“As for the subject of feelings, I’ve only just begun— it’s something I’ll need a lifetime to study it deeply.”

 

“So insidious,” Lu Mingze couldn’t help saying. “We work ourselves to the bone to complete the tasks, and in the end we’re even willing to give up our memories just so the city’s residents can regain happiness—only to end up making wedding clothes for the city lord’s demonization (NT: idiom meaning to work for another’s benefit in vain)? That’s outrageous!”

“Don’t be angry,” the Blank Book said as it jumped onto Lu Mingze’s head. “Luckily we realized it in advance. That way, we can strike first. Before the city lord fully turns into a demon, we can use the power of the bishop’s seal to kill him.”

Lu Mingze reached up and took the book off his head, asking in confusion, “You can talk just fine—why did you have to jump onto my head?”

Blank Book: “……”

Qian Jinlai finally couldn’t hold back anymore. “Based on my many years of experience, he was probably trying to do a head-pat kill to comfort you just now. But he’s only a book—limited by height—so he could only jump onto your head.”

Lu Mingze fell silent for a moment. Thinking back to Xing Ye’s serious expression, then looking at the book in his hands, he suddenly felt that Xing Ye was actually quite cute, and a faint sweetness rose in his heart.

The Blank Book sternly pulled the topic back to the game task. “I think that before completing the tasks, we need to deal with the city lord first.”

“But where is the city lord?” Yan Hebi asked, still staring at the book.

“Most likely at the centre of the demon-summoning ritual,” Cao Qian reflected. “But he won’t come out on his own. Would it be useful if we attacked there directly?”

Lu Mingze thought for a moment, then raised his hand. “Actually… there’s a way to lure the city lord out.”

“No.” The Blank Book immediately guessed what he was thinking. “It’s too dangerous. Even if the mission fails, at worst everyone just won’t recover their memories. I’ll still remember—I can find you all. But if you use that method, your life might really be in danger.”

“What are you planning to do?” Cao Qian asked warily.

Lu Mingze said a little embarrassedly, “Didn’t the statue previously take out a mirror and want to exchange bodies with me? After our analysis, we know that mirror was very likely provided by the city lord. He tempted the statue into doing evil, wanting to use it to obtain my soul. I’m thinking—if I had looked into the mirror from the start, maybe the city lord would have appeared long ago. Using this method to lure him out, even if he knows it’s a trap, he wouldn’t want to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right?”

“Listen to me,” the Blank Book said seriously to Lu Mingze. “This game isn’t simple. There are many hidden dangers. Although the system didn’t spell it out, if we do this and the game fails—if the city lord really devours your soul trapped inside the statue—then in the real world, you might actually die.”

“But it doesn’t necessarily have to fail,” Lu Mingze said. “If I had fallen for the mirror at the very beginning, the game would definitely have failed. But now it’s different—I have so many teammates. You’ll save me. I believe the statue will be willing to help us. And if he isn’t willing…”

“Then we’ll press his head down and make him look into the mirror three times,” Cao Qian said.

Lu Mingze let out a “hehe” laugh. “That’s exactly what I meant. Being able to use this tactic is all thanks to the confidence you’ve given me. You’re all really strong, really amazing. With teammates like you, what do I have to be afraid of?”

“No!” The Blank Book still opposed it. “There are many things in this world worth risking for, but this one isn’t. I said it before—I’ll remember. I can find everyone again in the real world. We can become teammates and friends all over again. Isn’t that good enough?”

“But only you remember!” Lu Mingze said. “We’ll all forget you—forget why you wanted to be friends with us, forget what we went through together, forget that we once had a friend who adventured with us and could face life and death together. We forget and feel nothing. But you still remember. Won’t you be lonely?”

The Blank Book didn’t speak. It lay quietly open in Lu Mingze’s palm. The words “not lonely” appeared on its pages, then were quickly erased.

He was lonely.

Xing Ye was strong enough. He wrote his teammates’ phone numbers on sticky notes placed where he could see them at a glance on his desk. He secretly investigated their identities in real life, never interfering with their lives, yet helping them within his abilities. Through contacting Lu Mingze’s parents, he could confirm Lu Mingze’s treatment progress. He restrained himself, caring for his former teammates and lover in his own way.

He told himself this was the best ending. The system had disappeared, everyone’s lives had returned to normal, and forgetting was a good thing.

But what about the one person who alone retained the memories?

He was lonely.

Lu Mingze saw through Xing Ye’s loneliness.

