Mini World Game Console

Although the Rebel had slipped away again, wasting all the Merit Points spent, this also led Ren Suo to discover a hidden setting: there was actually a relationship system between NPCs, and the Female Demon clashed easily with the White Emperor.

It seemed that everyone's self-introduction was not meaningless; Ren Suo just couldn't understand it.

While pondering the content of the game he had just played, Ren Suo walked into Dong Chengling's house.

Classes hadn't started for the students in these two days, so this period was for their free exploration of the campus.

In regular universities, there would usually be teaching assistants or upperclassmen with various titles guiding the freshmen around the campus.

However, for freshmen at Heaven Lotus University, they were the very first cohort. From now on, they would be the most senior class at this institution.

Gu Yueyan and Lin Xianyu had skipped grades to become first-year freshmen due to their Awakening Abilities and Learning Abilities, effectively becoming the 'seniors' among the newcomers. They had taken on the Academy's task of guiding the freshmen around the paths and buildings of Heavenly Lotus Academy.

Only now did Ren Suo realize why Gu Yueyan had tirelessly practiced her Awakening Ability back then; it was all for skipping grades.

The reason was simple: Dong Chengling was no longer part of the high school teaching staff and had joined the university faculty. Gu Yueyan, who was dead set on following Dong Chengling, saw no need to continue her final year of high school.

As for Lin Xianyu, she was purely swept along by Gu Yueyan. Although her Awakening Ability wasn't bad, her Learning Ability was average. She had returned early in August, urged by Gu Yueyan to catch up on her studies.

No wonder Lin Xianyu had been so excited when she joined Ren Suo in the 'Midnight Walker' operation during that period—it might have been the only time of day she didn't have to use her brain.

When Ren Suo rang the doorbell, Ren Xingmei answered. Ren Suo noted his sister wasn't surprised to see him. He entered and, indeed, found Lin Xianyu there as well, then asked, "Where's your class president?"

"She's cooking with Teacher Dong," said Lin Xianyu, who was playing with her phone while lying on the couch. Her small feet, covered in white socks, dangled in the air, quite eye-catching.

"Classmate Lin, as a lady, you should maintain proper manners in front of others. Please sit properly."

Ren Suo turned his head and saw Bai Ji coming out of the bathroom. Surprised, he asked, "What, are you here to freeload a meal too?"

Upon hearing Ren Suo's words, everyone present mentally rolled their eyes but held back their retorts. Bai Ji said with a smile, "School officially starts in a couple of days. As the head of the teaching staff, I fear I won't have much time afterward. So I'm taking advantage of the free time before school starts to visit a few more times; otherwise, I won't have many chances later."

"You could ask the cafeteria to cook specially for you," Ren Xingmei said, raising an eyebrow.

"The cafeteria surely wouldn't refuse such a request, right? That time in the banquet hall on the fourth floor of the cafeteria, the dishes were just as good as Teacher Dong's, appealing in color, scent, and taste. So why should Teacher Bai add to Teacher Dong's workload?"

Bai Ji smiled and looked at Ren Suo seriously, saying, "Besides the look, scent, and taste of food, there's another important aspect: who you eat with."

Ren Xingmei's eyebrows twitched. Good thing Teacher Dong isn't here, she thought. Unexpectedly, this Bai Ji is so smooth with his words, even when speaking casually. Too bad for him; aside from Xiaoyu and me, only my brother is here. He's picked the wrong audience to flirt with!

"Indeed, it's more enjoyable to eat with more people."

The kitchen door opened, and Qiao Muyi came out, taking off her scarf. "Dinner will take a while longer," she said. "We have more people today, so Cheng Ling needs to prepare more dishes."

Seeing that his sister and Bai Ji had also shown up, Ren Suo was no longer shocked by Qiao Muyi's sudden appearance. "I think I need to file a complaint with Yu Kuangtu..." he said.

"I'm off duty now. What's there to complain about?" Qiao Muyi said disdainfully. "What, can't a public servant have a private life?"

Ren Suo asked, "Aren't you all very busy these days?"

"We're done with that. Now we're busy with something else," Qiao Muyi explained. "It's not dangerous; it mainly involves handing things over to foreigners. The juniors run the errands, and the higher-ups make the decisions, so we in the Middle Layer naturally have some downtime."

Qiao Muyi continued, "I heard many people were gathering at the Chengling family's place for dinner today, so I came over to join the fun... I mean, isn't it better to eat together and make it livelier? Don't you agree, Teacher Bai?"

Bai Ji agreed, "Of course, it's better."

"Right, then how about we share the ice cream you brought as a dessert before the meal?"

Bai Ji nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Speaking of which, Ren Suo, I don't know if you like..."

"Xiaoyu!" Qiao Muyi suddenly shouted. "Go get the ice cream from the fridge."

"Coming!" Lin Xianyu immediately put down her phone, ran over, and took out a tub of ice cream and a small box. Without hesitating, she opened the small box of ice cream and said, "I'll just have this little one. Let's all share the big tub!"

Lin Xianyu took a spoonful of the pale yellow ice cream. As it chilled her mouth, two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. "Cantaloupe flavor! Awesome!"

