixed between that of a person sniggering and someone whose veins were about to burst. Oh, thank you. Xiao Xiao Lan threw the gold coin down, and then she shoved the potions into her pouch. Whileughing, she went to find the person that could change her ss. During that time, I seemed to have heard the sound of a wooden table breaking behind my back. After finding the appropriate NPCs to change our sses, we both received our ss change quests. Xiao Xiao Lan even tried to forcefully bargain with the NPC, reducing the number of wolf fangs needed for the quest from ten to five. Under Xiao Xiao Lans unmatchable violent tactics, both of our ss change missions were aplished easily. Of course, with our warrior and priestbination, the training went smoothly and easily. Basically, I would sleep the whole time while Xiao Xiao Lan killed the mobs. Xiao Xiao Lan would wake me up only when dinnertime came, and then after the two of us had eaten and drunk to our hearts content, I would conveniently throw a healing spell at Xiao Xiao Lan, and then I would flip over to continue sleeping. When we tired from training, we would return to the vige. Xiao Xiao Lan would go to the pharmacy and continue to sneer at and mock the NPCdy with biting words. Even after quarreling for several weeks, they still never tired of it. I, on the other hand, would go to the vige chiefs house to brew tea and y chess. asionally, the ss change NPC and the counterperson at the weapons shop woulde over and y a game of mahjong,pletely breaking the impression I had that NPCs would stay in their assigned positions. The NPCs here were always running about, and sometimes they would even go out and hunt, and then they would treat Xiao Xiao Lan and me to baked slime, stewed bone soup (I heard that there was a skeleton cave nearby... Gross!), and also the ssic, tasty delicacy of the Wolf Kings brain. Anyway, the only people who need weapons or ss changes here are you two. You guys already have both, so why should we foolishly stay in the stores like idiots? The NPC... No, Wu Da Lang from the weapons store and the guy who had initially given Xiao Xiao Lan her ss change told me while ying mahjong. Xiao Xiao Lan and I had long since forgotten what we hade here to do, until one day, when I happened to be in the pharmacy watching Xiao Xiao Lan try to sh prices with the female NPC, the vige chief suddenly came to find us. He told us, Xiao Xiao Lan, Long Ming, didnt you guys want to go to Infinite City to look for Prince? There is a quest that can help you guys. Xiao Xiao Lan and I exchanged nces, and then we abruptly remembered, Oh yeah, we wanted to go to Infinite City to look for Prince. The two of us asked the vige chief in a hurry, What quest is it? There are two yers asking for help. They are trapped in a ce called Underwater Cavern. As long as you are willing to go save them, they are willing to form a team with you to go to Infinite City to look for Prince together. The vige chief exined, and then added on in a hurry, The vige will provide all of the potions needed as well as the best equipment so as to aid you in your rescue mission. Is there really such a good deal in this world? I was extremely suspicious, and I asked, Why dont you all go save them yourselves? Though Xiao Xiao Lans and my levels have already increased a lot, we are still not as strong as you all. We are NPCs and cannot leave the vige. The vige chief put on an expression of pity. Oh? I expressionlessly said, Dont tell me that for the stewed Wolf Kings brain that we ate yesterday, the Wolf King had personallye over to jump into a pot so that you guys could stew it? For yesterdays baked slime, did the oven jump outside by itself and trap slimes inside it to bake? Also, regarding the day before yesterdays bone soup, dont tell me that the skeletons actually ran out of the skeleton caves by themselves? The vige chief pped his hands and replied, Thest one is correct. The skeletons really dide out by themselves. It had nothing to do with us. That is not the main point! I brought my face closer to the vige chief, a dubious look aimed at him. I threatened, Tell the truth! The vige chief feebly said, Its because NPCs cannot go in there. Only yers are able to. Just that? I asked, skeptical once more. The vige chief kept nodding his head as he replied, Trust me, I wouldnt hurt you two. Though I was still suspicious, the vige chief indeed had no reason to harm us. Judging from my gaming experience, even if he wanted to harm us, it had to be part of the plot. Just let him try and harm us then. I turned around to tell Xiao Xiao Lan, Lets go and save them. Xiao Xiao Lan too expressed agreement on this matter, and the two of us spilt up. Xiao Xiao Lan went to the herbal pharmacy and plundered a whole bunch of medicinal herbs, and hence, thedy at the herbal pharmacy was extremely unhappy about this. I could tell from the scratches on Xiao Xiao Lans face. As for me, I went to the weapons store and asked for a lot of conceble weapons and rope ws. Holding fast to the theory that I should take advantage of whatever I could, I even forced him to make a small crossbow for me. Then, let her take you to the Underwater Cavern. The vige chief pointed at an extremely familiar person. It was the NPCdy from the pharmacy. What? Cant we exchange her for someone else? Xiao Xiao Lan gave an anguished wail. Humph! The pharmacydys rage was almost about to manifest, so I was also fully in support of Xiao Xiao Lans suggestion. For the sake of not dying mid-way on the journey, we better have someone else lead us? No, no. Only she is able to... Only she knows how to get there, exined the vige chief frantically. Is that so. Then lets go. Though I was still skeptical, role-ying games were usually like this, full of mysteries, so there was nothing strange about it. As expected, the road there was full of trouble. The two women who seemed to have grudges as deep as the sea quarreled non-stop. One said that the other smelled like moldy Angelica sinensis, while the other party replied that the other was all brawns and no brains. One said that the other partys strength and level was lousy, and the other replied that the other person only knew how to use potion bottles to crush people to death. In conclusion, these two peoples quarrelling ability had really surpassed all others of their kind before and since. Thankfully, the aforementioned Underwater Cavern was not far. Otherwise, I would not have been able to resist lifting my crossbow and taking aim, and then resist that by putting it down. This continued for quite a few times. This is the ce. The pharmacydy spoke unwillingly. Here? Xiao Xiao Lan looked over in doubt, and then started to mock, Are you kidding me? This is a waterfall, not an underwater cavern. Could it be that your memory is failing in your old age? The pharmacydy was so angry that her whole face flushed red. Enter from this waterfall, you brainless idiot. Hearing the pharmacydys words, I immediately walked to the front of the waterfall and stuck my hand in. As expected, it waspletely empty inside, and there were absolutely no rock walls. I hurriedly called Xiao Xiao Lan over to go into the waterfall first... A warrior is, of course, supposed to walk in front. Dont tell me that I, the priest, am supposed to walk in front? After Xiao Xiao Lan gave the pharmacydy an angry re, she walked before me and prepared to step into the waterfall. However, at this moment, the pharmacydy suddenly called out to Xiao Xiao Lan, Hey, remember what I said. Dont just pick anyone. You can only pick your ownpanion. Both Xiao Xiao Lan and I were bewildered, but the pharmacydy had left without even looking back after she finished speaking. The two of us could only shrug our shoulders and start our underwater cavern adventure. Walking into the underwater cavern, a bizarre sight appeared. Surrounding us was actually a sea of blue, as though we had walked into the ocean, yet we were still able to breathe, and there was no water resistance. However, the weird thing was, a school of fish actually swam happily past my ear. They were really very happy, for I even heard them say whileughing, Look, guys, those big fish look so strange and actually have neither tails nor fins. Okay, though this is the first time in my life that I have been made fun of by fish, life must still go on, and we still have to continue walking down the road. I pped Xiao Xiao Lans back violently. Shocked, she didnt dare to use her feet to step on a certain innocent stingray. I pointed out a direction to Xiao Xiao Lan. At our front left, there was only one road that had a sign saying, Do not enter if not a fish. Although the road sign said so, Xiao Xiao Lan and I usually have the habit of If there is a road in Heaven, I wouldnt take it, but even if there is no door to Hell, I will barge through. Reality has also proven that Hell is indeed a more exciting ce. Hey, Long Ming, do you think we will meet a mermaid? Xiao Xiao Lan asked me in an excited tone while walking. After I nced at her, looking askance, I replied, I think that the one that you want to meet should actually be a merman, right? Xiao Xiao Lan said with absolute certainty, as though it was but a matter of fact, Birds die in pursuit of food, and human beings die in pursuit of the opposite sex! Is this phrase used this way? I was highly sceptical, but my doubt only remained for 0.5 seconds before I knocked into Xiao Xiao Lan who had stopped abruptly. Under the situation where my pronounced and delicate nose might have been knocked crooked by Xiao Xiao Lans solid back muscles, Xiao Xiao Lan instead gave a gasp in admiration followed by several more. Wow, I really saw a merman! Then are there any mermaids? I stuck out my head from behind Xiao Xiao Lans back in a hurry to look around. I widened my eyes as I saw the unbelievable scene in front of me. Two people had been frozen separately within two pirs of ice. No, more urately, it was an elf and a demon. In both of their hands, they held weapons. The elf held a bow while the demon wielded a magic staff. It was as if they had been abruptly frozen in the middle of a battle. Xiao Xiao Lan walked closer and closer, and in the end, she seemed to have almost stuck her eyes onto the ice. While looking, she even swallowed her saliva, saying, Wow, the elf is the extremely pretty type, slim with golden hair and blue eyes. The kind that really makes people want to push him down. Then Xiao Xiao Lan started pacing back and forth between the two pirs, unable to make a decision about which one to lean on. However, when she walked between the two pirs, Xiao Xiao Lan disappeared without a trace. She didnt even have time to scream, leaving me and the ck hole on the ground to look at each other in dismay. At this moment, there instead rose a fairy maiden from in between the two pirs. Thats right, its a fairy. But, but... Why is it that Xiao Xiao Lans mermen are so handsome, and are even two different types of good-looking men, while my fairy is that kind of short and chubby old fairy that can at most only be described as benevolent and amiable. I wont let this go lying down! Cute little girl, did you lose someone? The fairy asked me gently. I was stunned for a moment before I remembered that I was a female angel right now, and hence cute little girl would of course be referring to me. I hurriedly answered, Thats right, mypanion just fell into the hole. The fairy gave a gentle smile, and then with a wave of the wand she had in her hands, the original ice pir encasing the elf suddenly disappeared. The elfs eyes also blinked several times, and then he looked at the fairy and me with a bit of shock. The fairy opened her mouth to ask, Is the person that you lost this one? I opened my eyes wide as I denied, No, this is not the one that I lost. The fairy smiled gently, and then encased the elf in ice once more. This time, the ice around the demon disappeared. Then, is this person the one that you lost? The demon slowly opened his eyes, and the expression on his face was iparably cold and proud, looking simply like a monarch... I suddenly felt iparably d that the one who fell down was Xiao Xiao Lan and not me. Otherwise, Xiao Xiao Lan might possibly hesitate between choosing the elf or the demon, and definitely wouldnt think about saving her poor cousin. No! This is also not the person I lost, I denied strongly. I dont want to save two guys. The fairy once again waved her hand and put the demon back into the ice, and then, there appeared a ck hole on the ceiling. Xiao Xiao Lan gave an Ahh as she fell from the ceiling. With an unkempt appearance, rubbing her butt non-stop, and even pouting her lips, her disgusting manner made me nearly want to say that this is also not the person that I had lost... Too bad I couldnt do so. I could only admit, Yes, this is the person I lost. Child, you are really honest. The fairy gave a benevolent smile. In order to reward you, I give all three people to you. The fairy waved her hand, and the two ice pirs disappeared again. The elf and the demon had both been released, and the fairy too had a faint smile on as she vanished. Have fun, children. Leaving only the four of us humans... No, only Xiao Xiao Lan is a human. The four of us, organisms from different races who could only look at each other in dismay, not knowing what to do. Atst, I asked a little hesitantly, Are you guys the yers who were trapped here? The two who are willing to take us to Infinite City? The awkward atmosphere was finally warming up. The elegant elf gave a faint smile. Yes, thank you for saving us. I am called Elf, and I am an archer. Demon Thirteen. Magician. The other replied a little coldly. Nice to meet you two. I am Long Ming, a priest. The warrior beside me is Xiao Xiao Lan. I was grinning from ear to ear. At longst, we can head for Infinite City. For some reason unknown to me, Demon Thirteen and Elf who were in front of me suddenly became red in the face. Elf seemed to be a bit tongue-tied as he greeted me back, while Demon Thirteen directly turned his head to one side, a blushing over his cheeks. A warrior, a priest, an archer, and a magician. What a good team. I couldnt help but smile even wider. This time, we would definitely be able to reach Infinite City. Prince, here wee! Footnotes Atst, Heaven recognized my hard work: The actual idiom is 첻ؓ, hung tin b f k xn rn, meaning that Heaven will not disappoint someone who tries. In other words, if you try hard, youre bound to seed eventually. Wu Da Lang: A character from the famous Chinese ssic, Water Margin (ˮG). He is the older brother of Wu Song, a heroic ouw whose exploits include killing a tiger single-handedly. Unlike his brother, Wu Da Lang is usually bullied. More info: If there is a road in Heaven, I wouldnt take it, but even if there is no door to Hell, I will barge through.: Usually, this line is said by the bad guy, telling you that youve made the wrong choice. There is a road to Heaven, yet you didnt choose it. Even if there is no door to Hell, you will rather barge through. The meaning is that you picked not the road that would let you live, but the road that would kill you. Birds die in pursuit of food, and human beings die in pursuit of the opposite sex!: A parody of the phrase that originally says, Birds die in pursuit of food, and human beings die in pursuit of wealth. Volume 9 Chapter 3 Volume 9 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Xiao Xiao Lan, Part One C tranted by Nausica? Aiya, that pigheaded Long Ming! Whats he doing, smiling at those two males like an infatuated idiot... Doesnt he know just how potent his current appearance is? Just wait until the Elf or that Demon Overlord set their sights on taking him for themselves; I sure as hell am not going to go save him. Ah! I forgot to introduce myself. Im Min Lan Lan, but everyone calls me Xiao Xiao Lan. Thats because my mom is called Feng Lan, so shes Xiao Lan, and since Im her daughter, that makes me Xiao Xiao Lan! Thinking of this, I couldnt help but shake my head again. Never mind that my moms ability to choose names is subpar, but even that dad of mine, Min Gui Wen, whos reputed to have an IQ of 200, fails in an equally shameful manner when ites to picking names. Thanks to that, even though Im fifteen this year, Im still being called Xiao Xiao Lan. Just how small am I? In any case, Im a little bigger than my mom Im an A-cup! Seeing that beautiful elven bishie and cool demon hottie actually give a fine fifteen-year old maiden like me the cold shoulder and instead fawn over Long Ming just made me feel so iparably...jealous! Considering this, I resentfully shouted, Lets go, Long Ming, you pig head. Long Ming turned his head toward me, and with that exceedingly beautiful angelic face, he said innocently, Alright, were leaving now! You dont have to be so mean! You should be gentler towardsdies, Elf said in a rather displeased tone, and even the aloof demon hottie shot a cold look at me! The real dy here is me! I wailed inwardly, Sob sob!I want to be protected by hot guys too! Why were you two trapped here? I asked, feeling it was strange. It couldnt be that the two hade here to elope? No, no, no. These two bishies were definitely not... They treated the busty Long Ming very well, so they shouldnt be gay, right? The elf and demon both looked as though they wanted to say something but couldnt. For the longest time, they would start mumbling vaguely, then break off again, unable to utter a single word. At this point, Long Ming said in an annoyed tone, Xiao Xiao Lan, every person has secrets. What do you think youre doing, prying into other peoples affairs? I just asked because I was curious! Dissatisfied, I pouted and followed the other three back to the vige. Along the way, I watched as Elf and Demon Thirteen carefully opened a path for Long Ming, pushing aside branches and even spreading a cloak on the ground, like they were afraid Long Ming would step in mud. But just when I was also about to step on the cloak, Demon coldly snatched it back, nearly causing me to fall t on my face! Whats with this difference in treatment? I really wanted to cry. As Long Ming and I were leading Elf and Demon back to the vige, we saw all the vigers standing and waiting anxiously by the vige entrance. Upon seeing the four of us, all of them let out a cheer. The vige chief was even more moved, and he patted Elf and Demon on the back while tearfully saying, Thank goodness you got out alright. You guys are on really good terms with the vigers, I said with surprise. Upon hearing this, Elf, and even the aloof Demon Thirteen, smiled bashfully. Alright, alright! Everyone calm down. The two of them are still going to Infinite City with Long Ming and Xiao Xiao Lan, the vige chief said as he wiped his tears and prevented everyone from rushing at us in their excitement. The vige chief turned his head toward the four of us and happily said, All of you must be extremely careful; the road to Infinite City will by no means be a peaceful one. Infinite City itself is also not a ce to take lightly. All of you must help each other, work together, and must not fight amongst yourselves. The four of us nodded our heads. Hey! Buy some more potions before you leave. Since I can finally be rid of you, Ill even throw in a twenty percent discount, said the NPCdy from the vige pharmacy. She was even holding a bunch of health and mana potions in her hands and wore an expression that inly said get-the-hell-out-of-here-you-pests. What kind of attitude is that? In any case, Ive visited your store a number of times, yet you still want to get rid of us that badly? I asked in a sour tone, especially upon seeing Long Ming who was saying goodbye to the vige chief, weapons store NPC, and ss change NPC. All of them wore very sorrowful expressions on their faces and looked very reluctant to let him leave. So why was it like this with me? Hmph! Every time youe, you do everything you can to bring down the prices. Im only too eager to see such a bad customer like you leave, the NPCdy snapped back, her face full of loathing. Oh? For an NPC like you, who always greets customers with such a sour face, its not like I want to see you again either! I responded fiercely, without forgetting to pointedly extend my longest finger. The NPCdys face flushed red, and with a heave, she threw over the red and blue potions and shouted, Scram! Get as far away as you can, and nevere back here again. After she finished saying this, the NPCdy turned away and left furiously. She didnt have to be so mean, I mumbled to myself resentfully. At the same time, I wasntpletely sure, but just now I thought her eyes looked a little red... Right at this moment, the vige chief walked over, and after heaving a long and loud sigh, he shook his head as he remarked, An ill-fated rtionship. Such an ill-fated rtionship! I walked toward Long Ming. Long Ming, are you done saying goodbye? Lets go. Cough, cough, the vige chief coughed forcefully and in the blink of an eye, moved between me and Long Ming. Gazing far into the distance, he said, Love is really an illogical thing, wouldnt you say so? I guess! I answered irritably. This damn vige chief definitely knew that, in my fifteen years, I had not had a single boyfriend, and thats why he was deliberately mocking me. At that thought, I repeated, this time more angrily, Lets go, Long Ming. Long Ming nodded and followed me, and together with Elf and Demon Thirteen, the four of us prepared to leave. Wait! the vige chief gave a furious shout. The four of us froze mid-step, and in unison, we turned to look back with puzzled expressions on our