“I still think it’s not worth it. These two things aren’t equivalent—it’s not an investment that should be made,” the Blank Book said, still opposing it even after being seen through.

“Whether it’s worth it isn’t up to you. It’s up to me,” Lu Mingze said, patting his chest. “I can feel that you like me, and I once liked you too. I think this memory is worth risking my life for. Losing it would leave a piece missing from my life, something that could never be made whole. If I have to live on with a broken soul, I’m willing to take that risk.”

“I’ll protect you,” Cao Qian said, placing her hand on Lu Mingze’s shoulder. “I have a feeling that losing this memory would become a lifelong regret for me.”

“Guga guga~” the Swan Crystal cried in agreement.

Guan Ling rubbed his hands, saying a little shyly, “I’ve made mistakes before—I was someone who refused to wake up from obsession. I think that with this memory, whenever I’m tempted to make another mistake in the future, it might serve as a warning, right?”

Qian Jinlai angrily slapped her thigh. “At the very least, I deserve to know why I owe a hundred thousand yuan, right? That’s real money!”

Yan Hebi said in confusion, “I—I always have this feeling that I lost to you. At the very least, I want to know why I lost, right? I… I want to live with clarity.”

Lu Mingze said to the Blank Book, “Look, everyone agrees. Shouldn’t you show some support and help us formulate a battle plan to increase our success rate?”

He had long seen through the fact that the Blank Book had actually already guessed the plot. It was just that, for some reason, it couldn’t say it outright and could only give indirect hints.

The Blank Book looked at everyone’s resolute expressions and let out a long sigh. Words began appearing non-stop on its pages as it said to them, “Memorize this.”

Everyone leaned in and saw the book filled with dense battle plans—so detailed that it even calculated the exact time each person would return to the real world. It made their heads spin, inevitably reminding them of the fear of once being ruled by the college entrance examination.

Fortunately, the Blank Book’s plan was to be executed starting at dusk, so they still had time to memorize it.

Two hours later, once everyone had finished memorizing, they split up and took action.

Before moving out, they exchanged phone numbers and agreed that after the game ended, if they still remembered their experiences in this world, they would call each other to report that they were safe—and also have a get-together.

After carefully memorizing the numbers, Cao Qian walked over to the statue and Yuna. With both hands, she gave a hard yank and uprooted the statue entirely, hoisting it onto her shoulder.

Yuna screamed. “What are you doing?!”

“Don’t landmarks like this usually need consecration?” Cao Qian said, carrying the statue. “I’m taking it to the church to be consecrated. Why don’t you bring the golden armour along with me? We can consecrate that too while we’re at it.”

“I’m not going!” At the mention of the church, Yuna’s face turned deathly pale. “You know I was once demonized. I can’t enter a church!”

“Huh? That’s strange. Didn’t you already dig out the demonized eyes and regain the ability to walk in sunlight?” Cao Qian said. “So why are you afraid to enter the church?”

“I—I…”

Yuna stammered, not knowing what to say. At this moment, Qian Jinlai gently linked arms with her and smiled. “It’s fine if you don’t want to say anything. Let me tell you a story instead. What kind of story should I tell? Hmm… how about the one where a scumbag anaesthetizes his wife and removes her organs just to please his white moonlight (NT: an idealized first love)? I’ve got plenty of stories about scumbag men and awful women in my collection. Come on, I’ve got the whole afternoon to tell you.”

Yuna: “……”

Cao Qian headed toward the church carrying the statue, the bloodstained war boots, Qian “Big Sister,” Yuna, the box containing the golden armour, and the toolbox. Guan Ling and Yan Hebi paired up to look for the noble young lady who possessed the Sea Blue Eye.

Guan Ling was a go-with-the-flow type player, skilled at finding things. Yan Hebi’s ability was nicknamed “central air conditioning”, making it easy for the noble lady to open up and say what was truly on her mind.

Lu Mingze had already used the mirror to help them confirm several locations. The two of them needed to secure the Sea Blue Eye before dusk.

That left only Lu Mingze and the Blank Book.

Lu Mingze first chose the strongest-looking bandit from the first underground level, carried him up to the third floor, and stuffed him into the armour. He patted the armour’s shell and said, “I’ve completed my part of the deal. When the time comes, you have to help me protect the city too.”

“Clatter-clatter.” That was the armour’s response.