"Cantaloupe flavor? Sounds pretty tasty..." Ren Suo picked up his bowl and spoon to scoop some ice cream from the tub, asking, "Teacher Bai, what were you asking me just now?"

Bai Ji glanced first at Lin Xianyu, then at Qiao Muyi, who was eating ice cream with narrowed eyes. He slowly shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

The meal turned out to be quite lively. When it was just Ren Suo, Gu Yueyan, and Dong Chengling, they usually relied on the TV for background noise, as they didn't have much to talk about at dinner.

But after Qiao Muyi and Bai Ji joined, the atmosphere became much more vibrant. Bai Ji liked to talk about current events and work, occasionally asking Ren Suo for his opinions. However, Ren Suo would soon be drawn into Qiao Muyi's topics—those undisclosed Demon incidents at the Tactical Bureau were much more interesting.

After the meal, everyone was in good spirits. Bai Ji and the others gradually departed. Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan naturally stayed behind to wash the dishes, while Ren Xingmei and Lin Xianyu waited for them—the kitchen wasn't large, and two people washing dishes was already the limit.

Although Ren Suo had joked earlier about letting Gu Yueyan wash the dishes alone as payback for saving his life, with seven people eating, the numerous plates, bowls, and utensils took a considerable amount of time to wash.

Plus, Gu Yueyan had helped cook earlier, and Ren Suo couldn't shamelessly do nothing and run off—he wasn't like those who mooched a meal and left. After all, he was planning on mooching meals every day!

While washing the dishes, Gu Yueyan, somewhat bored, said, "I'm about to reach the Second Turn."

When Ren Suo didn't react, she repeated, "I will catch up to you soon, then surpass you, and catch up with Teacher Dong! You'll be calling me 'Teacher' soon!"

Ren Suo rolled his eyes. After waiting ten seconds to switch his Skill, he grabbed Gu Yueyan's hand.

Gu Yueyan was startled. Their hands were both slippery from the dish soap, and she easily broke free from Ren Suo's grip. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, this is a new physical examination method... You still have some way to go before your Second Turn." After confirming Gu Yueyan's Cultivation progress through the data stream, Ren Suo picked up the dish towel and continued washing dishes, consoling her,

"Besides, most people stay at the Second Turn for a long time. Look, Qiao Muyi advanced to the Second Turn a few months before me, and she's still there. Dong Chengling is genuinely Exceptionally Gifted; she competes with you not just in Talent but also in Effort. It's fine to aim for her, but don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Ren Suo had also attempted Cultivation recently, but his progress was far slower than during his First Turn. Consequently, he had temporarily paused this meticulous work to focus on conquering the game.

"I know that," Gu Yueyan said, dissatisfied. "Sister Qiao hasn't advanced to the Third Turn yet only because she's busy with her work at the Tactical Bureau. If she were willing, she could definitely ascend in a short amount of time!"

Ren Suo knew this was true. Disregarding the investigation tasks generated by videos like 'Midnight Walker' for the Tactical Bureau, the sheer volume of Demons, Ghosts, and mysterious phenomena in Lianjiang City was enough to keep Bureau members so busy they'd often eat on the go.

Qiao Muyi mentioned she'd recently had some free time. This was not only because the strange incidents in Lianjiang City had decreased, but also because the second batch of trainee civil servants had gradually filled various city departments.

While ordinary Tactical Bureau members might still be busy, team leaders and higher-ranking officers definitely had more spare time for their Cultivation.

The fundamental professional skills of the Tactical Bureau were Cultivation and Spells. Those who vigorously climbed to the position of team leader were Cultivators who hadn't slackened despite their Talents. They had earned their merits for the comprehensive construction of the tactical system. They sought not just money and status, but also the Cultivation resources provided by the tactical system and the time to utilize those resources.

Everyone knew that High-Tier Cultivators were far more valuable than Low-Turn Cultivators. If a major security threat from high-level Demons and Ghosts arose in the city, having High-Tier Cultivators would allow for a quicker and safer apprehension of the perpetrators. This would, in turn, reduce the casualty rate among citizens and Cultivators.

Therefore, the principle of 'the advanced leading the novices in Cultivation' seemed almost self-evident. It required the shelter, Teaching, and Inheritance from powerful Cultivators to nurture more of their kind.

"Speaking of which, what do you think about the relationship between Sister Qiao and Teacher Bai?" Gu Yueyan suddenly asked.

"Should be good, I guess?" Ren Suo recalled. "They spoke quite naturally. If they talked more, maybe they would become good friends?"

Gu Yueyan listened thoughtfully. Qiao Muyi had shown up both times Teacher Bai came over for a free meal, so Gu Yueyan naturally sensed something was amiss. However, when she asked on WeChat, Qiao Muyi had said, 'You don't need to know for now, but I am helping you.'

Gu Yueyan naturally believed Qiao Muyi, but she only had a vague feeling that Qiao Muyi's actions were related to Teacher Bai, though she didn't know how Qiao Muyi planned to help her.