faces. Have you not discovered her feelings for you? the vige chief asked in a disbelieving tone. An expression of sudden realization dawned on my face. So the vige chief was talking about that! I immediately assumed a look of understanding. Of course I have. Even though she and I have had our differences, I still understand her feelings. On everyones faces appeared an oh-so-you-actually-knew expression. I lifted up a belt of potions. Shes actually pretty nice. Seeing that Ive been to her ce for over a month, she actually gave these potions to me for free. She has an awful temper, but she still has a sense of ethics when ites to business. Everyone fell over. Long Ming was even crying as he apologized to everyone, Im sorry. Its my fault for not teaching her well. After Long Ming finished apologizing to everyone, he grabbed hold of the back of my cor and dragged me out of the vige with Elf and Demon Thirteen, wearing disbelieving looks on their faces, following behind. But I still couldnt figure it out. Just what did I say wrong? Xiao Xiao Lan, you probably dont need to carry a bunch of potions at hand. We already have Long Ming as a priest, the Elf kindly suggested. I nced at Long Mings innocent face and was reminded of how every time I was risking my life training desperately, there would always be an angel sleeping and drooling under the shade of the trees. I distributed a few jars of health and mana potions to Elf and Demon Thirteen. To the two clueless people, I said earnestly, Trust me, its better to hold onto these. In the following days, I found myself extremely thankful for the addition of Elf and Demon Thirteen to our team, even though thetter always wore a dour look on his face, as though he had lost millions of dors to someone who promised to pay him back but never did. As expected, the increase in battle power caused our teams levels to rise at lightning speed. Whenever a monster approached us, I instantly rushed to the front lines to defend, while Elf would shoot arrows from behind to help kill the monsters closing in on me. Demon Thirteen would stand beside Long Ming, freezing all the monsters that came near, and when the situation on the front lines took a turn for the worse, Demon Thirteens Frozen Arrow Burst, a technique with which I had a love-hate rtionship, proved even more indispensable. I just hoped that those frozen arrows wouldnt get shot into my butt again. What? What was the priest doing? Long Ming was, of course, performing his duty as a priest. During the battle, he was responsible for sleeping, and after we finished fighting he would conveniently wake up, eat, and then do his job by throwing a few healing spells. Being a priest is such a nice profession! I thought, grinding my teeth. See, I told you guys to hold on to those potions, I chided them from the side, and the two desperately nodded their heads. Im dead tired from walking so much, Long Ming said as he gave a huge stretch, then proceeded to lie downzily on the hammock that Elf and Demon Thirteen had set up for him. Next to it, there were even fruit and beverages. I took a rusty hatchet and began to furiously hack at a tree. Demon Thirteen walked past me and coolly said, Warrior, after you finish chopping the firewood, dont forget to pitch the tent. Having said this, he took a freshly-picked coconut, which even had a straw stuck into it, and walked to Long Mings side, somewhat shyly putting it next to Long Mings hand. Whats with this difference in treatment?Damn that Long Ming. Stupid Long Ming, going so far as to steal the cool, silent type of guy I liked best. I brandished the hatchet violently, imagining that the tree before me had turned into that damned angelic face of Long Mings, and hacked it into bits and pieces, thus proiming the end of the trees life. After chopping up the firewood, I threw down the hatchet and went to pitch the tent, my entire heart full of hatred. As I passed by Long Mings hammock, I made a point of not forgetting to re at him fiercely. Elf said to pitch two tents. One is for my personal use, and the other is for the three of you, Long Ming said while grinning broadly. Dissatisfied, I growled, Why do you get a whole tent to yourself?! What? Not satisfied? Long Mings smile became even lewder. Being able to sleep with two hotties is a rare opportunity, yet you want to let this heaven-bestowed chance pass by? Thats right! As if suddenly struck by lightning, I realized that I could sleep with a beautiful elf and a handsome demon, Th-this thought is simply too drool-inducing. Thinking of this, I happily prepared to go to thekeside to pitch two tents and even Long Mings lewd smile could not dampen my spirits. I cheerfully began to pitch the tents. First, set up the main frame... Whoosh! I continued my happy task of pitching the tents. Next, throw the cloth on top. Whoosh! I continued to happily pitch the tent for me and the two hotties. All thats left is to nail down the four corners of the tent, and then, we can sleep! Idiot! Are you deaf? An angel, a demon, and an elf simultaneously roared. What? I looked toward the other three, notprehending why they were suddenly yelling at me for being deaf. In any case, I was doing my best to pitch the tents! Look behind you! Long Ming shouted as he pointed behind me, his eyes nearly popping out. Behind me? Isnt theke behind me? Whats there to see? Is it possible that there are sharks in theke? Completely bewildered, I turned around. Based on my meager knowledge of biology, if a shark came out of ake, that would definitely constitute an extraordinary phenomenon. However, if a m came out of ake, that would still be considered possible. Following this line of reasoning, I should be more surprised to see a shark in thiske than a m... But at this moment, the situation was the exact opposite. I saw a m, and moreover, I received a shock a hundred times greater than if I had seen a shark. With great difficulty I recovered my voice and immediately yelled, Wow, what a huge m! There it was, a m that was bigger than a person, and it was alive and standing... or rather, floating on the surface of theke. Thats not the point! Look, look! It actually has eyes, shouted Long Ming, sounding like he was going crazy. Oh! I peered closely and above the ms pink and extremely bouncy meat, there were indeed two eyes as big as yellow watermelons. With a very serious expression on my face, I said, Usually my mom does all the cooking, so I never noticed whether ms had eyes or not. Now I finally knowas it turns out, ms have eyes after all. Do ms...have eyes? Elf and Demon Thirteen asked each other. Of course not! Long Ming maniacally screeched, his mouth wide open and golden hair a disheveled mess, scaring the two males, who stared at him with wide eyes. Sudden silence fell over the scene, and the hysterical angel finally recognized his own loss of selfposure. He turned his head away, sprayed on some Sassoon, then gently arranged his hair back into its original position. He turned back and, putting on an innocent, angelic look, said, I want to eat m! Long Ming assumed a sparkly, teary-eyed expression, spurring the two bishies into action. Elf and Demon immediately gave in; as one raised his bow and arrow and the other a magic staff, the two of them released a terrifying aura that clearly said, The fairdy wishes to eat, and we will obey even at the cost of our lives! However, I didnt know why, but even I, who also loved to eat ms, didnt dare attack this m. I couldnt help but feel that this m was no ordinary m, and a faint but dangerous aura seemed to be emanating from it... I didnt know why, but since I was little, my mom had always told me this: Do not randomly eat things that have eyes! Thats why, whenever we ate fish at home, my mom would always dig out the eyes beforehand. Naturally, I didnt dare eat anything with eyeseven more so if the thing had eyes as big as yellow watermelons as the m in front of me did. Take this! Continuous Arrow! With the fairdy watching, Elf demonstrated 200% of his strength and simultaneously fired five arrows, aiming every single one at the m. But, as expected, that m was no ordinary m. It closed itself up, and its solid shell easily deflected all five arrows. After deflecting the arrows, the m once again opened its shell, its tworge eyes fixed on Elf as if it were mocking the futility of Elfs arrows. Seeing this, Elf covered his face with both hands as he sank to his knees. Listening to him muttering to himself, he was probably regretting being miserly and not buying Drill Arrows and so on. Hmph! Ill cook you directly! Meteor Shower! The mage raised his magic staff high, and in a sh, ten meteors sped toward the m. Just as I was about to witness thepletion of a cooked m, the m suddenly jumped, dodging all the meteors, and with a snap of its shell, it forcibly swallowed Demon Thirteen, who had been standing by theke. After swallowing Demon Thirteen, the m appeared to be unsatisfied, and it instantly rolled beside the slim Elf, and it swallowed him with lightning speed as well. Long Ming and I, who were standing to the side, were both scared witless; it was only then that we found out that man-eating ms actually existed! My mom was right after all; things with eyes should not be randomly eaten! At this point, the m once again began to make strange movements, using all of its strength to rock itself up and down, left and right, once in a while even doing a 720-degree spin. As I watched, my eyes began to spinwhats more, I wasnt sure if I was imagining it, but I thought I heard a shout that sounded like Help! originate from within the m. After a long time had passed, the m opened its shell very slightly and spat out two people. They were an awful sight to behold; Elf and Demon Thirteen looked as though they had just been extracted from a fruit using a juicer and were presently sprawled on the ground. Not only did they appear boneless, they were alsopletely beaten up. The m used its two veryrge eyes to look straight at Elf and Demon Thirteen, and from within the m came a phrase, Do you discriminate against ms? Both Long Ming and I opened our eyes wide. No way... Could it be that this m was not only really big, had eyes and superior fighting strength, but could even talk? Seeing that Elf and Demon Thirteen gave no response, the m once again moved toward them, and repeated, this time in a louder voice, Do you discriminate against ms? Hey, AnRui! The way yer daddy sees it, they dont have any strength left to discriminate against ms, a deep male voiceughed as he stated the facts. Immediately, I looked toward where the voice hade from. A cool, heavily-muscled man with a crew cut was casually sitting on a tree branch, wearing a look of delight on his face as though he was enjoying watching us suffer. Upon hearing the crew-cut mans words, the m lowered itself to look closely at Elf and Demon Thirteen, and only after confirming that the two were really unconscious did it raise its head to reply, XiMen Feng, yourete. Oy oy, its your fault for hitting me that far. Do you know much trouble it was just to walk back here? I would have been smashed to a pulp if I hadnt put my neck on the line to learn the Parabolic Landing Technique back when I had first been sent flying by you. Otherwise, who knows how many times yer daddy would have been killed! XiMen Feng bellowed resentfully. XiMen Fengs the one who wanted to follow AnRui. Shut up! That guy Prince hasnt appeared for so long, whos yer daddy supposed to follow if not you? The crew-cut man jumped down from the tree branch, walked in front of the m, and even boldly leaned on the ms shell. Prince? Long Ming and I nced at each other, and I immediately dashed in front of the crew-cut man and hurriedly asked, Do you know Prince? XiMen Feng looked startled, and then pounded his chest and said, No duh. Of course I know Prince. Ive known him since more than ten years ago. Long Ming and I both had puzzled looks on our faces, and Long Ming even pulled me aside and muttered into my ear, He said hes known Prince for more than ten years. If thats the case, then that guy called XiMen is also an NPC. I opened my eyes wide. Really? He doesnt look like an NPC. Long Ming rolled his eyes. Just what NPC here acts like an NPC? I bit my thumb and recalled the pharmacydy who argued with me every day, the warrior job change NPC who even let me bargain over the job change quest requirements, and the weapons shop keeper Wu Da Lang who slept and drooled on the job, not even noticing if his weapons were stolen. I shook my head. None of them. I think hes definitely a character from a story plot. Long Ming excitedly continued, Arent all games like this? First, you have to find the key character and unlock the story plot. Only then, can you battle the final boss in the end. I suddenly understood, and I too became excited. If that was the case, then we were also getting closer to finding Prince. Long Ming wore a triumphant smile, walked before XiMen Feng, and with that angelic face of his asked, Mister XiMen Feng? If I may ask, where are you heading now? Upon seeing Long Mings angelic face, XiMen Feng also couldnt help gulping before saying, Yer daddys goin to find someone. Find someone? Excitement shed across Long Mings eyes. Can we go with you? XiMen Feng shrugged his shoulders indifferently and answered, Doesnt matter to me. If the little girlie wants toe, thene. After hearing XiMen Fengs reply, Long Ming turned around and made a victory sign at me... Just who was the one who, a couple weeks ago, fervently swore to me that he would die before using seduction...? Since you guys want to go, get on. And bring those two ooze-like things as well, said XiMen Feng. Get on? On what? As I watched the big m be a huuuuuuuge m, my confusion disappearedpletely. Then I saw XiMen Feng lie downfortably on the ms meat, treating it as if it was a dream waterbed, and he promptly began to snore. Can we really...ride the m? I doubtfully asked Long Ming. The m can even talk. Riding it isnt that big of a deal, replied Long Ming, who sounded as though he was trying to remain calm. But just recently, Elf and Demon Thirteen went in and came out like ooze. With some apprehension, I looked at Elf and Demon Thirteen, who were still knocked out on the ground. Thats because they offended the m. Dont worry, we wont be turned into ooze. As he spoke, Long Ming climbed onto the m, theny down on top and let out afortable noise. Its so soft. It feels so nice to lie on. Seeing as Long Ming had already gone ahead, I had no choice but to pick up Elf with my left arm and carry Demon with my right (I swear that I did not seize the opportunity to eat their tofu; its hard to avoid touching someones waist and chest when carrying them!) and jumped onto the m, causing the meat to ripple. After cing the two bishies on either side of me, Iy downfortably between the two of them, a very content smile on my face. The m slowly closed its shell, and I suddenly got that feeling of intense excitement you get when youre sitting on a rollercoaster, the safety bar has been lowered, and youre just about to set off. At this moment, XiMen Fengs voice drifted over. Oh right, yer daddy forgot to tell you guys. You wont be used to riding AnRui at first, but youll get used to it soon. After saying this, XiMen Feng ced his two hands behind his head, and without further ado, resumed his snoring. Not used to? Before I even had time to ponder this, the m suddenly shifted into a standing position. Thats right, a standing position. As one might well imagine, all of us who were lying down on the ms meat obviously rolled and rolled until we fell to the bottom, our chests pressing into each others backs... Long Mings D-cup breasts were squashed into my back, and my chest in turn was pressed into someonesI didnt know whether it was Elfs or Demonsback. Long Ming... Im in so much pain, I said, nearly breathless. Ugh... Long Ming emitted an unintelligible noise. Whats wrong, Long Ming? If youre injured, then hurry up and replenish your HP, I somewhat urgently reminded him. He was a priest after all. It wouldnt do for him to be sozy that he died before replenishing his own health. I, I think my breasts exploded... ...Dont worry, even if they did explode, this is a game. Theylle back after you restore your HP. No more, let me out. After Elf and Demon Thirteen had woken up (in fact, it was just a few seconds after Long Mings breasts exploded), they kept desperately trying to get out of the m, banging on the shell non-stop, though most of the time it was actually them being thrown into the walls of the shell by the violent rocking motion of the m. Ill never use a blender again, I sobbed. I understand the pain of the apples and oranges. Heal, Heal, Heal... Long Ming kept casting healing spells, one after another, because his three teammates kept losing blood non-stop. Elf, who had very little HP, nearly died, and it was only thanks to Long Mings healing spells that he barely managed to survive. What was more, now the ms body was shaking up and down, left to right like a milk bubble tea shaker; the only difference was what was being shaken was not milk bubble tea, but a scarlet red watermelon juice. Among the three of us, only the human warrior, who was the strongest Cthat was to say, me! and had the most HP, still had the tiniest bit of strength left to look around. To my surprise, I saw XiMen Feng still fast asleep and snoring inside this watermelon-juice shaker. Just how high is this guys defense? Or is he simply too thick-skinned? XiMen Feng, weve arrived, AnRui said. How strange. This XiMen Feng, despite the tremendous convulsion, had been sleeping so soundly, actually woke up at the ms one phrase. He even gave a big stretch and slowly opened the ms shell, allowing sunlight to peek through. XiMen Feng led the way out of the m and we too rushed out, scrambling frantically. I was just thinking of asking XiMen Feng where Prince was when I saw a strange sight. XiMen Fengs crew cut suddenly began to grow longer and longer, finally stopping when it had transformed into a sheet of raven-ck hair that fell to the waist. I followed it with my eyes, and when I reached the waist, I abruptly realized that slender, tiny waist could not possibly belong to arge man, not to mention that curvy and tight butt and that curved and beautiful pair of long legs... Were here. XiMen Feng turned around, and a fresh, beautiful woman stood before us. She ced her hands on her hips, and in a coarse manner that waspletely unbing of her appearance, said, Come on, yer daddy still needs to find an extremely troublesome guy. Damn it, that pretty boy is always givin me so much trouble. But you...you, I stammered, unable to continue. XiMen Feng looked at himself, waved his hand carelessly, and indifferently exined, Yer daddys a woman during the day and a man at night. Get it? Yer daddys going now. Whether you want toe or not is up to you. We watched as XiMen Feng really turned around to leave, giving us no time to ask any further. We promptly followed him, and Elf uncertainly asked me, Where are we going now? I dont know either, Spreading my hands, I honestly stated, I dont even know where this is. After a little while, a city appeared before our eyes. It was extremely immense in scale, and it definitely wasnt something our tiny vigewhose total number of NPC and yers you could count with two handscouldpare with. But the strange thing was, this citys gates were unexpectedly hanging nted upon their hinges, and there were even vines growing all over them. Dust covered everything like a nket, and on both sides of the road were many strange tree demons. If I hadnt beenpletely certain about which game I was in, I wouldve thought that I was role-ying as Ning Cai Chen standing in front of LanRuo Temple, preparing to seek out the grandmother tree in a fight to the death. Is this a ghost town? Long Ming, on the other hand, was surveying the scene with wide eyes. For him, who often yed games like Resident Evil where you shot dead carcasses into even bloodier piles of dismembered flesh, this wasnt much. Ghost town, my foot! Before, this used to be Southern Continents most prosperous capital, XiMen Feng retorted. Then, with a slight shudder, he continued, Whats more, this ce is that guys territory, and if Im seen by that hideous pair of eyes... Yer daddy would sooner risk his luck dukin it out with the cold-faced duo than look into that damned pair of eyes. Could eyes be so terrifying? Dont tell me that this was the legendary Medusa, whose eyes could turn you into stone with just a single look?I couldnt help but swallow nervously. I definitely did not want to be turned into a stone statue and ced at the ghost towns entrance as decoration. Alright, were goin in. You all had best look out for yourselves; yer daddy dont have time to babysit you. Having said this, XiMen Feng boldly followed the m in. The four of us exchanged looks of dismay and then looked at the malevolent NPC grandmother trees. Immediately, we broke into a run and rushed behind XiMen Feng, following him very carefully, afraid that we would be snatched away and sucked dry by the trees. Dont worry. AnRui is ranked very highly among the NPCs. There arent many NPCs who would dare do anything to AnRui, XiMen Feng said,ughing at our timorousness as he crudely sauntered along andcently patted the ms shell. XiMen Feng, just who have youe here to look for? I couldnt resist stealing a nce at the surrounding NPCs. There were various types of NPCs, and their only shared trait was that they all held the same expression that suggested they really wanted to