"So, March, are you sure you don't want to consider my feelings at all?" Wende asked helplessly, his legs completely numb.
"What's wrong with lying here for a bit... Mmm, it's so comfy," March murmured with her eyes closed, rolling over on Wende's lap.
Mmm... this feels even better than the pillows at the inn...
Welt, who had just walked through the door, took in the scene. He was no longer surprised by such things; in fact, he would have been more surprised if he didn't see something like this.
"Uncle Welt..."
Wende looked at the newly returned Welt with a numb expression, his eyes pleading for rescue.
"Mm, I'm aware of Dan Heng's situation. This was his own choice... but we must have faith in him. After all, he is a member of our Express... As for the matter at Cloudford, General Jing Yuan has already sent people to investigate, so we no longer need to worry about it."
Welt pushed up his glasses, casting a merciless glance at Wende, who was currently being used as a lap pillow by two young women, before turning and heading upstairs.
"Uncle Welt... you could have been even more perfunctory with me, you know."
Wende stared with dead fish eyes at Welt's retreating back on the staircase and grumbled.
Since Uncle Welt is back, the next person through the door should be...
Wende's gaze turned lifelessly toward the main door. If he wasn't mistaken, a foxian lady with big ears should be walking in any moment, ready to gasp in surprise and call him her benefactor.
Sure enough, not even twenty minutes later, Tingyun arrived, gliding in gracefully. The moment her long legs crossed the inn's threshold, she saw Wende looking like he was in the middle of being used to summon Exodia and covered her mouth in shock.
"Benefactor Wende~ What are you...?"
Hello, please don't involve me.
Wende wore a look of utter despair, but he couldn't bear to startle the two little ones who were already fast asleep. He could only slowly circulate the power of Abundance through his legs.
Night fell again. Wende carried the soundly sleeping March and Stelle to their room and tucked them in.
The moment he placed them on the bed, Stelle seemed to act on reflex, wrapping herself around March like an octopus. March, in turn, hugged Stelle as if she were a doll.
Master Wende, exhausted after a long day, fell into a deep sleep without even eating a bite of dinner...
Just as expected, "Tingyun's" figure appeared after Wende entered a deep sleep. This time, however, she seemed much more cautious. After probing around Wende's door for a moment and confirming that the terrifying power from before did not reappear, she entered his room with confidence.
"Hoo..."
A golden light was exhaled from Tingyun's mouth, once again merging into Wende's body.
"Oh my, I truly didn't expect you to have such a significant background... but it seems they have no intention of stopping me..."
Gently caressing Wende's face, the smile on Phantylia's lips widened.
But now that she knew this little doctor's identity was far from ordinary, it seemed those "extra" activities were off the table...
Still, her trip to the Xianzhou had been quite fruitful. After stealing so much pure life essence... The Xianzhou? It was merely an appetizer for what came next. Whatever countermeasures the people of the Xianzhou had prepared, it no longer concerned her~
"Well then... until we meet again, my little doctor"
...
In the dreamscape, Wende was fishing by a lake when a sudden chill crept into his heart. The entire surface of the lake was gradually freezing over, but Wende's focus remained fixed on the bobber in the water.
Crack... crack... crack...
Just as Wende was reveling in the joy of an anticipated big catch, he suddenly felt a colossal force pull on his fishing rod.
"Hot damn, this has to be a huge fish!"
Wende's face lit up with delight as he braced himself and began to wrestle with the "big fish."
BANG!!
Suddenly! A giant, flawless white hand burst from the lake's surface, snatching Wende's body. Then... a "Jingliu" as tall as a four or five-story building emerged from the water. A wicked smile hung on "her" face as another giant, ice-cold hand slowly reached toward the terrified Wende...
High in the sky, a giant eye observed it all, a hint of amusement in its gaze.
...
"Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Unrestrained laughter echoed in a corner of the universe unheard by mortals.
"..."
"You were clearly laughing too, and you're calling me out? How amusing!"
"Oh? Hahahaha, don't tell me... is that why you were..."
"No, no, no, that has nothing to do with me! Hahahaha!"
"Rest assured, there is no greater, ultimate fun than this. Even if it means making this fun fail! I will help you all. Aha is most trustworthy!"
The crazed laughter resounded through the cosmos, yet the universe remained as brilliant and dark as ever.
...
"WTF!!!"
Wende shot up from his sleep, his face a mask of terror. His chest heaved up and down, his eyes filled with horror.
"How... how could I have such a weird dream?"
He rubbed his face with his hands and picked up his phone from the bedside to check the time...
It was already morning...
...
Reality
Version 1.1 of the game passed by quickly, perhaps too quickly. The main reason was that the players' "livers" were truly strong and powerful. They could rapidly grind through even a major event within the limited time available. If there were no restrictions, they would probably be even faster!
The in-game gacha banner had now moved to the second half of version 1.1, and as a result, a peculiar scene emerged within the player community.
[I, Luocha, am number one under heaven! As long as your health is low, I will burst my clothes for you! (Sound of ripping fabric)]
This was the typical behavior of a Luocha main.
Next were the Wende mains.
[A pixelated Wende stood righteously before the crowd.]
And then came the heretical players.
[Wende x Luocha Locker Room Battle.bvi]
That's right. They had used the models for Wende and Luocha and had thoughtfully "modified the models" to better fit the "original work" of a locker room battle.
However, it failed to pass the review on AC Station. So, this resourceful mastermind invented a method where the characters were only visible if one took off their glasses, and it successfully passed the censors.