Could she be trying to set Teacher Dong up with Teacher Bai?

But that didn't seem to be the case, as Sister Qiao and Teacher Bai hadn't allowed Teacher Dong to get a word in during their conversations.

Puzzled, Gu Yueyan asked Ren Suo. His answer made her completely certain: If even Ren Suo thinks their surface relationship is good, then their actual relationship must be terrible!

After refusing his sister's requests to stay the night and for a spare Key, Ren Suo naturally continued working on his game strategy when he got home.

He had been thinking about how to strategize during dinner and now had several ideas.

First was to pair the 'Female Demon' with the 'Female Knight'!

He issued commands to the two NPCs to act simultaneously or consecutively.

After testing several combinations of options, the best result he achieved was the Rebel's Determination Value merely reaching 50%, after which the Rebel fled with the Female Knight and the Female Demon.

Ren Suo realized that the order of the NPCs' actions was crucial. If two NPCs performed the same action but in a different order, or even at different times, it could lead the Rebel to make different decisions.

The strangest outcome Ren Suo encountered was as follows: When the Female Knight used 'Final Judgment' on the Rebel (meaning the Female Knight had captured the Rebel), if the Female Demon then attacked the Rebel, it would be considered as the Female Demon attacking both the Rebel and the Female Knight simultaneously. All three characters would then enter a state of Intimidation. Shortly after, the Rebel would break free from the Female Knight's control and escape!

The two NPCs would also give chase!

However, reversing the order produced a different result: if the Female Demon attacked the Rebel first, and then the Female Knight used 'Final Judgment' on the Rebel, the Female Demon would return to her post and continue guarding. The Female Knight would capture the Rebel, and they would leave together.

It was as if the Female Demon had given up.

While Ren Suo was testing, however, the game hints suddenly updated.

"'Failing to repay kindness isn't so bad, but failing to avenge a wrong makes one scum (White Emperor will inevitably nullify the Female Demon's actions, duration: 30 seconds).'"

"'We still don't know your wish from that day (Female Demon will inevitably reverse the White Emperor's actions, duration: 10 seconds).'"

"'Just being together quietly is wonderful enough (The Female Knight's actions have priority, can interrupt others' processes, and make the Rebel act with her first).'"

"'Stopping is the greatest Calmness (Continuous events will cause the Rebel's Determination Value to rise rapidly).'"

Ren Suo carefully studied the information in the hints, and a plan gradually formed in his mind.

He started the game again!

First step: Select the Female Demon's first option: 'Chat with the Rebel.'

Second step: Select the White Emperor's third option: 'Attack the Rebel.'

Third step: Watch the timing, then have the Female Knight execute the third option: 'Wait for the Rebel to come out, and leave with the Rebel.'

And so, he finally got the following scenario.

The Female Demon arrived outside the restroom to wait.

The White Emperor burst into the restroom, ready to launch 'Romantic Frost' on the Rebel, when the Female Demon outside barged in. Since the White Emperor was already executing an action, the Female Demon activated her Trait: Reversing the White Emperor's action effect!

The ten-second reversal turned the White Emperor's 'Romantic Frost' into a purely beneficial buff, and Ren Suo watched the Rebel's Determination Value skyrocket!

Trapped in the restroom with no escape, a dialog box appeared for the Rebel: 'For every joy bestowed by Destiny, a corresponding sorrow has already been prepared.'

By the fifth second, the prepared Ren Suo executed the third step. The Female Knight arrived at the restroom before the ten-second reversal effect ended. She disrupted the actions of the White Emperor and the Female Demon, grabbed the Rebel, and ran!

Ren Suo's choice of this option was not without reason. Among the Female Knight's four options, the latter three would instantly increase the Rebel's Determination Value.

Only the first option would cause the Rebel's Determination Value to increase slightly with each step taken while leaving the banquet hall.

This increase wasn't fixed. While testing the combination of options for the Female Demon and Female Knight, Ren Suo unexpectedly discovered something. If the Rebel's Determination Value was higher, then the increase with each step would also be greater!

Using the Traits of the Female Demon and the White Emperor, the Rebel's Determination Value had now exceeded 70%.

As the Female Knight pulled the Rebel out of the banquet hall, Ren Suo saw his Determination Value once again skyrocket.

At a distance of five squares from the banquet hall door, the Rebel's Determination Value finally reached 100%!

Ren Suo pushed the joystick, and the Rebel's movement stopped!

"Finally..."

Ren Suo let out a deep breath. He looked at the time. It was already the next day.

He had spent a whole day but finally made the Rebel obey his command in this level!

This opening might not be the last of its kind, but it was certainly a first—Ren Suo had never experienced such a difficult start.

If only you'd been this obedient earlier... Ren Suo muttered. Then you wouldn't have had to be cornered and thrashed by the White Emperor and Female Demon in the restroom...

He controlled the Rebel to break free from the Female Knight and walk towards Her Royal Highness the Princess in the banquet hall.

He pressed '○' to investigate Her Royal Highness the Princess.

"'Nice to meet you, I...'"

Ren Suo blinked.

Could this game... not come with a translation?