rush forward and tear us to pieces. Didnt I tell you already? The one with the hideous eyes, XiMen Feng impatiently answered. I opened my eyes wide and yelled, Since he is so terrifying, why are you looking for him? You think yer daddy wants to find him? XiMen Feng said irritably, If it werent for the pretty boy wantin yer daddy toe, and even gettin that sister-inw to stand by with that smile of hers, yer daddy wouldnt have even bothered toe here. I listened,pletely bewildered. Pretty boy? Sister-inw? If it werent for that, why else would yer daddy want toe to this kind of creepy ce. XiMen Feng abruptly stopped walking and raised his head to look toward the strange sight in front of us. There was a human presently fighting with a grandmother tree, and moreover, as the fighting continued, sobbing noises could be heard. Could that be Xiao Qian crying as she desperately struggled against the grandmother tree? If so, how could this Ning Cai Chen ignore her plight? At once I raised my ymore and rushed over as I bellowed, Iming, Xiao Qian! Sorry, Im sorry. Our Xiao Xiao Lan loves ying RPGs too much, so... Long Ming hurriedly apologized. Then, together with the Elf and Demon Thirteen, he hurried to provide back-up support. I dashed to the front, and only then did I realize that it was no Xiao Qian, but rather a man who had an extremely muscr body. Even though his back was facing me, there was no mistake that the waves of sobbing wereing from him. Except... This image of an Arnold Schwarzenegger crying like a girl who had just been dumped was simply too strange. Nevertheless, since I am already here, I might as well help him. Just as I was thinking this, Arnold Schwarzenegger actually brutally ripped the grandmother trees branch off, and even climbed onto it, using his mouth to bite off the leaves. By this point, not only was Arnold Schwarzenegger crying, but even the grandmother tree began to wail, and for a moment I wasnt sure who was more pitiable. Just who am I supposed to help? The three who hade to provide back-up and I stood there, uncertain of what to do. Undying Man, yer daddyse to find you! bellowed XiMen Feng, who had also caught up. The strange thing was, he was now wearing a pair of sunsses. The grievously weeping Arnold Schwarzenegger suddenly stopped, and the grandmother tree that he had been chewing on took the chance to escape, sobbing as it went. Arnold Schwarzenegger slowly turned around, and before we had time to get a good look at his face, he had moved in front of XiMen Feng. In an extremely grateful tone, he sobbed, XiMen Feng, did youe here to help me recover my Southern city? Im so thankful. As if in slow motion, Arnold threw himself at XiMen Feng. On the other hand, XiMen Feng, whos expression had changed drastically, turned, intending to run away as he howled, Stay awaaaaay from meeee! Unfortunately, XiMen Feng was not as quick as Arnold, and in one swift motion, Arnold grabbed on to XiMen Feng, even forcibly turning XiMen Fengs face toward him. Even though Arnolds back was facing us, we could still see very clearly that Arnold didnt do anything to harm XiMen Feng, but thetter let out a scream and then, foaming at the mouth, fainted dead away. Aiya, to think that XiMen would be so happy that he fainted, Arnold said happily and then used one arm to ce the thin and weak XiMen on top of the m. Just who are all of you? Howe youre not the people with Prince? Arnold slowly turned around. The four of us were so happy upon hearing the word Prince that we forgot to consider a certain matter: what had caused that fearless XiMen Feng to faint? Suddenly, a pair of sparkly eyes appeared before us. The instant I saw that pair ofrge and bright shoujo manga eyes, the only thing I thought of was Candy Candy. Candy Candys theme song yed through my mind, and then, quite abruptly, I saw Candy Candys eyes being ripped out and stuck onto Arnold Schwarzeneggers facewhats more, the eyes continued to sparkle brightly, never ceasing their sparkle attack on us. <Strength minus 9999! All four receive powerful shocks. Commence non-stop vomiting!> Arnold-Candy continued to approach us, looking at us with concerned Candy Candy eyes, and then, in a boorish Arnold-esque voice asked, Are you alright? <HP minus 9999! All four receive a one-hit K.O.. Status: You have died!> Aiya, why has everyone fainted? No worries,e to my houseAnRui, if you wouldnt mind carrying them. Undying Man, the owner of Meatbun wanted XiMen Feng and I to find you and then meet up at Infinite City as quickly as possible. AnRui opened its m shell and looked at Undying Man with its tworge eyes. Prince wants us to meet up? I wonder what hes up to? Undying Man scratched his face and promptly said to AnRui, Alright, then lets head back immediately. Having said this, Undying Man used his sturdy arms to pick us up and toss us into the m one at a time, and after everyone was inside AnRui, he also jumped in. Then the m shell mped shut once more, and it gradually stood upright. Immediately, a series of Bang-bam-thud-aiya-my-poor-head sounds from various objects colliding issued from within. Nooooooooo! Let me out! I dont want to ride a m! From within the m shell came several different voices, yet all were saying the exact same thing. When the m opened once again, the sky was already full of starsno, perhaps it was because I was so dizzy and muddleheaded that I was seeing stars? With effort I crawled out of the m, and when I raised my head, I saw tall city walls and a set of grand and imposing gates. These gates did not belong to the ghost town from beforeit was very obvious that this was another city. Furthermore, I also saw that Undying Man was speaking with someone we recognized: the white-haired, green-eyed dark elf, Wicked. I could faintly make out what they were saying. Why havent you gone in yet? How long have you been here? Undying Man asked concernedly. Almost a month... Wicked answered with a forced smile. A month? Undying Man showed a surprised expression, Dont tell me that youve been lingering around outside like this for a whole month? Wicked remained silent. As if he understood, Undying Man asked, Is it because of Prince? Wicked maintained his silence, though his expression seemed to darken. I heard that its been almost ten years since you disappeared from Princes house? Undying Man worriedly inquired. Seven years. Xiao Xiao Lan turned eight that year, Wicked said, looking as though he were recalling distant memories. Why did you leave? Xiao Xiao Lan...resembles how she looked as a child too much, A pained expression came over Wickeds face, I couldnt bear looking into thatrge pair of eyes any longer. Both Undying Man and Wicked fell silent, but my mind was filled with a chaotic buzz. Wicked disappeared from Princes house? What rtionship does he have with Prince? But why was my name mentioned? Whose childhood self did I resemble? I was utterly unable to understand Wickeds words, yet I had the feeling that I had forgotten something very important. Especially upon seeing Wickeds pained expression, my mood had also be heavy and I felt as though there was something I absolutely had to remember no matter what. Wicked! A clear and sharp male voice interrupted my train of thought, and a persons figure also appeared at the city gates. Wicked nearly fell over, but I was very certain that he knew the person who had called him because a surprised yet happy expression appeared on his face. He gently called, Xiao Lan? Footnotes Xiao Xiao Lan: Xiao means small or little and is used as a diminutive in nicknames. Xiao Lan (Little Lan) is Feng Lans nickname. Most people call her Xiao Lan (never just Lan). Xiao Xiao Lan is Min Lan Lans nickname, in which Xiao is used twice (as she is the younger Xiao Lan, making her Xiao Xiao Lan). Her name would make her Little Little Lan, which is why shesining about how shes still being called this nickname even though she is already fifteen. Im sorry. Its my fault for not teaching her well.: In Chinese, the pronunciation of he/she/it/him/her is exactly the same. Although Long Ming referred to Xiao Xiao Lan as a her, he did it in speech and not on paper, so he hasnt given away her gender. ...As though he had lost millions of dors to someone who promised to pay him back but never did: The original Chinese expression reads 񱻵ˎǧfĕƵ. is a Chinese group lending practice, where a group of people pool together money, each person contributing the exact same amount. Then, everyone offers a payback interest rate as a bid for the pooled money, and the person who offers the highest payback interest gets the money. , then, is when the person who receives the money breaks his promise and does not pay back those who had contributed. Sassoon: A brand of beauty products. Ning Cai Chen: A reference to the character Ning Cai Chen (ɳ) from one of the stories in Liaozhai Zhiyi (ի־), also known as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, a collection of nearly five hundred tales that are mostly supernatural. In the story that Ning Cai Chen is in, he journeys to a temple to fight against the tree demon Lao Lao for his love, Xiao Qian (Сٻ). Arnold Schwarzenegger: Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the governor of California for several years but is better known as a movie star and body builder. The Terminator is one of his most famous roles as a movie star. Candy Candy: This is a shoujo manga from the 1970s. Volume 9 Chapter 4 Volume 9 Chapter 4 Chapter 3: Xiao Xiao Lan, Part Two C tranted by Nausica? I felt as though I had suddenly been struck by lightning. I knew the name Xiao Lan all too well. Growing up I had often heard this nickname, because everyone called her that. She was my mom, Xiao Lan. That figure rushed from the city gates to stand beside Wicked, and only then was I able to see his appearance. He was an elf with snow-white short hair, eyes the color of wine, and an exceedingly beautiful face. A tiara rested upon his forehead, and hanging by his waist was a ck dao...The vige chief was right. A guy this beautiful would certainly be chased by women endlessly. A look filled with emotion and nostalgia appeared on that beautiful elfs face, and he said, Long time no see. Yes. Wicked gazed at the beautiful elf as if he would never tire of looking at him. The two graceful and handsome elves gazed at each other, creating a romantic and beautiful scene that was enough to make any woman bleed from her nose until she died. Yet somehow, inwardly, I was very certain that the following scene would not be a romantic one. You big idiot! The beautiful elf suddenly began to violently hit Wicked. Strangely, the angle and strength of the blows looked very familiar, very much like an authentic Long Ming-family-style punch. Seeing that the elf was about to pounce at Wicked and give him the beating of his life, Undying Man hurried to hold back the elf as he coaxed, Prince, dont be so rash, calm down. Prince? Three surprised cries escaped from beside me, and when I turned my head to look I saw Long Ming, Elf, and Demon Thirteen all lying on the ground like me and secretly watching the proceedings. Let go of me, Undying Man. I WILL beat him up. This guy just goes off and disappears without a single word, and we thought that he had been kidnapped. We were worried to death, and in the end this guy just sends a letter saying hes going to travel around the world! That really pisses me off! As Prince spoke, his eyes actually reddened. Xiao Lan, Im sorry, I only... Wickeds face was full of regret, yet he was unable to say anything in his own defense. Upon seeing Wickeds apologetic expression, Prince softened his expression, though he couldnt refrain from nagging, From now on youre not allowed to leave without saying goodbyeno, even if you say it I wont let you leave! A happy smile appeared on Wickeds face as he earnestly promised, No, Ill never My dearest wife, where have you gone? Wait for me. Another all-too-familiar voice came from the city gates, interrupting Wicked. A familiar yet unfamiliar person ran out: a demon with dark hair and amethyst eyes holding a guqin in his hand. Even though the whole image was very different from my dad who wore a suit and tie to work, that face, plus that unbearably sickening way of calling someone, made me absolutely positive that this was definitely my dad, Min Gui Wen. Ahhhh! My dad threw himself onto Prince with a flying tackle, hugging him tightly, and he even looked hostilely at Wicked. Youre back. Wickeds smile evaporated in an instant, and with an icy expression he responded, Yes. Are you married yet? My dad narrowed his eyes dangerously, as though he were asking his own forty-year-old daughter if she had found a husband yet. None of your business. Wickeds tone became even colder. Of course it is. Looking as though he was about to go berserk, my dad pointed at Wickeds nose as he wildly scolded, Who knows if youre still thinking of someone elses wife! Hmph. Wickeds face had already turned ashen, and without another word he turned to leave. Argh! You two, dont fight as soon as you see each other. Prince hurried to pull back Wicked, but when he turned around and saw my dad looking as though he was on the verge of tears, he had no choice but to hug him to his chest. This scene looked a lot like me and Long Ming when we were kids, when we were fighting to be hugged by my mom, who then had no choice but to hug one of us in each arm. In a tone that suggested he did not know whether tough or cry, Prince said, Im telling you guys, cant you make peace for a bit? Its already been ten years, and you two are still acting like children. However, despite not knowing what had transpired to cause such deeply-rooted hatred between Wicked and my dad, it was very obvious that ten years had not been long enough for them to make peace as they glowered at one another. But at that moment, the sound of a crowd of people drifted over from the city gates, and it looked like some ten people were walking over. From among them a wolfmans deep voice called, Wicked? Ah, Wicked-gg is finally back! A cute angel girl delightfully threw herself on Wicked, which allowed Prince to finally let go, since he no longer had to worry about Wicked running off. At this point, everyone began tough, and among the crowd there were so many handsome guys and beautiful women that I found myself drooling all over the ground to the point where I very nearly died from dehydration. After everyone was happily reunited, they walked into Infinite City together even the m went inand then the gates closed with a huge rumble, causing a gust of autumn wind to swirl through the dead leaves... Then with a crackle, several kilograms of said dead leaves fell onto the pitiful heads of the four who were beneath the trees. I spat out two leaves as I finally came to my senses and immediately dashed to the city gates, pounding on them furiously as I desperately shouted, Hey! Open the door, were still outside! I pounded for ten minutes, and still no one came to answer the door. From behind me came Long Mings quaking voice as he said, Xiao Xiao Lan,e back quickly. Feeling very cross, I turned around as I said, What do you want? Cant you see that Im knocking on the door? Immediately after I turned my head, my eyes nearly popped right out of their sockets. The several kilos of leaves that had piled up on top of our heads had actually taken flight and were fluttering in the air like butterflies...Normally this wouldnt have been anything out of the ordinaryit was not as if I had never heard of a leaf butterfly. Yet, it was true that I had never heard of theming together to form a chain, and then tying a person up in a most sadomasochistic style. But luckily, the one who was being subjected to this sadomasochism was not me, but the big-chested angel, aka Long Ming. Meanwhile, Elf had been strung upside-down on the tree, and Demon Thirteen was even worse off, his body tied up in thousands if not millions of knots, and whats more, in veritable butterfly bows to boot. Dumbstruck, I asked, No way... are all butterflies nowadays so dangerous? Hurry up and save us! The three of them roared in unison. I hurriedly dashed over, and after pulling out my great dao, began to chop wildly. After I had finished, Long Ming fell down and scrambled to crawl back up, his entire white gown having been turned into a bikini. Elf fell from the tree with a crash, with only a piece of cloth still hanging onto his lower body. With his back facing us, Demon Thirteen bolted toward the forest in a sh, using his hands to cover up his fair and tender buttocks the whole time. I opened my eyes wide, and Long Ming, who was using his two hands to desperately hide his springtime blossoms, coldly said, Do you really have to stare like that? II ampletely innocent! Ah! These perverted butterflies are starting to attack again! Unable to cover both his stomach and butt, Long Ming waved his hands to drive away the butterflies as he screamed and followed in the direction Demon Thirteen had gone. Butterflies originally metamorphosed from caterpirs so that they can have sex, after all! I said matter-of-factly, and then seeing Elf running off to join the other two, I hastily shouted, Hey, wait for me! I broke into a run to give chase, but the perverted-metamorphosed butterflies were fluttering in front of me, and there were so many of them that it was like a thick wall. I could only wave my sword to drive the butterflies away as I yelled, Long Ming? Elf? Demon? Where are you guys? From far away I heard their voices, yet I had no way to determine their location. I ran helter-skelter this way and that, finally stopping in order to catch my breath, but of course Long Ming and the others had long since disappeared without a trace. Discouraged, I knelt down in a crouch. Sob sob sob, it seems like I have be a missing child? Id heard that when you get lost, the best thing to do is to stay right where you are. Not to mention my guaranteed utterck of a sense of direction... This inherited peerlessck of a sense of direction would only cause me to wander further and further from my destination, so I decided to crouch where I was and wait for Long Ming and the others toe rescue me. Sigh. To think that after all that trouble, I was so close to finding out the truth, yet I just sat there and watched as they closed the city gates right in front of me. I couldnt stop sighing, and then recalled what I had seen just now. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Even though my dad was often bullied by my mom, he submitted to it quite happily. If anyone said that my dad was having an affair behind my moms back, I definitely would be the first non-believer. Yet, that demon just now was clearly my dad, and I actually saw him go and hug an insanely beautiful guy? Could it be that beautiful guy was...Long Mings dad? But...I furrowed my brow in thought. Why would my dad call Long Mings dad my dearest wife? Not to mention the fact that everyone had already been living together for a long time, and yet I still had not discovered anything going on between my dad and Long Mings dad. More importantly, just how would they have the guts tomit adultery? Long Mings mom and my mom were definitely ranked among the top in the world when it came to people you should never mess with. Xiao Xiao Lan! Long Mings shout came over, and I hastened to answer, Im here! Dont leave me behind by myself! I had just finished shouting when I suddenly felt my shirt cor being lifted up. With a shock, I realized that I was actually flying up the tree trunk, and was even nimbly leaping among the trees, although I was very certain that it definitely wasnt that I had be Tarzan, but rather the person carrying me had Tarzan-like martial arts skills. Just like this, with my eyes wide open, I was bewilderedly carried along until I saw Long Ming and the other two waving to me from the ground. I happily waved back, and the person carrying me gentlynded in front of Long Ming. Long Ming rushed forward and pulled my cheeks hard. Dumbass! I was so worried that you might have been eaten by the butterflies. I muttered vaguely, I identally got lost. Its lucky that he found you, otherwise I really wouldnt have known how to look for you in this game without PMs, Long Ming said irritably. He? I stood there,pletely clueless, but then I immediately remembered that I had been carried here by someone. I gingerly turned my head, and someone who I would never have imagined appeared before my eyes. Kenshin! I was so surprised that I couldnt keep my mouth from hanging open. Even though the present Kenshin was outfitted very strangely, the cross-shaped scar on his face was very obvious. He was wearing a unique loose-fitting robe, at his waist hung a katana, and his whole person was emitting a very cold and distant aura. He was very different from the image I had of the Kenshin who wore an apron and cooked and vacuumed, yet that face unmistakably belonged to Kenshin. I nced left and right. ording to my mom, if I saw that guy... then the person in front of me would clearly be Kenshin... I looked more closely, and I finally saw that behind and to the right of Kenshin was a guy with ck hair, ck clothes, a ck weapon, and his entire body cloaked in ck: Silver-Masked Quick Fox, the Ice Emperor Syndicates number one assassin. He almost never said anything, but simply stood silently within a three meter radius of Kenshin. I still couldnt help asking, Are you really Kenshin? Kenshin nodded, and then said, Follow me. To where? I asked with wide eyes. Northern Continent, Kenshin answered simply. Eh? Long Ming asked in surprise, B-but, I thought were in Central Continent right now, so how are we going to get to Northern Continent? Before I had time to say anything, Elf and Demon Thirteen both shouted with extreme dismay, We absolutely will not ride the m! After they finished yelling, Long Ming and I also revealed distressed looks on our faces. Kenshin did not exin anything, but only raised his head to look up at the sky, and the four of us also looked up. In the blue sky dotted with clouds there were unidentifiable flying objects zooming around. It looked quite mundane. What in the world was Kenshin looking at? Wait, why is there a piece of cloth floating in the middle of the sky? I watched as the piece of cloth rushed toward us at high speed, even quite skillfully dodging several flying objects, projectiles such as jets, rockets and the like, until it finally arrived above us. I stared dumbly at the piece of cloth, my mouth hanging wide open; I had never in my life seen a piece of cloth that could fly before. The piece of cloth slowlynded, and I could now see clearly that there was a beautiful man on it, with a broad smile on his face. This man looked very familiar. I furrowed my brow as I racked my brains. Do I know any Arabian people? The dark-skinned, beautiful man jumped down from the piece of cloth, and in a few quick steps he rushed before me and eximed with surprise, Wow! Little Long Ming has be Big Long Ming. Youve grown so strong! Then he rushed up to Long Ming, and with another smile said, Xiao Xiao Lan is also very beautiful! Come, give Sunshine-gg a hug. Having said this, the dark-skinned beautiful guy spread his arms wide and pulled Long Ming into a tight embrace. Sunshine-gg? I cried out in surprise. Youre Fairsky-jijies husband, Sunshine-gg? Sunshine looked at me, and then lowered his head to look at Long Ming, who had several dark lines descending down his face, and then revealed a look of sudden realization. Ive made a mistake. Wow, Long Ming, youve be so beautiful. Xiao Xiao Lan has also be very strong. I was toozy to exin how Long Ming and I had be transvestites, and instead I immediately threw myself at Sunshine-gg, so happy that I nearly split my mouth in two from smiling so much. In a slightly using tone I said, Sunshine-gg, you and Fairsky-jijie havente home in so long, its been so boring. Sunshine-gg gave a foolish smile. Im really sorry. Its because Fairsky and I ran into some trouble that we havente home, but well be back very soon. When will you be back? I asked with a pout, intent on getting an exact answer from Sunshine-gg. Otherwise, who knew when very soon would be? Last time, they left after attending my elementary school graduation, saying that they would be back very soon, and then what? I ended up graduating from junior high without seeing them even once. We will be back in a few days. Sunshine-gg extended an arm to pull me in, though with his slim body it was impossible for him to hug both me and Long Ming at the same time. Upon hearing this I finally stopped worrying. After all, Sunshine-gg never lied. Sunshine, lets go. He is still waiting for us, Kenshin said calmly. Whos waiting for us? I looked toward Sunshine-gg, my face full of questions, but he only gave a mysterious smile instead of answering. I couldnt keep myself from pouting. Im begging you, dont pout with the face of a muscled bodybuilder. Its disgusting, you know that? Long Ming said, a repulsed expression on his face. I threw Long Ming a nasty look and followed Sunshine-gg onto the piece of cloth and sat down. I beckoned at Elf and Demon Thirteen and urged them, Hurry up! Incidentally, the two of them had long since changed into brand new clothes, and were no longer chest- and- buttock-baring, attractive eye candy. Sigh, such a shame! Can we go too? Elf asked in surprise. I turned my head to look at Sunshine-gg, and begged, Can we bring Elf and Demon with us? Can we? Of course. Xiao Xiao Lan and Long Mings friends are our friends as well. Sunshine smiled cheerfully and said, Dont worry, this flying carpet can carry eight people. Elf and Demon Thirteen exchanged looks, and then excitedly stepped onto the flying carpet. At first I was very scared as I stepped onto the soft and flimsy carpet, expecting it to fall at any given moment. But the flying carpet demonstrated its extreme flying prowess, elerating in a straight line, around turns, and in S-curves and swiftly evading obstacles. All of us let out exultant cheers. This is awesome! Long Ming could not resist shouting in delight as he raised his arms high. The flying carpet flew all the way over and beyond the continent and out over the ocean. Even though we had crossed the ocean before, at the time we had found ourselves inside the body of a m and hadnt seen anything of the ocean view. Now, seas that stretched as far as the eye could see suddenly appeared before our eyes, and I was so deeply moved that I couldnt say a word. A long time passed before I finally found my voice. When did Sunshine-gg and Kenshin start ying this game? I asked curiously, Why didnt you guys ever tell us that there was such a fun game? Sunshine-gg gave a weak smile. Do you think Second Life is really fun? Second Life is more fun than all the games Ive ever yed! Why doesnt everyone y it? What I found even harder to understand was that I had heard before that Second Life was a forbidden game, the cruelest game that ever existed. Yet, ever since Long Ming and I had started ying it, we had never felt that way at all. The only thing was that we found the NPCs artificial intelligence to be shockingly high, to the point where they could not be distinguished from actual humans. Oh. Sunshine-gg revealed a distressed look. Theres a reason for that. I still think it would be better to let him exin everything to you guys. Him? I asked, puzzled. Sunshine-gg again gave a rare mysterious smile, and pointed ahead with his finger. Were almost there. I followed Sunshine-ggs finger with my eyes. The coastline of a continent had already entered our field of vision, and the flying carpet, seemingly getting excited as well, suddenly sharply elerated, to the point where I couldnt even open my eyes and was reduced to clinging onto the edge of the carpet for dear life. Then, the flying carpet violently came to a stopI even thought that I almost heard the long screeching sound of the carpet brakingand the carpet stopped moving. I slowly opened my eyes. We had stopped in front a peculiar-looking pce. I eximed in astonishment at the grand and magnificent sight of the colossal pcethose enormous gates alone wererge enough to permit the entry of three lines of dinosaurs. Without another word, Kenshin began to walk toward the gates, and just when we thought he was about to bang his head on the two massive doors, they soundlessly swung open, revealing a wide walkway within. The ceiling seemed as high as the sky, and beside the walkway stood countless marble pirs, each one so wide it would have taken five people topletely wrap their arms around it. And yet, although this pce was unmatched in its size, there was a sense of loneliness in its empty spaciousness. From a distance I saw that in the innermost part of the pce was a throne, and it was very clear that there was a person sitting on it. Kenshin led the way into the pce, and we also followed closely behind him, feeling like kindergarten kids being led by the teacher on a fieldtrip to the Louvre Museum. As we walked further in, I realized that the him that Sunshine-gg had been talking about was most likely referring to the person on the throne. I opened my eyes wide, gazing at the figure upon the throne. As we approached, the figure became clearer: long red hair, a ck robe, gray eyesden with grief, and an exotic pattern below the left eye. Dictator of Life! Long Ming and I said together. The person who appeared before us was someone Long Ming and I were extremely familiar with, whom we had seen since we were children. He was the Dictator of Life, reputed to have the highest artificial intelligence in the world, yet often failed in designing menus. However, this was still the first time I had seen the Dictator of Life actually appear before us. Everything up until this point had been mere holograms. Having thought of this, I rushed toward the Dictator of Life in a fewrge strides and hugged him around the waist. I was overjoyed upon discovering that I was really holding onto the Dictator of Life, unlike when I was younger and, forgetting that the Dictator of Life was just a fake image, rushed forward to hug him, always ending up sprawled on the floor. Dictator of Life, did youe here to y this game too? I raised my head from the Dictators chest to look upugh, the truth was that I was a lot taller than him, so I could only raise my head from his shoulder level, and then look back down at him. The Dictator of Life smiled. I have always been here. Here? In Second Life? Long Ming rushed to ask. The Dictator of Life nodded, and Long Mings mouth opened, then closed, then opened, as if he had a million questions to ask, but did not know where to begin. I couldpletely understand Long Mings feelings because while my mind was also exploding with questions at the moment, I could only utter the following in the end. It has urred to me that our family doesnt seem to be a particrly normal one? The Dictator of Life gave a lightugh. Actually, all the answers are in your mothers study room. I opened my eyes wide. My mothers study room? And whats more, Long Ming already knows the truth as well. The Dictator of Life turned toward Long Ming, smiling mildly. Long Ming pointed to himself in shock, and the Dictator of Life quietly said, Half Prince. Long Ming revealed a baffled look, and perplexedly said, Half Prince? Isnt that a really old novel in the study room? Its mainly about a virtual reality game where the NPCs suddenly obtain self-awareness... Long Ming abruptly froze, and on his face appeared an increasingly rmed look. In the end he dumbly eximed, No way? What? Whats no way? Hurry up and tell me, Long Ming! I tugged at Long Ming with all my strength, wanting to shake him out of his daze. Allow me to tell you, Xiao Xiao Lan. With a wave of his hand, the Dictator of Life caused the surrounding pce to instantly dissolve into nothingness. In front of our eyes materialized a very familiar scene: the ce where we set our characters right after we entered Second Life. With surprise I discovered a girl before us, someone I knew all too well. That was my mom, but a lot younger, looking no more than twenty years old. And there was also another person, the NPC in charge of assisting in character choices... Isnt that my mom? Long Ming gave a startled shout, and it was only then that I really paid attention to the NPC. That appearance made it undoubtedly clear that that was Long Mings mom! Then I watched wide-eyed as my mom actually became a transvestite, and an unbelievably hot one to boot. As luck would have it, he looked exactly like the super-hot tranny elf I had just seen earlierCPrince! Prince was actually my mom! My goodness, why did my mom do something so unbelievably stupid as to choose to be a tranny? Furthermore, I had actually unwittingly followed my moms footsteps and even ended up in a worse state. At least my mom was a slim, beautiful bishounen, while I was a gigantic, buff, handsome bodybuilder. If I were to also have a daughter, I imagine that she would be Arnold Schwarzeneggers sessor. The scene changed, and Prince was chased all over the ce like a piece of steak, and even had his tofu eaten by Lolidragon... Ugh, dont cry, mom. I have already taken revenge for you and gotten your share of tofu back from Long Ming... Following this, I saw Princes unique fighting style, and saw the origin of our familys Meatbun (I had always wondered why none of my ssmates believed me when I said my family owned a pet meatbun), and then Princes first deration. Afterwards, I saw Tian Lang-gg. Even though he had the appearance of a wolf, I could tell right away with one look that Ugly Wolf was Tian Lang-gg. Then I saw an angel necromancer, the strangest of all possiblebinations of race and professionstrange, why had I not realized how much Doll-jijie liked Sailor Moon? Then I saw Guileastes, that homosexual demon bard. As it so happened, he was the very source of the sperm that produced me...Sobsobsob, my dad was originally a homosexual? This was indeed a huge reason for shock! Atst, I saw Yu Lian-jijie. Yu Lian-jijie and Tian Lang-ggs romance was so moving! The images skipped past at high speed. Odd Squad was finally officially established, next came the conflict between Odd Squad and Dark Emperor, the fierce battle that took ce during the Adventurers Tournament, the founding of Infinite City, the inner turmoil and pain of Prince who had be liege lord, and then finally, the appearance of the Dictator of Life, and the revtion of the truthLong Mings mom actually had an older brother, who was none other than the misguided Long Dian. What shocked us the most was that Kenshin and Sunshine were not actually real human beingsespecially the fact that Kenshin, who had always been by our side as our all-capable housekeeper, was actually not a human... Kenshin isnt a real human? Not daring to believe it, I looked at Kenshin, and thetter revealed a rare, flustered expression. Xiao Lan didnt want to tell you two. The Dictator of Life continued evenly, She was worried that you wouldnt be able to ept the truth, and was even more concerned that you would stop treating Kenshin and Sunshine as human beings. Just when I was about to open my mouth and respond that I would never change my attitude, Long Ming suddenly cried out in surprise, So that means that Ice Emperor Syndicates Silver-Masked Quick Fox isnt human either? Darn it, thats so disappointing. And I thought that he was the strongest person in the world. Long Ming gave an aching look toward Silver-Masked Quick Fox. Theres nothing weird about that, is there? I also nced toward Silver-Masked Quick Fox. I feel like Silver-Masked Quick Foxs level of intelligence isnt as high as Kenshins. He doesnt talk much. Yup yup, and he doesnt know how to do chores or cookit seems like all he can do is stand beside Kenshin. Looks like his level of intelligence isnt that high after all. Long Ming nodded his head in agreement. I turned to ask the Dictator of Life. Then, Silver-Masked Quick Fox hasnt gained self-awareness yet, right? Upon hearing this question, the Dictator of Life was taken aback, then a smile crept onto his face, and finally, unable to stop himself, he broke out into heartyughter. Confused, I turned my head toward Kenshin, and the corners of his mouth were actually turning upward! My goodness, Kenshin is smiling?This was more shocking than finding out my mom was a tranny and my dad a homosexual. Im a human. A voice cold enough to freeze water came from a ce some three meters behind Kenshin. Long Ming and I looked over to Silver-Masked Quick Fox. He had the same icy cold expression on his face, causing us to wonder if that voice just now hade from him. He is a human. Kenshin briefly said with a slight smile. Long Ming and I opened our eyes wide. Say whaC? Even though Kenshin and Silver-Masked Quick Fox were both very cold, we still felt that Kenshins temperature was slightly higher and closer to the body temperature of a normal human, and yet the truth was just the exact opposite? We coughed awkwardly, not daring to chance a nce at Silver-Masked Quick Fox, and hastened to change the topic of conversation. Dont worry, our attitude toward Kenshin wont change. I looked steadily at Kenshin and said, Every time someone disappeared from home, Long Ming and I would always be able to count on Kenshins presence. To us, Kenshin is like a second dad. We definitely will not change. As I spoke, Long Ming also frantically nodded his head, worried that Kenshin could not see our conviction. Kenshin turned his face away, but his ears had turned slightly pink. As we were quietly snickering at the rare sight of Kenshins distressed state, Elf and Demon Thirteen suddenly came to stand in front of Long Ming and me. Elf looked as though he were desperate to say something yet could not, leaving the two of us bewildered. Whats up? I asked curiously. Elf seemed to finally gather his courage and said, The truth is, me and Demon Thirteen... Were both NPCs, Demon Thirteen finished. Elf had no choice but to continue. Were NPCs with a hidden mission. You had to buy more than five thousand sks of potion from thedy at the pharmacy in order for her to tell you the location of the underwater cavern. This mission could only be triggered by a yer, but because no yer hade to our newbie vige, the vige NPCs were all very worried that the two of us would be trapped inside those icicles forever. I see. So thats why they wanted Xiao Xiao Lan and me to go rescue you guys, Long Ming said with a sudden sense of realization. Dont worry. Elf, Demon, you guys will always be ourrades, I affirmed, cing both my hands on Elfs shoulders. Long Ming also ced his hands on Demons shoulders, saying, Right. Especially you, Demon. Xiao Xiao Lan will definitely take responsibility for your butt. I grabbed onto Long Mings ear and, ignoring his miserable howling, directly asked the Dictator of Life, Dictator of Life, do you know what happened to Long Dian in the end? And how did my mome to choose between Wicked and my dad? A look of grief came over the Dictator of Lifes face. Later on, Father seemed to sink into a state of frenzied desperation, and actually threatened the world... Footnotes butterfly bows: In Chinese, a bow/knot where you form two loops is generally referred to as Y (hdi ji), which literally reads as butterfly knot, most likely because the loops resemble the wings of a butterfly. In this chapter, the characters are literally being tied up by butterflies. great dao: Xiao Xiao Lans weapon is a da dao, otherwise known as the Chinese greatsword. For more info, visit this link: Butterflies originally metamorphosed from caterpirs so that they can have sex: In Chinese, the word for perverted and metamorphosed is the same (׃B, binti). In other words, Xiao Xiao Lan is trying to say that butterflies are the perverted versions of caterpirs. Volume 9 Chapter 5 Volume 9 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Wicked, Part One C tranted by Lily and lucathia My real name is Zhuo Ling Bin, but in Second Life, I go by Wicked. Second Life is a virtual game developed more than ten years ago. However, due to overdeveloped artificial intelligence, the game spiraled out of control. Since then, the government has explicitly limited the artificial intelligence level in games. In other words, Second Life, also called the Forbidden Game, is still the worlds most immersive game, especially since nearly half of the NPCs developed self-awareness. If not for the Dictator of Lifes aid in overseeing this ce, I have no idea what sort of devastating consequences this game would have resulted in. Although in reality, this game has already had dire repercussions. More than ten years ago, the developer of Second Life, Long Dian, contracted a terminal illness. Terrified of the idea of death, he even used the worlds most intelligentputer, the Dictator of Life, to threaten the entire world! That particr event had huge consequences, including making Second Life spiral out of control forever, turning it into a world of only NPCs. However, the biggest consequence to me was that I lost my most precious person. Feng Lan, my Xiao Lan, was Prince, the person who led everyone to stop Long Dian at that time. That year, during the confrontation with Long Dian who had already made himself into an artificial human, we had been beaten into a retreat. In order to save Xiao Lan, I was sent flying and lost consciousness. When I finally woke up, the hospitals nd white ceiling forcibly registered in my line of sight. I immediately remembered Xiao Lan and ran around madly, frantically shouting her name, afraid that my most beloved girl had... I found her in Guis hospital room. Her eyes were swollen red from crying. Once she saw me, she flew into my arms and cried out, Zhou-gg, what should I do? The doctor said Gui might never wake up. As I tried to mollify Xiao Lan, I looked over and saw Gui breathing through a venttor, his body pierced with IV drips. My heart filled with irresolvable conflict. On one hand, I wished for Gui to quickly wake up so Xiao Lan would not have to cry anymore. On the other hand, I secretly wished for Gui to never wake up. Dont... Dont take away my Xiao Lan! Prince, why dont you take a break? Its been a while since youve been to ss, right? Lolidragons concern was inly visible on her face. Well take good care of Gui. Never! Xiao Lan refused immediately. If Gui never wakes up... Ill always be by his side taking care of him. Xiao Lan cradled Guis hand, eyes brimming with determination. No one could shake her resolve. Not even me. Gui will wake up. No one understood that better than I did. In order to bring a smile to Xiao Lans face once more, that man would crawl back to her even if he had sunk eighteen levels down into hell. That man was someone who would never surrender. He was so extremely determined that even I sometimes could not help but admire Guis resolution. And so, I left the hospital room, paying no attention to the sounds of surprise and Guis hoarse voice calling out for Prince. My heart understood. In the end, I still lost my Xiao Lan C my precious girl with her big, bright eyes. What should I do? I could not help but feel at a loss. Roam thends, forever leaving thisnd