He then walked into the city lord’s office and said to the desk, chair, sofa, wall clock, windows, and other objects, “There’s going to be a big operation tonight. Let’s deal together with your unscrupulous former boss—the city lord who broke table legs, sofa leather, and wall clocks and never fixed them. You were exploited employees; we can’t let a black-hearted boss like that off the hook.”

The wall clock rang, as if responding to Lu Mingze’s words.

After finishing the preparations, Lu Mingze sat down on the sofa and zoned out for a while. Seeing that there were still more than two hours until dusk, that is around six in the evening, he asked the Blank Book, “What are we supposed to do next?”

The Blank Book didn’t speak. Instead, it wrote a few words on its pages: cultivate feelings.

Lu Mingze: “……”

Blank Book:” My abilities require intimacy above 80 to be usable. Once intimacy exceeds 100, I can even unlock skills like “Hearts connected as one”, and use the achievement title “Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun”. The better our relationship, the stronger I become.”

Lu Mingze said, “You really look like those domineering CEOs in novels who slam money onto the female lead’s desk while saying, ‘As long as you’re with me, all this money is yours.’ Except here, what you’re throwing around is superpowers.”

Blank Book: “……”

Lu Mingze thought for a moment, then said honestly, “Actually, I already like you a little.”

“I know,” the Blank Book said. “Intimacy is at 70 now.”

Lu Mingze: “……”

Couldn’t he at least be allowed to harbour a bit of secret affection? This system was too much—it didn’t even help him hide his feelings.

“Then tell me about our past experiences,” Lu Mingze suggested. “Maybe I’ll like you even more by then?”

“I have restrictions. There are many things I can’t say,” the Blank Book said. “But I can tell you this: in the previous world, you were a tool. Your soul was trapped in the game, which is why the you in the real world fell into a coma.”

“So that’s how it was,” Lu Mingze said in surprise. “I was in a coma for a full four months. Does that mean I spent all four months inside the game?”

“Yes,” the Blank Book replied. “That’s why I don’t want you to take risks. I’m afraid you’ll be trapped in the game again.”

“Then… when I was trapped in the game like you, turned into a tool, how did I get saved? Was it you who saved me?” Lu Mingze asked.

“No,” said the Blank Book.

“Huh?” Lu Mingze was surprised. Was it really not? He had thought it was Xing Ye who saved him in the game, and the thought had made him secretly happy.

The Blank Book said, “You saved yourself—and you saved me as well. The game of challenging fate cannot be cleared by one person alone. Without you, I was destined to be toyed with by fate and become a failure. You are not weak, nor do you need to stay in the position of a weak person waiting to be saved. You are gentle, yet strong. We saved each other.”

Lu Mingze blushed. Over the years, he had heard countless sweet words. So many people, in order to pursue him, had studied grammar and diction just to write the most beautiful love poems and say the sweetest lines. Yet none of them had ever truly seen Lu Mingze the way the Blank Book did. They only saw a beautiful object and instinctively wanted to possess this exquisite porcelain, but not a single one noticed that the porcelain was, in fact, tougher than steel.

Xing Ye saw it. He had always truly seen Lu Mingze—seeing past his pampered exterior to the optimistic, proactive, and slightly stubborn heart underneath.

Covering his face, Lu Mingze said, “I think my affection level just went up a bit again.”

“Mm, intimacy is at 80 now. I can use my initial skills and your points. Keep going—aim for 100,” the Blank Book encouraged.

Lu Mingze: “……”

“The way you’re acting makes me feel like I’m giving birth. The head is already out—just push a bit harder and the baby will be born…” Lu Mingze muttered unhappily. “You’re really not romantic at all.”

The Blank Book wrote: I will learn. The subject of feelings—I’ve only just begun, and I’ll need a lifetime to study it deeply. I just don’t know whether I’ll have a good teacher.

Somehow… it became romantic again.

Lu Mingze stared at the words on the page. The crafty Blank Book clearly could have spoken aloud, yet chose to write instead, allowing Lu Mingze to reread the sentence again and again. The more he thought about it, the sweeter it felt.

The Blank Book kept those words on the page and asked, “Would you be willing to be my teacher?”

Xing Ye’s low voice sounded by Lu Mingze’s ear. It was as if he had returned to the airport where they first met, Xing Ye reaching out his hand to him, as though asking: Are you willing to accept me?

“I—I can’t be a teacher,” Lu Mingze said, shaking his head while covering his face. “Because I’m also a student. But we can learn together and make progress together.”

The wind gently turned the pages. The soft rustling sounded like Xing Ye’s low, husky laughter.

 

Translator : DarNan