Transforming Succubus: Almost Doomsday

The real world, or the Third World, Linxiang City.

After so many dangerous summonings, Zhou Baiyu gradually felt... that summoning was becoming quite ordinary.

So now, he was no longer on edge and began to slowly enjoy life after returning home.

In a sense, if you come back successfully, you should really enjoy yourself.

Therefore, at this moment, Zhou Baiyu was in Yuke New Town, at his parents' home, playing games with his father, Zhou Zeshui.

Yes, this time it wasn't Mrs. Divine Skills but his father, Zhou Zeshui, who was playing games.

This was quite a rare occurrence.

After Mrs. Divine Skills noticed that the neighbors no longer seemed to have that inexplicable aversion to her son, she was very happy, for previously, the spontaneous aversion from strangers had caused a bit of waste in her stockpile of matchmaking prospects.

Now things had improved, and passersby seemed to have become friendly towards her son, so Mrs. Divine Skills decided to go full throttle.

She was determined to find him a partner before his next task, as the matter of continuing the Zhou family lineage was urgent.

In the eyes of the omnipotent Mrs. Divine Skills, her son was the savior on a mission to carry out a series of mysterious tasks.

So, rounding up, the Zhou family was essentially of heroic lineage.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Zhou Zeshui's ancestors included a namesake who had saved the world.

This matter of continuing the Zhou family line was extremely important, the greatest contribution she could make to this beautiful world as an ordinary gaming-addicted Mrs. Divine Skills.

Thus, Medics, Judges, School teachers, Entrepreneurs, and even University students... whoever she could find or think of, Mrs. Divine Skills arranged them all.

In short, Mrs. Divine Skills' capabilities were not to be underestimated; she even organized a spreadsheet to manage her son's efforts at finding a partner.

Zhou Baiyu couldn't be bothered to manage it and just played games with his father, Zhou Zeshui, at home.

"You actually play games... I've rarely ever seen it before."

Zhou Zeshui, holding a controller in one hand and pushing up his glasses with the other, said:

"I used to play, but you either were at school or working, unaware of it. Your mom would also drag me to play with her, and with her longstanding addiction to gaming, I've naturally picked up some skills."

"There are many interesting things in games, of course, music too. Didn't your mom recently enjoy playing Old Man's Ring?"

"Some of the tracks in there are grand and precise, awe-inspiring. The epic feel of the games, half comes from this magnificent music."

Zhou Baiyu agreed.

"Of course, the sharpest accompaniment comes from a wolf. Every boss's introduction music is very apt. They convey the evil, danger, and oppression very well through music."

Zhou Baiyu was taken aback:

"A wolf? You mean 'Sekiro,' right?"

Zhou Zeshui paused, then awkwardly said:

"Hahaha, I'm not sure, I never played it. I just remember the game's music was great, and after your mom beat it once, she didn't dare go for a second round, which took her months to complete."

Zhou Baiyu laughed, his mom was actually quite impressive. Saying it took her months to get through was modest, since she could already pass without taking any damage at the later stages.

Zhou Baiyu said:

"So, do you play games mainly for the music?"

"It's not entirely for the music. Look, the game we're playing now is a strategic one. Men still need to play games. It's the cheapest among all hobbies."

"Cheap? Would you repeat that after touching mom's Alienware entire set?"

"...well, it's better that your mom loves gaming instead of buying bags, right?"

"That's true."

The conversation between father and son was very ordinary.

Zhou Baiyu looked at the screen and noticed that the game his father was playing was indeed quite strategic.

A Total War type of game with very good diplomacy features.

When the player makes an alliance with a certain faction, their threat level changes, which in turn affects the player's diplomacy score on a global scale.

When the threat level exceeds a certain value, all computer-controlled factions will view the player as a "threat."

Only a few faction leaders with traits like "timid" or "peaceful" will appease you the stronger you are.

The rest will become increasingly hostile as your threat level rises.

Also, if you choose to ally with Faction A, and Faction B is an enemy of A, then B will also maintain enmity towards you.

If you already have a pact with Faction B, B won't terminate the pact, but the alliance state will shift from active assistance to perfunctory support.

Making diplomacy this nuanced in a strategy game is quite intriguing.

Diplomacy and one's own strength complement each other.

That's why Zhou Baiyu was curious:

"Xiangyang is a wealthy city, why haven't you captured it? Taking this city would give you more resources."

Zhou Zeshui replied:

"Wancheng to the north is being eyed by the two Xiahou's. If I attack Xiangyang, we'll both suffer great losses, but if I don't, Xiangyang serves as my greatest barrier. Right now, I not only can't attack Xiangyang, I also need to find a way to protect it."

Zhou Zeshui's thinking was correct.

Upon hearing this, his son became pensive.

"Some enemies should be kept around because often the phrase 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' isn't accurate. Most times, in these games of warlords and fractured states, the enemy of your enemy is also an enemy. So why not let enemies deal with each other?" Zhou Zeshui said with a smile.

Zhou Baiyu then asked:

"So it's using one rival against another, but essentially bargaining with the tiger for its skin. How do you ensure you're not devoured by the tiger in the future?"