of heartbreak? My little brother, Zhou Ming Bin, known as Ming Huang in-game, attempted to give me suggestions while immersed with ying CS. I shook my head, my heart heavy. No, I havent received my diploma yet. I cannot leave school. Drink away your sorrows. Ming Bin pped his hands before reaching for his wallet, about to rush out. Ill go buy you a beer. No! I sternly rejected his suggestion. Alcohol can cause liver cancer. Then...should I go buy you a packet of GENTLE cigarettes? Ming Bin furrowed his eyebrows in thought. No, you would breathe in second-hand smoke. I could not cause my little brother to get lung cancer just because of a broken heart. Ming Bin propped his chin up with both hands. Then why not weep your heart out under your covers? Ill even pretend not to hear anything. I seriously considered it before replying, No. I have aboratory experiment with my professor tomorrow. I cannot appear with swollen red eyes. Ill cry some other day. Ming Bin looked defeated. Youll cry some other day? Ha, only my brother would say something like this. Bro, can you not be so collected? I think only the brother who has lived with you for over ten years can tell that the you right now is hurt such that you would much rather die. Bro, youre too reserved. No wonder you couldnt win Prince over. My face fell. Was being calm the wrong course of action? Prince is so dense that there has never been, nor will there ever be another like her. In my opinion, I think you should have run up to her and confessed I love you every day for an entire year. Only then would she truly believe that you love her. Ming Bin murmured to himself, That gay guy really used the correct method to steal Prince away. Later, I thought the sight of Professor Min Gui Wen practically exuding happiness at school would be the most painful thing I would have to endure. However, I was wrong. On the day of Xiao Lans graduation, I brought her her favorite tulips to congratte her... The graduation ceremony went by smoothly, with congrattions from the president, then a valedictorian speech and everyone bidding farewell to the graduates, until Professor Min Gui Wen appeared on stage in his strange outfit. Everything changed. The entire school screamed and even the teachers faces went red in embarrassment. I could not be any more familiar with his outfit. That was Guis wandering bard attire, and even his guqin and earrings were the same. His overall appearance made the originally serious Professor Min Gui Wen look charmingly handsome. With everyones gaze on him, he walked to Xiao Lans side. Nearly dumbstruck, Xiao Lan asked, Gui? Do you think were having a masquerade? Gui coughed twice, put down his guqin, and took out a heart-shaped, pink box. After opening the box, Gui knelt down on one knee and used a voice full of love to say, My dearest highness, Xiao Lan. I am no longer your teacher, and I would like you to use another name to address me from now on. What name? Xiao Lan, who had always been slow on the uptake, also came to an understanding about what Gui was trying to do at this time. Her face could not be any redder than it was. Gui gently picked up the ring. On top of the silver ring was a tulip whose petals were made out of diamonds. Undoubtedly, Gui also knew that Xiao Lans favorite flower was the tulip. Are you willing to call me husband, and to let me call you my dear wife? Gui asked sincerely. Please forgive me for being unable to tell you what happened after this. I could no longer stay there. With tulips in my hand, I walked home, hand shaking so much that I was nearly unable to open the door. I walked inside my house, and like always, took out a vase and put the flowers inside it. I ced the vase next to the front door. Then, I nned on returning to my room. When I turned, Ming Bin was staring at me withrge eyes. At a loss, he blurted, Tomorrow... You dont have to do an experiment tomorrow? I shook my head and walked past Ming Bin. He reluctantly said, Ah, Bro... Im sorry for your loss. I didnt have the heart to tell Ming Bin that Im sorry for your loss wasnt used that way. In the following months, I did my best to avoid Xiao Lan. Even if she specifically came to my house, I would have Ming Bin tell her that I wasnt home. I was deathly afraid to hear from her mouth that she had already decided to marry... Someone who wasnt me. Just now, Xiao Lan hade again. I heard her voice. It had been months since I saw Xiao Lan. I heard her say regretfully, Really? Zhuo-gg is still not home? Finally unable to hold back, I climbed out of bed and rushed downstairs to the door. Unfortunately, the door had already closed, and Ming Bin was holding a pink invitation as hemented, Man, this is cruel. Isnt my brother already in enough misery? Give it to me! I was nearly shaking as I said this. Ming Bin finally realized that I was standing behind him. He turned to face me, and then he hid the invitation behind his back. His smile was forced as he said, Trust me, Bro, you dont want to see this. Give it to me! I persisted. Even though I very much agreed with Ming Bins words, that I definitely wouldnt want to see that invitation, I still had to see it no matter what. Ming Bin sighed. He handed the invitation over. I think I will never forget the moment I saw that invitation that left me no room to doubt. It was a wedding invitation, and on it were Feng Lans and Min Gui Wens names... Droplets of water fell next to Xiao Lans name. Bro... Um, Prince wants you to look at the back, Ming Bin said cautiously. Trembling, I flipped the invitation over. The back had a few handwritten lines. I could tell at a nce that it was Xiao Lans handwriting. Messy and squiggly handwriting like this was notmon. Zhuo-gg, I went to your house several times, but you were never home. I guess I can only leave words for you on the back of this invitation for now because Im afraid you wont be home again. Although Gui told me I shouldnt give you an invitation, that you would be very unhappy, I cant not give you one. You are someone very important to me. You are Zhuo-gg who loves me the most. I would very much like for you to attend my wedding. Really. I really hope you cane. I hope that I can receive your blessing. Love, Xiao Lan My entire body froze. I only dared to gently hold onto the invitation by the corner, afraid that I would identally damage it. I did not want to even damage a single corner of it. Suddenly, a drop of water dripped onto the invitation and dirtied Xiao Lans message. I frantically tried to wipe away the droplet but only made it worse. The water droplet had blurred several words. I wiped my face with my hand in frustration. I was afraid that yet another ursed water droplet would ruin the message that Xiao Lan had personally written. Bro... Ming Bins eyes wererge. He was frantic and didnt know what to do. However, the door was loudly kicked open. Feng Yang Ming stood outside. He was pulling along a full cart, holding a can of beer. Hezily said, Want some Heineken? On the day of Xiao Lans wedding, I went. No matter what, I could not miss seeing Xiao Lan wear a wedding dress, even if the man standing beside her wasnt me. The wedding was arge asion. Different colors of Xiao Lans favorite tulips were spread all over. I nodded my head in satisfaction and walked over to people I recognized. Wolf-g, Yu Lian, Lolidragon, and even Doll, who was a princess, hade dressed in everyday clothes. Nan Gong Zui brought with him people from Righteous des, and of course Dark Emperor would not miss the asion, but my teammates were all unable to look at me. Xiao Lan was already wearing her wedding dress and standing before the priest, waiting for Gui. The whitece veil on her face concealed her appearance, but I believed that my Xiao Lan must be the most beautiful bride in her wedding dress. Strange. Has Prince always been this tall? Yu Lian asked in confusion. Probably because shes wearing high heels. Dont brides usually wear high heels? Li Tian Lang said matter-of-factly. Doll recalls that it should be the groom standing before the priest to wait for the bride, right? Doll asked while biting on her fingernails. Could it be that Gui iste? Nan Gong Zui guessed. Impossible! Everyone... Even I, shouted in unison. Hes getting married to Prince. Even if Gui were to get killed by a sandstone truck on his way here, his spirit would float here on time, Lolidragon earnestly imed. Even I had to agree with Lolidragons words. Gui was exactly that sort of person. The doors to the church finally opened, and like we thought, a person wearing a white tuxedo walked in. Upon seeing me, the persons face lit up and she walked over. I knew that Zhou-gg wouldnt miss my wedding. X-Xiao Lan. Why are you dressed like that? Losing myposure, my mouth dropped open. Actually, everyone present had their mouths open quite wide. Inparison, I hadnt lost myposure all that badly. Indeed, Xiao Lan was wearing a white tuxedo, and she had her hair done in a ponytail. She looked very dashing, and the look suited her... But a bride should wear a brides dress! Huh, this? Xiao Lan pulled on her tie. It looks good, right? The more I looked at it, the more I thought that Guis tuxedo looked better than my wedding dress, so I had him swap with me. Everyones mouths dropped open even wider. In unison, we turned our heads to look at the person wearing the wedding dress. Xiao Lan strode over to the bride... No, the groom, and then smiled happily at the priest whose mouth was wide open. Father, quickly read the testimony. I cant wait to eat food from my wedding reception. Its a buffet from a five-star hotel. When I saw Xiao Lan lift the veil from Guis face, my heart twisted in doubt. If Xiao Lan had wanted to exchange with me, would I have agreed? I probably...would have. As long as I could marry Xiao Lan, even if I had to wear a wedding dress, I would do it. However, when Gui came over to talk to me in his low-cut wedding gown, I could not help but admire him just a bit. Thank you foring to the wedding. Gui muttered quite reluctantly, Xiao Lan was very happy you could make it. You dont have to worry. I graduated as well. In the future, Ill stay far away from your family, I replied icily, like usual. Gui looked as though he was struggling for a moment before sighing sadly. Dont go, I need your help. Xiao Lan hopes Kenshin and the rest cane to the real world, especially Sunshine. Fairsky cant live without him. Were producing artificial bodies? I asked, somewhat shocked. Gui nodded his head. Lolidragon and Doll will cover all the costs. I was a little hesitant. If I did this, I would constantly have to see Xiao Lan... Xiao Lan will be very happy that youll be around to help, Gui muttered unwillingly. Upon hearing his words, I couldnt help but nod my head. Once Sunshine, Kenshin, and Celestial came to the real world one by one, I wondered if I should go out and find a job. Despite Lolidragons offer of a job at herpany, I did not want to work near Xiao Lans house anymore, so I found a job overseas. I decided to give Xiao Lan my final goodbye. Xiao Lan opened the door, happily crying out, Zhou-gg, wee! I was just about to tell you, Gui and I are having a child. Oh? I couldnt help but sneak a peek at Xiao Lans stomach, already feeling envious of the childs father. Xiao Lan followed my line of sight down to her stomach, but she quickly dered, Not here. Xiao Lan took my hand and dragged me inside. Over there. Xiao Lan pointed to the Gui, whose stomach was sticking out. He wore maternity clothes and was sitting on the sofa, busy knitting. I lost myposure again, my jaw dropping. Once Gui saw me, he jumped up and shouted, Hey! You shameless guy! Dont you dare hold hands with my wife. After speaking, Gui rushed over but got tangled in the yarn he held, looking like he was about to fall on his back. I immediately rushed forward and caught Gui at thest second, thankfully avoiding a fall that could have caused them to lose the child. My heart on the other hand felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. That was close, Xiao Lanmented, eyes wide. After that, she turned around as if she had nothing to do with the conversation. Ill go and bring you something to eat. Dont fight, okay? Both Gui and I sat down on the sofa as he resentfully started knitting again. Unable to hold back, I asked, Are you really pregnant? Obviously! Gui snapped, You think I like wearing maternity clothes for nothing? Why? I asked before remembering that Xiao Lan was afraid of pain. I cant help it, Xiao Lan is afraid of pain. But this is good as well. If you ask me to listen to Xiao Lansbored cries during childbirth, I might as well be the one giving birth. This way I actually dont have to worry as much, Gui nonchntly said as his hands worked on knitting a small cap. I almost couldnt speak. This mans love for Xiao Lan had even exceeded my expectations. I had to pause to think. If it were me, would I be able to stand ten months of pregnancy for Xiao Lan? I...couldnt. I heard that you refused Lolidragons offer of a job at herpany? Gui questioned. Yeah, Im nning on leaving the country. I had finally given uppletely. Perhaps Xiao Lan would be happier with Gui than she ever would with me. What! Why? Xiao Lan was holding a pot of soup. After hearing my words, she rushed over, momentarily forgetting that she was holding a pot in her hands. She stumbled, and the entire pot flew toward Gui who was resting on the sofa. Almost as a reflex, I flung myself to the side and used my body to cover Gui so that the hot soup would not burn Guis stomach. Thankfully, I was wearing a full suit. The material was very thick... ZhouCgg, are you really leaving? Xiao Lan asked worriedly. I was leaning a few inches away from Guis belly, afraid to actually touch him, feeling the hot waves dripping down my back. Face white and voice shaking, I mumbled, No, I wont be leaving the country. Ill actually move in with you two. If I dont move in, Im afraid that Xiao Lans child will not survive until childbirth. Finally I dont have to watch Gui all day. Ill be cleaning now, Kenshin said coldly as he passed by the corridor, holding a vacuum cleaner. Still, I had the feeling that even after the birth of the child, I would not be able to leave this couple alone. Not unless I never wished to see Xiao Lans child grow up. Footnotes CS: Short for Counter-Strike, a first person shooter. GENTLE cigarettes: GENTLE is a brand of cigarettes found in Taiwan. The original name used to be LONG LIFE, named to celebrate the seventieth birthday of the president of the Republic of China, Jiang Zhong Zheng. Launched in 1958, the product was a way of wishing for the president to live a boundless, long life. The product was officially renamed to GENTLE in 2007. I am sorry for your loss: Used to console someone when someone they know has passed away. Volume 9 Chapter 6 Volume 9 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Wicked, Part Two C tranted by raylight Zhuo-gg, when Xiao Xiao Lan grows up, will you marry her? Xiao Xiao Lan asked me with innocent and adorable eyes, and she had a giant ribbon on her head. Its Zhuo-shshu. I corrected her patiently, trying to resist the churning inside my heart. What Xiao Xiao Lan just said was almost identical to what Xiao Lan had said in the past. I thought that I had already stopped caring about Xiao Lans marriage to another person. However, once I heard Xiao Xiao Lans words and saw that pair of eyes that were so simr to Xiao Lans, I felt as though my scars had been re-opened. I... fled in defeat from Xiao Xiao Lans house when Xiao Xiao Lan was just seven years old. (Thankfully, the eight-year-old Xiao Long Ming was already very sensible and was skilled at taking care of his little sister.) I thought about things in the past as I stepped onto the streets of Infinite City. Just now, I had another huge quarrel with Gui and then took the chance to run away. However, I quite understood that for a long time now, Gui hadnt been able to ignite my wrath. What I was afraid of was that Xiao Xiao Lan would being over in a short while. ording to what Prince said just now, Xiao Xiao Lan had always been looking for me, for her Zhuo-gg. It has already been eight years, but she is still looking for me? At that time, she was only seven years old. I had taken care of her frequently, even more so than Xiao Lan and Gui, her parents who ran about as they wished. However, it has been such a long time since then. She actually still remembers me... The corners of my lips couldnt help but rise. Xiao Xiao Lans adorable face with her cute child-like voice rang again in my head. Will Zhuo-gg marry Xiao Xiao Lan in the future? I couldnt help but hit myself on the head. What kind of nonsense am I thinking about? Xiao Xiao Lan is younger than me by thirty years! However, what I didnt expect was that Xiao Xiao Lan would alsoe to Second Life. How did she manage to find a way in? Not to mention that even Long Ming was here, and the two of them had even switched genders. Xiao Xiao Lan had actually be a tranny, just like her mother had. I shook my head, intending to leave Infinite City to avoid running into Xiao Xiao Lan. However, once I opened the gates of Infinite City, Xiao Xiao Lan was coincidentally about to push open the doors. Her arms were stretched out wide, as though she was waiting for someone to hug her. After she saw me, she blinked. Oh, its Wicked. We meet again. She looked at me, smiling broadly, and seemed not to mind much as she asked, Are you leaving the city? I forced a smile. Yes. Xiao Xiao Lan made an Oh! sound and cleared the way for me to go through without any intention of persuading me to stay... Perhaps she still doesnt know that I am her Zhuo-gg? With mixed feelings, I stepped past Xiao Xiao Lans shoulder. THUMP! A loud sound rang out, and a pang of immense pain came from my head. Iy on the floor, not very sure of what had just happened. I shook my head, which was a little muddled. You think you can leave?! This girl here has been looking for you for eight years now. Do you think that I will just let you go? Xiao Xiao Lan said ferociously. Xiao Xiao Lan, if you beat Zhuo-shshu to death, and he flies back to the rebirth point, you wont be able to find him anymore, Long Ming said worriedly. Wicked is level two hundred and fifty-three. Even if the four of you were to gang up on him, you wouldnt be able to beat him to death, was Kenshins cold answer. Oh, I see... Xiao Xiao Lan, hes about to climb back up. Hurry up and hit him a few more times, otherwise Zhuo-shshu will run away, Long Ming shouted, making a big fuss. Following that, I was whacked on the head several more times, and Xiao Xiao Lan was even shouting, Elf, Demon Thirteen, hurry and help me beat him up. If I dont render him severely injured, Im scared that he will run away. After that, other than fists, I felt a few pairs of feet trampling on me too. To tell the truth, it didnt hurt much. The level of Xiao Xiao Lan and the others were probably not even past fifty yet. With both of my hands, I grabbed the legs of two different people and when I stood up, the two of them tumbled onto the floor. They were probably the elf and demon that Xiao Xiao Lan had called Elf and Demon Thirteen. Oh no! Xiao Xiao Lan gave a shriek and then jumped onto my back, clinging on to me tightly with all four limbs, refusing to let go. Long Ming, who was at my side, was grasping onto an arm firmly. Even the elf and demon, who were on their stomachs lying on the floor, were grabbing onto my legs. I found it bothughable and heartening as I said, Even if all of you do this, you still have no way to stop me from leaving. I dont care! Whatever happens, I will do my utmost to stop you from leaving. Xiao Xiao Lans mouth was beside my ear as she roared, Even if you manage to escape this time, I will still continue to chase you next time! I couldnt help but feel a warm feeling in my heart. However, I had a bitter smile on my face as I replied, Xiao Xiao Lan, it shouldnt matter whether I leave or not, right? Strictly speaking, Im only your nanny from seven years ago. Instead, Xiao Xiao Lan said naturally, Also my boyfriend from fifteen years old to twenty years old, and my husband from twenty years old till the day I die. My mom said that one can already get married at eighteen, but my dad said no. He said that I have to be at least twenty. I was almost unable to say anything. What are you talking about? Your dad would never let you get married to me. Xiao Xiao Lan stuck her face onto my cheek, and said clearly, My dad didnt oppose it. Before that, I purposely brought a ssmate of Long Mings home for my dad to see. After that, my dad immediately changed his tune to say that Ill be better off getting married to Zhuo Lin Bin. At least you dont drink, dont smoke, dont gamble, dont use violence against females, and also dont swear... God! If I were to let Zhuo-gg escape, then where else am I going to find this kind of good man? Good men are an extinct species! Im also a good man! Long Ming eximed in protest. What shit lot of good would it do if you were one? I cantmit incest with a close rtive, Xiao Xiao Lan spat. A female shouldnt speak so crudely, I gently reprimanded her, frowning. Okay. Xiao Xiao Lan stuck out her tongue and then added with a grin, Also, my dad says that it seems that only Zhuo Ling Bin can look after me. Otherwise, Ill be a wild girl sooner orter. I sighed and answered, Xiao Xiao Lan, we are thirty years apart. Yeah. What a pity, we have thirty-eight fewer years to spend together. Xiao Xiao Lan seemed to be somewhat ming me as she said, Its all because you went missing for eight years. Otherwise, going by the humans average age of two hundred, we could have originally spent one hundred and fifty years together. Now that theres eight years fewer, whats left is only a hundred and forty-two years. Hearing those words, I almost, almost wanted to turn around to hug Xiao Xiao Lan. However, I couldnt. Xiao Xiao Lan, youre still young. Perhaps you dont know what kind of men you like. Just like your mother. When she was young, she also said that she wanted to marry me. Im fifteen years old, not seven. I know that I like you. Xiao Xiao Lan hugged me even tighter, and her voice was just as obstinate as before, not rxing in the slightest. I couldnte up with any more words of protest. However, how can I be together with Xiao Xiao Lan? We are thirty years apart, and I was once in love with Xiao Xiao Lans mother. I... cannot be together with Xiao Xiao Lan. Thinking that, I threw a flurry of hits to Xiao Xiao Lans joints. She immediately fell to the floor with her limbs numb. I tried not to listen to her groans of pain and then shook off the other people. Kenshin! Help me stop Zhuo-gg, Xiao Xiao Lan shouted loudly. Kenshin was indeed stronger than me, but I didnt intend to escape within the game. I resolutely went offline. I took off the game helmet and shook my head. I feared that it would be ten days or more no, several months before I could go online again. Other than her trait of muddle-headedness that was like Xiao Lan, Xiao Xiao Lans personality was more like her fathers. Since she was young, her determination has been so strong that it is frightening. Even her clinginess was very much like him. I couldnt help but remember that just now, Xiao Xiao Lan had wrapped her whole body around me... Though other than solid muscles, I hadnt managed to feel anything remotely like a girls. However, this still made it so I couldnt help the heat rush to my face. Ring, ring! I received a great shock and felt restless inside my heart. Can it be that Ming Bin has told Xiao Xiao Lan my telephone number? I hesitantly picked up the call. Hey! Bro, how many years have you been in hiding already? Do you know that Im about to go crazy from the pressure from the Feng and Min family? Ming Bins voice came from the phone, crackling. I finally rxed yet found it a little disappointing. I pressed the power button on the monitor, and Ming Bins face came into view on the screen. We have already discussed this problem before. I replied like usual, If you were to tell them my phone number, then I will change my number and wont tell you my phone number again. Who cares about that! I was going to tell you that our family is going to hold a wedding soon. Are youing back to attend or not? Ming Bins face was fierce, and his manner seemed to say, I dare you to try noting back. I was deeply shocked. Youre getting married? Im already in my thirties, so whats so strange about getting married? Ming Bin was not in a good mood as he said, On the contrary, youre in your forties but still arent married yet. Mom and Dad are just about worried to death. I couldnt help but start to feel guilty. Indeed, I hadnt visited my mother and father in a long time. I lifted my head to look at Ming Bins face. Since when did Ming Bins baby face be so mature? Hey! Are youing back or not? Ming Bin rushed me unceasingly. I said quickly, Of course, Ill go back right now... However, I opened my mouth again to question a little hesitantly, You didnt invite Xiao Xiao Lan, right? Xiao Xiao Lan? Ming Bin raised an eyebrow as he said, Since when have you started avoiding Xiao Xiao Lan? Werent you hiding from Prince before? Fine, dont give me that dirty look. I didnt invite her as a guest. I only invited the people from the Dark Emperor Team. The Dark Emperor Team. I also havent seen them for so long. I nodded my head. Ille back immediately. After I neatly folded several pieces of clothing and put them into my small luggage bag, I headed off to the nearest transmission station. It took less than half an hour before I once again stepped into the ce I was most familiar with. My house was just two streets away from Xiao Xiao Lans house. With much difficulty, I finally managed to find among my pile of cards the maic card that opened my house door. However, before I had even stuck the card in to open the door, the door had already opened. Ming Bins slender figure and his face bearing an indifferent expression appeared behind the door. He easily took the luggage from me, saying, Come on in. Ill introduce the bride to you. Hearing this, I couldnt help but be a little nervous. I smoothed out my already very smooth suit, fearing that I might cause Ming Bin to lose face. I stepped into the living room and following that waspletely stunned. My houses not-so-spacious living room was now packed full of people. There was Xiao Xiao Lan, Gui, Lolidragon, and Feng Yang Ming, who was even yawning. Come, this is the person who is about to be our familys brideC Xiao Xiao Lan! Ming Bin introduced her very seriously, and I became even more dazed. This was the first time I had seen Xiao Xiao Lan after she grew up. She looked more like her father, but that pair ofrge eyes was exactly the same as Xiao Lans. Turning my head as though I was a robot, I asked shakily, The person that you are going to marry is Xiao Xiao Lan? Ming Bin raised an eyebrow and answered, How is that possible? Even if I wanted to marry her, shes not willing to marry me. B-But you said that you are getting married?! I suddenly felt like a bird caught in a trap. I said that our family is going to have a wedding. Ming Bin blinked his innocent-looking eyes as he replied, Bro, youre also considered our family member, right? I roared loudly, You said that you didnt invite Xiao Xiao Lan. Exactly. Ming Bin said earnestly, I didnt invite her as a guest. She is the bride. Stop talking nonsense. I was a little at a lost for words and retreated back towards the door slowly. Then, I broke into a run towards the door, afraid that I wouldnt be able to escapeter. A big boy stood at the door and was stretching his arms and legs. Then, with a spinning kick, he broke the screen at the front door. Following that, he gave a dashing smile and said, Hi, long time no see, Zhuo-shshu. I am Long Ming. Do you still remember me? My kung fu is pretty good, right? This was learned from Kenshin, and of course, Silver-Masked Quick Fox also taught us quite a bit. These words were the equivalent of telling me that leaving from the front door was impossible. My gaze flickered, and I dashed up the stairs, intending to escape from my rooms window. Just as I was intending to kick the window open, the window itself shattered into a pile of shards. A familiar apron-wearing, kitchen knife-wielding figure was single-handedly supporting herself on the window ledge; then, she jumped in. She was Cold Foxs brilliant student, Feng Lan. Zhuo-gg, long time no see. Xiao Lan smiled iparably radiantly, so much that it was even a little hard on the eyes, almost like Yu Lians smile. Xiao Lan... How could I possibly square off with Xiao Lan? What was more important was that even if I exchanged blows with her, I was afraid that I wouldnt be her match. Once again, I could only turn around to leave. I remembered that there was a back door in the kitchen, so I sprinted down the stairs. When I passed by the living room, I saw Xiao Xiao Lan still sitting on the sofa. She only watched me pass by with open eyes, not making any movements at all. From the kitchen, there came sounds of someone stir-frying some food. After I dashed in, I realized that Wolf-gsrge figure was currently busy pouring drinks into cups, and Yu Lian was standing in front of the back door. She held a ray gun in both her left and right hands, and on her face was a terrifying, amiable smile. Xiao Xiao Lan says that she doesnt mind the groom sitting in a wheelchair at the wedding. Yu Lian gave a gentle smile. My face was ashen-white, and I slowly backed out of the kitchen. However, Wolf-g stopped me, Wicked, take this tray of beverages out for everyone to drink on your way out. Then, he passed the tray that was full of drinks to me. I received the tray and walked back to the living room with heavy footsteps. I put the beverages on the table, and everyone took a cup for themselves. Then, they sat in a circle, surrounding me in the center. Do you prefer a Western-style or Chinese-style wedding? Xiao Xiao Lan asked with wide-open eyes. I purposely didnt look at Xiao Xiao Lan and turned around to look at Gui. As though I was crying for help, I pleaded, Gui, didnt you say that you would definitely not let your daughter marry me? Instantly, a kitchen knifetched onto Guis throat, and another Cold Fox-brand flying dagger that gave off a cold gleam appeared in Xiao Xiao Lans hands as she gently ced it at the back of Guis neck. Gui was iparably calm as he replied, In my house, there are two women who can wield kitchen knives or throwing knives and deal away with ten or more robbers holding ray guns. I have already married the one wielding the kitchen knife. I believe, other than you who had tried to fight with me over the woman holding the kitchen knife, Im afraid that no one would dare marry the one in my house wielding the throwing knife. A hand pped onto my back. I turned to look and saw Long Ming who was currently shaking his head as he sighed, Zhuo-shshu, Xiao Xiao Lan has already sent countless admirers running off in fear. She will not let you go. I was finally forced to look at Xiao Xao Lan but attempted onest struggle. Xiao Xiao Lan, youre only fifteen years old. Xiao Xiao Lan still had her eyes wide open as she asked, Am I too young? Then should we get marriedter? I nodded my head desperately. Xiao Xiao Lan immediately stood up screaming loudly in happiness, Thats wonderful! Zhuo-gge agreed to marry me. I froze. What did I just agree to? You promised me that youll only marry at twenty, Gui murmured to Xiao Xiaon uneasily, and Xiao Xiao Lan nodded her head cutely. It was only at this moment that I recalled that it waspletely impossible for Xiao Xiao Lan to get married to me right now. Thew dictates that you cant marry at fifteen! I had been tricked; I had been set up by everyone! My own little brother included. I couldnt help but lift my head to shift my gaze onto my brother. Without even the least bit of remorse, Ming Bin said, Dont use that resentful look on me. Who asked Mom and Dad to say that the two sons in the house are both not married, and if you didnt find a wife within half a year, I was to immediately go prepare a photo for an arranged marriage? My gaze became even more resentful. Moreover... Ming Bin shrugged his shoulders as he said, You like Xiao Xiao Lan a lot anyways, so I dont know why youre splitting hairs over it. I dont! I objected, but then I abruptly remembered that Xiao Xiao Lan was right here, and if I spoke like this, I would hurt her. I looked at Xiao Xiao Lan in a hurry, but she had turned around with her back facing me. Seeing her helpless shoulders shaking non-stop, my heart felt as though it was shaking continuously along with those small shoulders. I seemed unable to control my body and walked towards Xiao Xiao Lan, pulling her into an embrace. Filled with matchless regret, I said, Sorry, I didnt say that on purpose. I was only... splitting hairs over it. Then, do you like me? Xiao Xiao Lan asked, choking a little as she sobbed. I like you, I like you! I couldnt help but bury my face in her hair, breathing in a fresh and clean fragrance like that of grass. Xiao Xiao Lan turned around to face me, and her eyes were still held wide-open, without even half a drop of tears. She smiled as radiantly as the sunlight as she answered, I knew that you would definitely like me. Following that, she pulled my head over and ruthlessly gave me a kiss! Volume 9 Chapter 7 Volume 9 Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Kenshin, Part One C tranted by Evangeline I was not surprised at all as I watched Xiao Xiao Lan kiss Wicked by force. Everyone thought that Xiao Xiao Lans personality resembled that of her mothers, but I knew better. Xiao Xiao Lan was too stubborn to relent, just like a carbon copy of her father. This also meant that she was extremely clingy and never believed that she could ever fail. So, when Xiao Xiao Lan announced that she would marry Wicked, I immediately started preparing her dowry. I just didnt expect to wait this long. I forgot the fact that humans have to live for about twenty years before they get married. My name is Kenshin. Im not sure exactly where this name came from. Well, I think that since Prince has been calling me that from the beginning, and I knew nothing beside the fact that I was the Demon King, I believed Kenshin to be my name. In truth, I dont know what my name is because I am an artificial intelligence, aputer application with self-awareness. I was originally an NPC in a game called Second Life, but I suddenly grew self-aware, and in a twist of fate I walked out of that dark cave with Prince and mypanion. I had originally thought that the two of us would keep following Prince until the game was shut down, which would also be the day we died. However, a lot of things happened, and I finally understood that I had actually been a real person. I had died because Long Dians experiment failed, and thus I became a person who died inside a game and yet came back to life in the game. Just what in the world am I? Even I myself dont understand. When Prince offered to make me an artificial body, I wavered. I wasnt sure if I really wanted to go to the real world. However, I didnt hesitate for long before I decided to go. The reason was that I discovered the Min couple had almost burned down their house for the fifth time in three days. There were a lot of reasons for that: they forgot the soup was on the stove and melted the soup pot; after roasting meat, they threw the grill directly onto the grass; they put burning incense on the bed... If I didnt go take care of that couple in the real world, they probably wouldnt make it past their wedding anniversary. First, I became the Min and Feng family butler, and then I had to look after the pregnant person. Luckily, Wicked came to help, or else I wouldnt have been able to leave Guis side. Afterward, I became a nanny. Xiao Long Ming and Xiao Xiao Lans energy and destructive abilities were astonishing, on the same level as their mothers. Originally, their favorite pastime was to run away from the house. Escaping from my supervision was their usual leisure activity. ying pranks on me and making fun of me gave them a sense of aplishment, even though they rarely seeded. But one day, when Cold Fox came to our ce and identally left his family crest at our house, Xiao Long Ming and Xiao Xiao Lan suddenly respected me much more, and they even started to idolize Cold Fox. No doubt the Ice Emperor Syndicate is famous, but normally, do five and six year old kids know so much about the criminal underworld? Even recognizing the crest of the Ice Emperor Syndicate? Cold Fox mused as he drank his tea. Normal kids shouldnt know, but nobody from this family is normal, I replied calmly. The day before yesterday, Long Ming made a bomb and blew up the storeroom. Yesterday, Xiao Xiao Lan used a big motorcycle lock to severely injure the man who had tried to kidnap them. Earlier today, they had run to Lolidragonspany and gone on a rampage, paralyzing the entirepanys systems. I had just caught them and spanked their bottoms. The two that had been spanked and had been crying a few minutes ago were now hiding near the living room, eavesdropping on my conversation with Cold Fox. Their recovery rate is astonishingly fast, but their ability to reflect on their actions is astonishingly low. Quick Fox-gge, your flying daggers are so pretty. Can I have one? Xiao Xiao Lan finally couldnt help but rush over to Cold Foxs side to stare at the daggers at his waist with glittering eyes. Before Cold Fox could answer, I said, No! She had severely injured someone with a motorcycle lock, so if Xiao Xiao Lan got her hands on a dagger that could cut through even metal, she would be a danger to the entire world. Xiao Xiao Lan pouted and sat down on the sofa, fuming. Xiao Long Ming also came over, stared at Cold Fox, and swallowed a couple of times.Does he think that Cold Fox is edible? Are you the top assassin for the Ice Emperor Syndicate, Silver-Masked Quick Fox? asked Xiao Long Ming, even though his eyes were saying: I know you are, there is no use in denying it. Then Kenshin must be Silver-Masked Quick Foxs underling. He probably turned over a new leaf, so he hid his identity and came to our house to be our butler. Xiao Xiao Lan nodded knowingly and patted me, saying, Dont worry, Long Ming and I wont tell anyone about your real identity. Yep. Long Ming had a serious expression on his little face. He said, We wont be scared of you because you were an assassin. Kenshin will always be our capable butler. I am not sure if Im supposed to be happy or exasperated. These two kids have astonishing imaginations as well. All of a sudden, the phone rang. I picked it up, and Celestials face appeared on the screen. He sobbed, Kenshin, Kenshin, my wife has gone missing. Shes been stolen away! Doll has been stolen away? I frowned. Did she fall in love with another person, or does he mean something else? A hand appeared on the screen and shoved Celestials face away, and then Nan Gong Zuis face appeared. Kenshin, I need to talk to Cold Fox. I raised my eyebrows and reached over to tug Cold Fox into the screen, thinking, Weird, why does everyone looking for Cold Foxe to me? Something happened? Cold Fox asked expressionlessly. Have there been ns of kidnapping Doll in the criminal underworldtely? asked Nan Gong Zui seriously. He exined, Doll got kidnapped and the kidnappers have asked for arge ransom. They also requested that children bring the money. Its a very serious matter. Celestial squeezed back into the screen and yelled, Kenshin, Kenshin, quickly, go and bring my wife back to me! I asked coldly, Arent you Dolls bodyguard? How did you lose sight of her? I... I... Celestial suddenly went all teary and started mopping up tears with a handkerchief. He cried, My wife got all angry at me for no reason and then she yelled at me and stormed off. She also forbade me from following her. What happened to Doll-jijie? asked Xiao Xiao Lan worriedly as she also squeezed in front of the camera, her small face appearing on the screen. Nan Gong Zui and I both lowered our heads and looked at Xiao Xiao Lan. I asked, Have you found any children to pay the ransom? No. No parent would ever agree to this. Even as Nan Gong Zui spoke, his eyes strayed down to Xiao Xiao Lan constantly. Finally, he could not help but ask, Where are Prince and Lolidragon? They went out, saying something about finding inspiration in Egypt, I replied calmly, even though I didnt understand what kind of inspiration they needed. I continued, Yang Ming followed them to Egypt while Gui and Wicked got dragged into thepanyb by Long-b. Those two will not being out of there until their experiment seeds. Nan Gong Zui blinked. He said, That means that you are in charge right now? I have always been in charge. Basically, from which kindergarten Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming went to, all the way to what brand of toilet bowl cleaner we use is up to me. Gui and Feng Wu Qing even gave me their bank books and seals. Feng Wu Qing said this, If you keep our bank book, I will have a coffin to sleep in when I die. If Shui Han or I keep it, we probably would end up with no money. We would have to take apart the Chanel handbags to make our burial clothes. Then, our bodies would get dumped into the sea as fish food. Gui said this, Ah, Kenshin, I think that you should keep our bank book. You see, Xiao Lan and I have lost it too many times already, and the bank has already warned us that they will not give us a recement if we lose it again. Then is it okay... Nan Gong Zui seemed to be struggling, but when his eyes fell on Xiao Xiao Lans cute face, his expression changed. He sighed. Forget it, I cant let Xiao Xiao Lan take such a venture. Adventure? Where? Xiao Xiao Lans eyes sparkled. No fair! I want to go on an adventure too. Why only consider Xiao Xiao Lan? Xiao Long Ming pouted. I thought this over, We cant leave Doll alone. I said to Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming, This is dangerous. Can you promise me that you wont fool around? Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming both nodded vigorously. I turned to Nan Gong Zui and said, Talk to the kidnappers and postpone the ransom exchange for at least six hours. There are some things I need to teach Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming first. Nan Gong Zui nodded seriously, Its up to you then, Kenshin. I nodded back, ended the phone call, and turned to look at Cold Fox, who threw his flying dagger into the hard marble table and drew out a mini ten-centimeter handgun from his boot. Cold Fox said, Mini derringer. It has fifteen bullets. It may be small, but killing someone with it isnt a problem. Following that, Cold Fox took out a metal tube the size of a finger from behind his ear. It had a safety pin on top. Cold Fox exined, There are two liquids inside; drawing out the safety pin and shaking it will make it explode. It counts as an extra small sized bomb. Then, Cold Fox took off the ring on his little finger and put it on Xiao Xiao Lans forefinger. An electric ring. If there is an impact from the front side of the ring, it will release enough electricity to knock someone out. Next, Cold Fox took out an earring about the size of a thumb nail from his left ear and put it on Xiao Xiao Lans ear. Cold Fox looked at me and said. This earring is a micrputer. You can direct Xiao Xiao Lan from within. Cold Fox brought his feet up onto the table and showed the nails underneath, Spiked shoes, originally designed to lessen friction when exercising, but theyre also pretty good for sneak attacks. Give me one hour, and I can get two pairs in Xiao Xiao Lans and Xiao Long Mings sizes, as well as bullet and de proof tops, pants, and head bands from home. I guarantee that they will look like normal clothes. Can I have a Meat-bunbun design? Xiao Xiao Lan asked with anticipation. Cold Fox nodded and then called his house to pass on the orders. I thought of something and went to Princes study where Meatbun and Fire Phoenix were soundly sleeping. I grabbed Meatbun, ignored Fire Phoenixs fire (since my body was impervious to damage anyway), sewed two straps onto Meatbun, and walked back into the living room. I waved Xiao Long Ming over and strapped the Meatbun backpack onto him. Meatbun blinked and asked, Ken Ken, what is Meat-bunbun doing on Long Longs back? If Long Ming tells you to do anythingter, do it! Now, dont move or talk, I said simply, the simpler the instructions for Meatbun, the better. Meatbun dared not nod, so he blinked to show that he understood. After an hour, Cold Foxs people really did send over two sets of gear. They looked like cute, normal kids clothing with a Meatbun design. If not for the fact that they didnt have a single scratch on them even after Cold Fox shot them with a machine gun, it would be hard to believe that they were anything other than normal kids clothes. I helped the two children change and then started teaching Xiao Xiao Lan how to fight, while Cold Fox started exining to Long Ming how to use the mini derringer and test tube bomb. This was the first time that I was d for Xiao Xiao Lans gift forbat, which definitely came from her mother. In fact, she had probably already surpassed her mother. However, I was also a little worried about the damage Xiao Xiao Lan may inflict on this world in the future now that her destructive ability was going to grow even more. Long Ming also took after his mother. He easily grasped the usage of every kind of projectile and trap. Cold Fox even asked me, Can I recruit these two kids into the Ice Emperor Syndicate? Unless you want the Ice Emperor Syndicate to be utterly annihted by an artificial human, I replied icily. If I let these two kids go into the criminal underworld, giving them two extremely dangerous and destructive biological weapons, then how could I face ... No, not their parents, how could I face the world? It was about time, so I prepared to take the two kids to the transmission station, but before I left, I could not help but turn and tell Cold Fox, Take care of it if you can. If possible, I dont want these two kids to face danger. Cold Fox nodded seriously. I took the six year old and five year old and left the house. Is there anything less dependable than depending on two children to save a queen? Unfortunately, as objectionable as it is, we still have to do it for Dolls sake. I brought Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming to Dolls country. We had just stepped out of the transmission station when we saw a row of ck limousines parked outside. The door of one car opened and Nan Gong Zui stepped out. He sighed in relief when he saw us, appreciation written all over his face, but Phoenix beside him had a face full of worry. Xiao Xiao Lan rushed over when she spied Phoenix and said sweetly, I havent seen Phoenix-jiji in a long time. Phoenix picked Xiao Xiao Lan up and asked in a touched voice, You still remember me? Phoenix then turned to Nan Gong Zui, Husband, must we let them go for the ransom exchange? Im really worried. Phoenix, the kidnappers insisted on children. For Doll, we have to do this. Nan Gong Zui spoke resolutely, even though his baby face made it look more like he was pouting. I alsoforted Phoenix, Dont worry, I will be with Xiao Xiao Lan. Phoenix nodded. Suddenly, Celestial rushed out from the limousine, grabbed me, and started bawling, I want to go save my wife. I want to go save my wife too! I replied coldly, You stay with me in Xiao Xiao Lans earring, then. Nan Gong Zui took a deep breath, squatted down next to Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming, ruffled their hair, and asked, Are Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming scared? Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming looked at each other and said at the same time, Were a bit nervous. Nan Gong Zui smiled, Promise Zui-shshu, you have to put your own safety first, okay? Both Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming nodded meekly, but every time after they created chaos and promised not to wreak havoc anymore, they wore that exact same expression. Three minutester, they would go back to wreaking havoc. Obviously Nan Gong Zui did not understand these two as well as I did because he nodded with satisfaction, took out a ck bag, tied it to Xiao Xiao Lans wrist, and exined, This bag is very, very important, okay? Xiao Xiao Lan has to look after it because you will need to trade this for Doll-jijie. Then, Nan Gong Zui gave Long Ming a minimunicator. The kidnappers want you two to hold on to this. They will use this tomunicate with you. Follow their instructions, but if there is any danger, dont put yourselves at risk, all right? Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming nodded more vigorously. While everyone was praising how obedient they were, I was probably the only one who saw them exchange an excited look. Then, themunicator Xiao Long Ming was holding started to sing Im not afraid of going to a cemetery~. Xiao Long Ming pressed the receiver button and answered the call without hesitating. Hello? What? How old am I? Im six years old, and my sister is five... Go into the transmission station? Okay, I will go in with my sister now. Xiao Long Ming hung up, took Xiao Xiao Lans hand, and waved good-bye to us. Mr. Kidnapper wants us to go into the transmission station. Can we go in now? I nodded, My consciousness has entered Xiao Xiao Lans earring. You can go, and I will be watching. Then, Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming cheerfully walked into the transmission station hand in hand, looking as happy as they would have been if they were out on a trip. As for me, I still looked the same in my artificial body, but in truth, half of my consciousness had already entered Xiao Xiao Lans earring. Through the earrings camera, I saw the world at a childs height for the first time. Xiao Xiao Lan quickly got into a transmission machine, and I heard Long Ming say, Mr. Kidnapper wants us to randomly select a coordinate, or else they will kill Doll-jijie. Kill? Xiao Xiao Lan bit her finger, What does that mean? Long Ming cocked his head, I dont know either, but Zui-shshu told us to follow Mr. Kidnappers instructions, so lets follows Mr. Kidnappers instructions. Long Ming started to randomly press buttons. The transmission machine instantly started. As the two kids disappeared from the transmission station, Nan Gong Zuis smiling face copsed. He covered his face, saying, My god, please let them be okay. Im already starting to regret letting them go. If anything happens to Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming, what am I going to tell Prince and Lolidragon? It would make more sense to think about what you are going to tell Gui and Feng Wu Qing, I said coldly. I watched Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming arrive at an unknown ce and said to Nan Gong Zui, who was relentlessly ming himself, I have contacted Sunshine. He said that he will help us find Prince. After that, I ignored Nan Gong Zuis self-reproach and focused on Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Mings situation. They had just received another call from the kidnappers. The kidnappers seemed to have told the kids an exact location this time. The two kids were whisked away again before they had even stepped out of the transmission station. When the kids got to the new location, the kidnappers gave another order, telling them to get on a bus. Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming were being very obedient and went on the bus under the kidnappers directions. Then, they stuck their head out of the bus in curiosity, looking at strange new sights. This unexpected development helped me gain new information. From how the heat distorted faraway scenery, I could tell that it was a very hot country. The people on the streets wore hoods and long robes to protect their bodies. Arabia? I narrowed the list of countries in my head. The bus drove out of the city into a sandy desert, making the two kids who had never seen a real desert gasp and be more excited, to the point of wanting to jump off the bus and y in the sand. Luckily, Xiao Long Ming had pretty good self-control and kept telling Xiao Xiao Lan that they woulde and y in the sand after they were done. When the bus drove past the Sphinx, I was finally one hundred percent sure that they were in Egypt. The bus drove for so long that even the two hyperactive kids dozed off, and all of the other passengers had gotten off. But I was still alert. My body was now sitting on a chair in the pce, but my consciousness was in Xiao Xiao Lans earring, aware of everything that was going on. When night fell, cemeteries dont scare me sounded again. Xiao Long Ming rubbed his eyes and picked up themunicator. Hello? Get off at thest stop, pick up the bag there, and go south following thepass? Oh, okay. Long Ming closed themunicator and shook Xiao Xiao Lan next to him. Xiao Xiao Lan, wake up, we have to get off. Xiao Xiao Lan followed Long Ming off the bus groggily. They found and opened the bag the kidnappers had mentioned. It contained two long coats for kids, tworge water bottles, and apass. Mr. Kidnapper said, wear the coats, or when the sunes up, we will dry up in the heat. Long Ming told Xiao Xiao Lan as he helped her get into the coat. I nodded in satisfaction. As expected of Long Ming for being the older brother. He is taking good care of his sister. Then, the two small silhouettes began to move in the flying yellow sand. Facing the endless sand around them, the two kids werent afraid at all. In fact, they were singing while they walked, as expected of kids from our family. After an hour, the sun gradually began toe up, and I could even see the temperature rising. Its unlikely that kids can withstand desert temperature. Havent these kidnappers taken care of children before? Letting them walk for such a long time in the desert! I started to get unhappy. Its hot. Xiao Xiao Lan pouted while walking. Drink lots of water or you will get dehydrated. Xiao Long Ming sensibly gave Xiao Xiao Lan more water to drink. Time passed by, and before I knew it, the two kids had already been walking for four hours. Towards noon, the temperature from the sun turned hotter and hotter. The two kids couldnt even talk from heat and exhaustion. Xiao Xiao Lan pouted and shouted tearfully, Long Ming, I am so hungry. Long Ming couldnt even reply. From the camera his steps looked wobbly, and it was worrying me quite a bit. In the end, Long Ming stumbled and copsed onto the sand. Long Ming? Long Ming? Xiao Xiao Lan shook Long Mings body and cried tearfully. I finally couldnt stand it any longer. I told Xiao Xiao Lan through the earring, Xiao Xiao Lan, stop walking and find a shady spot in the sand dunes. I aming to save both of you. No! Long Ming lifted his head weakly. Doll-jijie will get killed by Mr. Kidnapper. We have to keep going. Xiao Xiao Lan, help me up. Xiao Xiao Lan nodded resolutely as well, but every time she helped Long Ming stand up, he fell again, feet unstable. I couldnt stand it anymore. I yelled at Xiao Xiao Lan, Turn back, Xiao Xiao Lan. Im telling you to turn back! No! Doll-jijie will get killed. Xiao Xiao Lans not turning back. Xiao Xiao Lan wiped away her tears and got down before Xiao Long Ming. Her voice was nearly like an order. Long Ming, climb on my back. Ill carry you! Long Ming obeyed in a daze and climbed onto Xiao Xiao Lans back. Xiao Xiao Lan stood up and walked forward step by step with Long Ming on her back, dripping sweat unceasingly with every step. I was almost speechless. Facing Xiao Xiao Lans persistence, I couldnt tell her to stop. I could only watch as Xiao Xiao Lans sweat dropped onto the sand, only to evaporate right away. Xiao Xiao Lan had inherited all her mother and fathers determination. Xiao Xiao Lans face brimmed with stubbornness. She was naturally stronger than a normal child, but for her to walk in the hot desert with a boy on her back was too much, even for her. No, I cant take it anymore. I stood up from the chair and looked toward the very stressed Nan Gong Zui at my side and said, I am going to go find them. Has there been trouble? Nan Gong Zui panicked. The kidnappers have obviously never taken care of kids before, I replied coldly, preparing to go to the transmission station. Kenshin ... A voice directly sounded in my mind. This was the way the Dictator of Life, Celestial, Sunshine, and Imunicated. This voice... I frowned and asked, Sunshine? What is it? I got a hold of Prince and Lolidragon. They are at the Sphinx in Egypt right now, sightseeing. Are Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming okay? Sunshine asked, concerned. I think they will be okay now. I sat down slowly, causing Nan Gong Zui and the others to stare in confusion. I said to Sunshine, Tell Prince and the others, Xiao Xiao Lan went on a bus, the bus passed by the Sphinx at one point, they took the bus all the way to thest stop, and now theyre heading south. Sunshine, tell Prince to hurry and they can probably catch up with them. No problem, Sunshine answered. I hesitated and asked, Do Prince and Lolidragon have any weapons? Wait a second, Ill ask. Sunshine finished and replied a momentter, Yes, they do. I calmed down. With a fully armed Prince and Lolidragon to the rescue, even if the kidnappers had three heads and six arms each, they were still screwed. I turned my attention back to Xiao Xiao Lans earring and found that a few ck silhouettes had appeared in front of Xiao Xiao Lan. They walked toward Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming. Xiao Xiao Lan was exhausted and sweaty, but she summoned the energy to yell, Hey, are you the kidnappers? Thats right, little girl. The leading manughed. Then Nan Gong Zui-gg wants me to give this to you guys. Xiao Xiao Lan let Xiao Long Ming down, untied the ck bag at her wrist, and raised it in the air. The man in the front made a grab for the bag, but Xiao Xiao Lan unexpectedly snatched it back, causing him to miss. She pouted, Where is Doll-jijie? The man in the front seemed stunned by Xiao Xiao Lans reaction. He hesitated and thenughed, At our headquarters. Do you want to go find her, little girl? Xiao Xiao Lan seemed to consider it very seriously, but the kidnappers around herughed. They seemed to be amused by the idea that a little girl whose life was now in their hands was considering the question seriously. Xiao Long Ming spoke up at this moment, Xiao Xiao Lan, lets go get Doll-jijie first. Xiao Xiao Lan had always listened to Xiao Long Ming. Hearing him say that, she nodded and told the kidnappers, Okay, we wille with you. The kidnappersughed, a car drove over, and the kidnappers all got in. So did Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming. Ah, cool air! Air conditioning is really the greatest thing ever invented by humans. It was like Xiao Long Ming had suddenly gotten revived. He sprawled over the air conditioner in bliss. Long Ming must have been a penguin in his past life. You are so bad with heat, Xiao Xiao Lan stated with confidence. Then Xiao Xiao Lans past life must have been a gori. Youre so strong, Long Ming countered, not to be outdone. The kidnappers were quite amused by the idle chatter of the two kids. All of themughed so much they couldnt close their mouths. The car arrived at an oasis apanied by Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Mings arguing. The car actually drove into theke in the middle of the oasis. Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming both rushed over to the window in amazement, but no water leaked into the car. The car just sank. It sank to the bottom, and then a semi-circr cover rose around the car, and the water was drained away. Then, the ground sank once more, and when it stopped, I finally saw it an underground base! Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming looked around in excitement. The base was not very big; the corridors were narrow, only wide enough for one adult to pass through at a time. Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming could pass through it standing shoulder to shoulder. Even though it was small, the base was well-equipped. This was obviously a highly professional organization. After all, an organization that can kidnap a queen cant be underestimated. Finally, the kidnappers led the two kids to a hall. There was a seat in the middle of the hall, and to the left was a metal cage. A stately, elegant woman with a crown on her head sat inside the cage. Doll-jijie! Xiao Xiao Lan lunged to the front of the cage. Footnotes Seal: East Asian countries often use seals (stamps) in ce of signatures on documents, paperwork, and contracts. Banks use seals as the method of identifying the ount holder. Im not afraid of going to a cemetery~: This is a Taiwanese pop song sung in the Taiwanese Hokkien dialect in the year 1964 by Ye Qi Tian (~). It waster covered by other singers like Wu Bai () and Jolin Tsai. Volume 9 Chapter 8 Volume 9 Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Kenshin, Part Two C tranted by Evangeline Doll, whose eyes were shut, was shocked. After she opened her eyes, she gaped with her mouth wide open in a very un-queenly way. It took her some time before she could speak. Xiao Xiao Lan? Xiao Long Ming? Why are you here? To take Doll-jijie back. Xiao Long Ming grinned. Doll panicked and yelled, Idiot! Which idiot let you guyse here? Kenshin and Nan Gong Zui-gg, Xiao Xiao Lan replied honestly. Dolls face distorted from anger. Those two idiots! When I get home, they are done for! Do you think you can go home, Your Majesty? All the kidnappersughed. You should already have the ransom, but youre not letting me go? Dolls face spoke of sternness and severity, daring anyone to object. The ransom is here! Xiao Xiao Lan raised the little ck bag in her hand and said to the kidnappers with a frown, If you dont let her go, Im not giving this to you! Xiao Xiao Lan. Dolls helplessness waspletely evident in her expression. The kidnappersughed hysterically. One of the kidnappers walked toward Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming, reaching out as he said, Be a good little girl and give that to uncle here, okay? Then uncle wont hurt you. Xiao Xiao Lan snatched the bag back and pouted, If you dont let Doll-jijie go, you are not getting this. The kidnapper lost his patience and grabbed Xiao Xiao Lans little hand to forcefully take her bag, but Xiao Xiao Lan countered and grabbed his fingers instead, jerking them backward. A clear crackle of bones breaking echoed, along with the piercing howl of the kidnapper. The kidnappers were astonished, and three more kidnappers rushed over. To their surprise, Xiao Long Ming extended his arm, and a ten centimeter mini derringer slid out along his sleeve. Bang, bang, bang. Three shotster, the three kidnappers all copsed to the ground, howling while they each hugged a leg. When the others saw that Xiao Long Ming had a gun, they all pulled out their guns in surprise and aimed them at the two. Finally, I cane into y. The gear worn by Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming wereputer operated. In other words, the gear could be operated by me. I immediately activated the function built into Xiao Xiao Lans and Xiao Long Mings headbands Shield, and two circr shields sprang up in front of the two. The kidnappers bullets all hit the shields, not harming Xiao Xiao Lan or Xiao Long Ming at all. After a crazy volley of shots, the kidnappers, having identified the shields, dropped their guns and took up daggers and clubs. Xiao Xiao Lan took out the Cold Fox brand flying dagger from her boot, rolled under a kidnappers feet, and sliced at a foot with the extremely sharp dagger. After getting injured, the kidnapper tried to cut down Xiao Xiao Lan with his knife, but he got shot through the arm by Xiao Long Ming and joined the others howling on the ground. Damned kids! Another kidnapper with a club seized Xiao Xiao Lans cor and tried to use Xiao Xiao Lan as a shield against Long Mings mini derringer. What he didnt know was that for mass destruction, Xiao Long Ming significantly eclipsed Xiao Xiao Lan, but in terms of single target destruction, none could hope to stand against Xiao Xiao Lan. Xiao Xiao Lannded a flying kick with a nailed shoe in the kidnappers face. The kidnapper immediately screamed in agony, hands no longer having the luxury of holding onto Xiao Xiao Lan as he was preupied with covering his holed face. Even though the enemy was already severely injured, Xiao Xiao Lan didnt forget my order to utterly obliterate the enemys ability to move, which meant not letting the enemys feet go unharmed. Xiao Xiao Lan obeyed me very well; she didnt forget to step on the holed-face kidnappers feet as shended. Cold Fox brand nailed shoes definitely lived up to their name, and the kidnapper copsed, howling nonstop. Currently, the situation was like this: Xiao Xiao Lan continued with her single target destruction, and Xiao Long Ming covered her with his mini derringer, throwing out Cold Fox brand test tube bombs whenever he had the chance. The door that had originally admitted a flow of kidnappers was instantly destroyed, leaving only a tiny crevice half a person tall. Out of the original seven to eight kidnappers in the hall, three were taken down by Long Ming, one had his finger broken by Xiao Xiao Lan, another gained a holed face and holed feet, and the two to three kidnappers that were left soon copsed on the ground as well from Xiao Xiao Lans flying dagger and Xiao Long Mings mini derringer. Have I created the worlds two most dangerous weapons? When they get back, I must confiscate all their gear, or else I cannot face this world. Xiao Xiao Lan put her hands on her hip and yelled arrogantly, Humph! Lying adults, dont you dare lie to us in the future! After speaking, Xiao Xiao Lan turned and ran back to Dolls cage. Like a cute puppy wagging its tail, she asked in a cute voice, Doll-jijie, isnt Xiao Xiao Lan incredible? Kenshin taught us all of that! With difficulty, Doll managed to close her gaping mouth a little, and then she rubbed Xiao Xiao Lans head. Xiao Xiao Lan is indeed incredible. Who is more incredible, my mommy or me? Xiao Xiao Lan looked at Doll in anticipation. The corner of Dolls mouth twitched, Well, your mothers ability has already crossed into the non-human realm, thus it is out of my understanding. Xiao Xiao Lan, look out! Xiao Long Ming yelled. He fell silent after a series of gunshots, so Xiao Xiao Lan turned to look. Long Ming was being held by the throat by a gentle-looking man. The gentleman adjusted his sses and red at Xiao Xiao Lan coldly. Meat-bunbun, help me hit the enemy! Xiao Long Ming shouted. Meatbun immediately flew up from behind Xiao Long Ming and yelled, Dont bully Long-Long! Then, he charged at the gentle-looking man, but after a string of gunshots, Meatbun fell to the floor face-first with smoking holes in his white, pudgy body. Meatbun couldnt help but sob on the ground. At this moment, a muscr man wearing an army outfit came over with a machine gun, stepped on Meatbun, and ground Meatbun under his foot. Meat-bunbun! Let them go! Xiao Xiao Lan shrieked and rushed forward to save Long Ming and Meatbun. Suddenly, a shadow fell over Xiao Xiao Lan. Even though Xiao Xiao Lan was surprised, she still reflexively sliced at the persons foot with the Cold Fox brand flying dagger. However, this time the dagger attack wasnt sessful. It was trampled underfoot along with Xiao Xiao Lans hands by army boots. Xiao Xiao Lans eyes teared up from the pain, but she bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. Xiao Xiao Lan looked up to see the muscr guy in the army uniform looking at her with a scornful look. With a strike from the mans hand, Xiao Xiao Lan went flying into a wall. She coughed up a mouthful of blood and copsed weakly by the wall. Stop! She is just a child! Dolls knuckles turned white from the force of her grip on the metal cage bars, but her face was even whiter. A child? They took out seven of my men. The gentleman adjusted his sses and threw Xiao Long Ming and Meat-bunbun toward Xiao Xiao Lan. Xiao Xiao Lan barely managed to block the two from hitting the wall, but consequently, Xiao Xiao Lans face became even paler. Kill them. The gentleman said uncaringly to the muscr man in the army uniform. Stop! Doll shook the cage desperately. The uniformed man spat to the side and advanced on Xiao Xiao Lan with a disgusted expression, Gah, if you need me to deal with such small fries, then your men are indeed a bunch of trash! The gentleman adjusted his sses once again and replied coldly, I do have quite some trash underneath me, but these two twerps are pretty good if they could defeat that trash. Its a pity their opponent today was me. The uniformed manughed and said, I really want to see their parents expressions when they see their bodies. With that sentence, he kicked forcefully at Xiao Long Ming. Xiao Xiao Lan leaped and managed to shove Xiao Long Ming away. She took the kick herself, grunting from the pain. The expression of the uniformed man darkened. Little girl, you sure are stubborn. Fists rained down on Xiao Xiao Lan. Even though Xiao Xiao Lans reflexes were fast, and she managed to block all the hits with her arms and legs, how could her thin limbs stand up to the battering of the uniformed man? Soon after, Xiao Xiao Lan couldnt even raise her limbs anymore, and her tears streamed continuously down her face, yet she still bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. Xiao Xiao Lan. Tears ran down Dolls beautiful face as she cried out, unable to bear to look at the scene where Xiao Xiao Lan was being brutally beaten up. Stop beating her! Xiao Long Ming struggled to stand up in front of Xiao Xiao Lan, only to be swatted away by the uniformed man. Stop ying around and kill them already. We have to continue with our second round of ransoming. The gentleman said impatiently. The other man grinned cruelly upon hearing that and took out a German-made machete from his waist. He raised the knife high in front of Xiao Xiao Lan... BANG! The door that was originally blocked by rocks was suddenly blown wide open. Smoke billowed all around the room. Through the haze, the outline of a hover bike appeared, and both the gentleman and the uniformed man pulled out their guns and watched warily. The smoke finally cleared away. Two people sat on the hover bike; the one in front wore a ck safety helmet that covered the entire head, a leather windbreaker, and ck jeans, looking very cool and strong. In the back seat sat a seductive and charming beauty with hair dyed in a purplish-red who was wearing a low-cut top and possessed a pair of long, shapely, and high-heeled legs that peeked out from underneath a cute, mini leather skirt. Even the gentleman and the man in uniform swallowed at the sight of those beautiful long legs. Who are you? The gentleman immediately regained hisposure and asked. He looked at the one sitting in the front seat of the hover bike. The beauty in the backseat stepped off elegantly and sensually. But after that, her legs wobbled and she almost fell, only righting herself in the nick of the time against the bike. The beauty couldnt help but protest to the bike driver, Hey, you speed too much! Four hundred, it was four hundred! You went faster than a high-speed train! After the bike driver took off her helmet and shook out her ponytail, sheughed, Its to save our babies. The face under the helmet couldnt be any more familiar to me. With brown hair and brown eyes, she was a forever confident and handsome girl; Prince! This time, my expression finally rxed. There was no need to worry about the two children anymore. Two beauties! The uniformed man muttered in lust. Mommy! The two children yelled. Xiao Xiao Lan finally stopped biting her lip and started to cry loudly. Prince! Doll also yelled, relief in her voice. Prince spotted Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming, both of them with many injuries, especially Xiao Xiao Lan. Prince quickly rushed over to her precious daughters side, and Xiao Xiao Lan dove into her mothersp. Prince asked Xiao Xiao Lan gently, Does anywhere hurt very, very much? Everywhere! Xiao Xiao Lan bawled in her mothers embrace. Prince quickly examined Xiao Xiao Lans body, making sure that her daughter hadnt received any fatal injuries, and sighed in relief. She emitted a motherly aura and said to her daughter, Xiao Xiao Lan, go with Xiao Long Ming over to his mommy, okay? Xiao Xiao Lan sobbed while replying, Whats Mommy going to do? Nothing much. Mommy is going to let certain bad guys know that they are not the worst in this world! Prince replied and then stood up slowly, her fierce eyes saying, You dont know what it means to anger a wolf! The gentleman and the uniformed man hesitated. After the gentleman collected his thoughts, his expression turned vicious and he said to the man in thearmy uniform, Lets take care of her together! However, the uniformed man ignored him and charged toward Prince alone, yelling, Shes just a woman. I can make her cry on her knees by myself! The machete in his hands was almost upon Princes head when Prince calmly drew out a weapon from her back and stopped the German-made machete with a ng. The uniformed man stared in disbelief at the weapon in Princes hands; a kitchen knife. This weapon is the ultimate tool, as it can be used for anything from chopping vegetables to butchering pork. You can even hide it in your house without raising suspicion, and even the weapon control protocol cant forbid you from using it. When you are going through customs, you can simply pack it inside your suitcase and stick on a Kinmenbel on the box. Then, even the officials at the customs will praise you smilingly, You sure are a professional. This ones a good knife. The German-made machete suddenly emitted a breaking sound, and then it started to crack. The entire machete soon crumbled into a pile of scrap metal. The uniformed man stared at the kitchen knife in Princes hands in disbelief and yelled, Thats not a kitchen knife! That cant be a kitchen knife! Prince raised a finger and wagged it smartly, No! This IS a kitchen knife, but its also a diamond edged, invincible kitchen knife. Not only can it cut through the most stubborn pork bones, it can also dismantle ray guns. Its my faithfulrade for traveling, cooking, and even cutting up criminals! Go to hell, woman! The uniformed man roared and kicked at Princes shins. However, Prince instead stepped firmly on his kicking foot. She mmed the hilt of the knife into the mans temple, and then Princes heavily booted foot kicked viciously toward the mans groin. After two sounds simr to the sound of bubbles popping, the man went down frothing without a noise. Bastard! You dare to hit such a cute loli like my daughter? I will punish you in the name of all those with Lolitaplexes around the world! Prince yelled heroically at the unconscious man on the ground. Hey, are you really Xiao Xiao Lans mother... You should be punishing him in the name of your daughter! I watched Prince exasperatedly through Xiao Xiao Lans earring. Who are you? The gentleman asked, hisplexion turning sour. Prince turned to look at the gentleman and narrowed her eyes dangerously. She asked, Are you the mastermind? The one who kidnapped Doll, let my baby walk around in a sizzling desert, and then even dared to injure her? The gentle-looking man didnt answer Prince. Instead, he picked up something that looked like amunicator and yelled into it, Send men over. Where the heck are all of you? If the ones youre calling are those people outside, they either got run over by my bike, or got run over after they were taken down by my tear gas, so I suggest that you save your breath. Princes expression was dark, and her voice was icy as she spoke. The gentleman took out a light rifle, but just as he started to pull the trigger, the kitchen knife flew over and split it right down the middle. The knife then continued to fly into the wall behind him, embedding itself nearly to the hilt. The gentleman was initially startled by the sight, but his expression soon turned shrewd, and he said, You dont have the diamond edged kitchen knife anymore, so how are you going to fight me now? Just a warning, I am a karate five dan Hiya! Prince charged straight at him, and with a spinning kick, she attacked him without any hesitation. He barely managed to deflect it with his hands, but the force from Princes kick still sent him rolling to the side. The gentlemans face twisted and his arms shook, but he still forced himself to stand up nonchntly. He said, Nice karate kick, but Im telling you now, I am also a judo Prince rushed forward again and grabbed his cor, right leg kicking out at his ankle viciously, and threw him over her shoulder. The gentlemany on the floor, blood trickling out of his mouth as he continued his sentence, ...Three dan. The gentleman finally counter-attacked. As his legs formed a cross, he restrained Princes waist while his arms circled around Princes neck. He looked exultant as he said, I am also one of the world wrestling guilds top ss members. Oh, tough luck, Lolidragon saidzily, The one you are wrestling with right now is the world wrestling guilds honorary advisor. The gentleman was stunned, and Prince grinned evilly, Cross strangle! Finally, the gentleman joined the frothing club on the ground. Prince retrieved her kitchen knife and cut the gentlemans clothes into ribbons. Prince took out a key from the mess of clothes, and she went over to Xiao Xiao Lan to give the key to her. Prince smiled as she said to her daughter, Go let your Doll-jijie out. She was saved because of Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming. Xiao Xiao Lan smiled as she happily took the key and went to open the cage with Xiao Long Ming. Iy on Princes palm... To be precise, Prince wordlessly took off Xiao Xiao Lans earring and put it on her palm. She even stuck her big eyes against the earring and said, Kenshin, tell Nan Gong Zui that the case has been solved, and dont forget about the reward money. If he doesnt pay up, then we will take his wife on a trip. The kidnapping incident finally came to an end. Queen Doll gave Celestial thirty-six continuous ps upon his tearful arrival and attempt to hug her. Celestial cried even more, but Doll just said angrily, Youll still hug me? Didnt you have fun with that cute maidst time? Celestial sobbed and tugged on the corner of Dolls clothes. She kissed me on the cheek by force. I didnt have fun. Celestial only likes Doll. Liar! Dolls expression softened, but she still replied harshly. Its true, I only like Doll. Celestial was bawling now, afraid that his wife wouldnt believe him. Really? Doll narrowed her eyes. Celestial nodded vigorously, and Doll finally smiled. She patted Celestials head. Fine, Doll will believe you. Celestials the best. I have to ask, the reason that you guys argued, resulting in your running away and getting kidnapped cant be because... Nan Gong Zui and Phoenixs expressions were horrified, A little maid kissed Celestials cheek? Doll and Celestial both replied innocently, Yeah! The incident where Doll got kidnapped only took up a tiny corner in the newspaper, but the incident where Nan Gong Zui and Phoenix beat up the queen of a country became the headline for three weeks. Later, Doll was determined to marry Celestial, but all of her chancellors opposed her decision. In a fit of rage, Doll abdicated and tossed the throne to her sister, eloping to our house with Celestial, bing one of the parasites. Yu Lian, Ugly Wolf, Winter Triumph, and his sister, Disi, who were working in Dolls pce, also came with her. Although Cold Fox hadnt found out the kidnappers identities right away, when the gentleman tried to escape from jail, Cold Fox helped him; he helped him escape into the Ice Emperor Syndicates ck jail. Since then, I often went to Cold Foxs home for tea and to visit the mastermind behind the event that caused the two children to go through torture and turned them into potential dangers to the world. Xiao Xiao Lan hid the Cold Fox brand flying dagger in her underwear. She boldly said to Cold Fox, If you want it back, then you need to take off my underwear! But, Wicked and Gui were watching on the side. Even though both Gui and Wickedbined together still could not hope to match Cold Fox when it came to fighting, Guis two hundred I.Q. was not for nothing. Gui said coldly, There are four three-hundred and sixty degree cameras in this room. If you dare take off my daughters underwear, I will broadcast the video of Silver-Masked Quick Fox taking off a five year old girls underwear to the world. Princes reaction was this: You want to take off my daughters underwear? Okay, but remember, you have to be responsible and marry her when she is eighteen, or else I will tear Kenshin into scrap. What does all of this have to do with me? Dont touch Xiao Xiao Lan, or I will infect Kenshin with viruses. Wicked threatened coldly as well. Cold Fox and I were both speechless. Xiao Long Ming didnt put the mini derringer into his underwear because Cold Fox would just take it without any qualms. Instead, he stuffed it into Xiao Xiao Lans underwear as well, and it went off identally in the process... Luckily, the gun was pointing down, so there was just a small hole in Xiao Xiao Lans underwear. Cold Fox looked at me. What should I do now? I looked at the two kids. Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming both had an imploring expression on their faces, but I refused to give in and ordered, Return them! Both Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming lookedpletely disappointed. Xiao Xiao Lan took out the mini derringer and the flying dagger, pouting, Looks like I have to take Mommys kitchen knife, although its heavy. Luckily, my mom has a lot of back-up kitchen knives. Prince said helpfully, Do you want Mommy to give you a fruit knife? Its much lighter. My dads ray gun is also very heavy. Looks like I have to work on my arm strength. Luckily, my dad has a full collection of gear. Xiao Long Ming sighed at the sight of his toothpick sized arm. ...Both of you can keep the gear, I couldnt have answered in any other way. From that day onward, Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming often visited the Ice Emperor Syndicate. Cold Fox even gave them permits to prevent them from using the flying dagger to dig a hole in the door of the Ice Emperor Syndicate when they couldnt find Cold Fox to open the door for them. As usual, Xiao Xiao Lan never gives up on her goals until she aplishes them. In order to find Cold Fox, she could causeplete chaos in the Ice Emperor Syndicate. When Cold Fox came back after just going out for coffee, he could only stare nkly at the sight of Xiao Xiao Lan and Xiao Long Ming taking on a group of ray gun armed members of the Ice Emperor Syndicate. Just because her father said I miss your mother so much, Xiao Xiao Lan could also post up advertisements searching for her mother in the newspaper. When that didnt work, she personally went out to search around half the globe for Prince and lied to get her home, the lie being that Daddy had a fatal disease and was about to die. Daddys got lovesickness. Its very dangerous; Lin Dai Yu died from it! Xiao Xiao Lan pointed out to her mother without any remorse. So, when Xiao Xiao Lan said that she was going to marry Wicked, I never doubted that her future husband would be Wicked. When I saw that Xiao Xiao Lan finally had Wicked wrapped around her finger, I only thought about how slow she was this time. It was probably because she was not in hurry to get married as she was still young! Back in the present, after Xiao Xiao Lan had Wicked wrapped around her finger, she wasnt ever going to let him go again. Therefore, Wicked had to go back to Lolidragonspany, and he became the newest member of our family. His fate was simr to Guis, always either waiting for his wife toe home or chasing his wife around the world every day. Currently, our family consists of Lolidragon, Feng Wu Qing, Prince, Gui, Xiao Long Ming, Xiao Xiao Lan, Long-b, Princes parents, Zhuo familys parents, Ming Huang, Doll, Celestial, Ugly Wolf, and Yu Lian. Winter Triumph and Disi also came over with Doll, Sunshine and Fairsky referred to this ce as their home base, and there was also Meatbun and Fire Phoenix. Not long afterward, Nan Gong Zui and Phoenix also moved in, so its like an extremelyrge family. Oh, right. There is also the Dictator of Life, me, and the newly joined Elf and Demon Thirteen. Cold Fox is here so often he might as well be residing here too. Even though the number of members in this family is unbelievablyrge, not everyone is home at the same time. Prince, Lolidragon, Long Ming, Xiao Xiao Lan, and the always-chasing-after-the-wife-every-time-they-realize-the-wife-disappeared husbands, namely, Gui, Wicked, and Feng Wu Qing; these people always do weird things in various ces around the world. Generally, Prince is the one who starts it, or Xiao Xiao Lan. If you ever read in the newspaper about some ve trader tied up in front of a police station, crying about how he will never do it again, or some corrupted minister stripped naked and tied upside down on a balcony, the evidence of his corruption e-mailed to the world, or some kidnapped girl being rescued by an anonymous person, face blushing over her rescuers handsomeness, or about an ancient treasure that was found and donated to the worlds museums but with some of the beautiful pieces of jewelry missing... No doubt, you are looking at Princes work. Time passed. What didnt change in hundreds or even thousands of years was, I still sat in the same old castle, sipping tea with Cold Fox who had also be an artificial human, watching Xiao Xiao Xiao Xiao... Lan, watching the creation of all kinds of evesting legends! Wee to Second Life. I am Second Lifes Dictator of Life. Please note that you have only one chance to create a character. No changes can be made after the character has been created. With gray eyes, long red hair, and strange patterns under his left eye, the Dictator of Life asks you with a smile, Now, are you ready to create a legend? [? Prince Sequel END] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!