Chapter 47 A Clash Between Friends?

"What's strange about it?" Pearl asked with interest.

Easter casually stroked the system rabbit's head. "You're imitating Areple in a very clumsy way."

"Why do you say that?" Pearl's voice was very soft and gentle, gently entering one's mind and guiding one to answer the question he asked in accordance with his heart.

Easter rubbed the system rabbit's ears. "Too deliberate," he said, not giving Pearl a single glance during the process. "And it doesn't look like it at all."

Close friends may share similar habits, but in the case of Pearl and Arip, Pearl is like a clumsy imitator. Her performance is only superficial. At first glance, you might be confused by their similarities, and at second glance, you might guess that they are good friends. But if you spend more time with them, you can clearly see the problem.

Strange pedestrians came and went all around, exchanging odd items with the stall owners. Two people in the crowd formed their own space, engaging in a conversation that could be described as both sharp and peaceful.

“But as far as I know, you’ve known each other for less than ten days.” Pearl wasn’t trying to maintain her friendly demeanor anymore. “Are you so sure you understand him?”

East walked at a leisurely pace, his gaze sweeping over the novel, unsettling trinkets. "Unsure, but it just doesn't seem like it," he chuckled softly. "Just take it as my gut feeling."

"You're strange."

East was surprised. How familiar those words sounded! Wasn't that something he had just said?

“No, no, to be precise, you’re contradictory.” Pearl racked her brains for a suitable adjective.

Easter, “Tell me about it.”

He was already thinking about how to end the conversation gracefully. Chatting with uninteresting people is like dealing with a time-wasting errand.

“Gentle, innocent, naive, harmless, well-mannered, polite… these are the qualities of a most normal person, and I can see them all in you, normal and ordinary,” Pearl turned her head to look at Easter, trying to see through that thin veil and peel back the skin to see Easter’s true nature. “I can also sense the opposite emotions in you, such as indifference, ruthlessness, madness, misanthropy, pessimism, and lifeless calmness.”

“I have experienced the complexities of human nature, but you can blend so many emotions so well. In our interactions, I can only perceive the first half, and it is not something you consciously control. You just behave naturally, and I can't detect anything out of place. It's as if you are born with the knowledge of which emotion to use in which situation to interact with others.”

“You’re not like a normal human being.” After talking for a while, Pearl came to this conclusion.

East still didn't look at Pearl, and said calmly, "Mr. Blanchet, you are being very rude."

The two stopped in a deserted corner, with a dark and gloomy alley on one side and a "bustling" street covered in darkness on the other.

“I need to make sure you are a controllable factor,” Pearl said. “King Felix, what you just did wasn’t really rude. Don’t forget, I’m a mermaid. You probably don’t want to know what real rudeness looks like.”

East turned to look at Pearl. Because his captivating face was covered by a mask, all that could be noticed were his ocean-blue eyes. At first glance, they were a beautiful sea blue, but upon closer inspection, the depths of his pupils were a dark, almost inky blue, as dark as the depths of the ocean.

An erotic smile played on Esther's lips. "Suppose I'm not under control, what do you plan to do?"

"Want to kill me?" a soft murmur escaping her lips, a delicate dance on the bloody blade. "Want to try it now?"

“Madman,” Pearl uttered coldly.

East maintained a polite smile. "Mr. Blanchett, I'm not interested in what you're plotting. As long as you're not just being bored and spreading rumors outside, my interactions with him are limited to private matters. Does it matter whether I can control him or not?"

“I underestimated you,” Pearl said. “You two are indeed the same kind of people, equally mad.”

Easter reacted indifferently.

“This is boring,” Pearl said listlessly. “Let’s go, we’ve been here long enough.”

Easter: "Thank you."

Pearl simply gave a soft "hmm".

————

[Host, what happened?] The system didn't understand. Wasn't everything fine before? They had been exchanging friendly pleasantries. It thought that by leveraging its relationship with Arebo, the host would achieve a good outcome on this trip.

East scratched the system rabbit's chin. "It's just human nature."

"Hmm?" the system asked, puzzled.

East's gaze wandered around. Without Pearl's presence, he could still stroll around in peace. He shouldn't have been so blunt; ruining the relationship wouldn't be good for anyone. But it didn't matter. He couldn't stand it, he couldn't tolerate it, or perhaps he was just feeling emboldened. A smile crept onto his face hidden under his hood.

“It’s simple,” Easter explained considerately to the system. “For example, we’ve been planning for years, and when the mission reaches a critical moment, someone suddenly appears and inexplicably becomes emotionally involved with me, and that person’s identity is both subtle and troublesome.”

"That's a bit inappropriate, but that's roughly the idea, understand?"

[Host, aren't they just being unreasonable?] If the system had hands, it would want to punch them a couple of times. [Host, to put it bluntly, you suffered an undeserved misfortune back then. What right do they have to cause you trouble?]

East pinched the System Rabbit's cheek. "That's not how it works. Differences in status and position mean that no one can treat things equally. Besides, he didn't do anything. He even provided us with convenience, didn't he?" The slight rudeness was within acceptable limits.

The system selectively ignored the arguments and only said what it wanted to say. "Host, look at the kind of friends that jerk has chosen. He can't even handle basic interpersonal relationships, yet he dares to throw himself in front of you. He's irresponsible, completely irresponsible." His tone, which had been fluctuating intensely, suddenly changed. "How about we break up with him?" His voice was light, lively, and cheerful, as if he had made an incredible suggestion.

East, "..."

That's it, that's it! This is his little system. The one that speaks up for Arebo is obviously connected to the wrong circuit.

————

"Would you like to find a place to sit?"

Pearl's question brought East back to his senses. "Sure." Since there was nowhere to visit anyway, it was better to find a place to rest than to keep walking.

Pearl led the way, with Easter following behind, as they entered a nameless shop. Once inside, Easter realized it was a tavern. The lighting was dim, and people of all shapes and sizes, dressed in black robes or other creatures, moved about inside. Unlike the usual noisy and bustling taverns, there were only quiet conversations and whispers, making it a peaceful and orderly place.

The two of them entered without attracting much attention.

Pearl went to the counter and ordered two drinks, handing one to East, and they walked together to a secluded corner to sit down.

Pearl touched East's glass with her own, then took a sip of her drink. "This is a place for exchanging and buying and selling information; for issuing and accepting mercenary missions; and if you want to buy something special, this is a good place."

East swirled the red wine in his glass, watching the red liquid flow within, but he couldn't quite understand it.

“Your appearance is too coincidental,” Pearl said, slowly sipping her drink. “But the way you two are acting so crazy doesn’t seem like it was deliberately arranged. Let’s leave it at that for now. Fate will decide how things turn out.”

This was his way of apologizing, and his probing stopped there.

East took a small sip, which was his way of stating his position, and that was all. A friend's friend is not necessarily a friend, and similarly, there's no need to force a partner's friend to become a friend.

————

Easter let the system rabbit sit on his lap, "How's that player doing with the quest?"

He was asking about the quest where the player was kidnapped yesterday.

[Host, you're just going to forgive him like that?] The system didn't answer Easter's question. [My suggestion was excellent: keep that scoundrel and his friends away. They think they're so noble, burdened with a mission; those arrogant people are the hardest to deal with, they can easily lead us astray.]

The system has a premonition that if the host continues to entangle with that stinky man, countless small troubles will come knocking, and if necessary, a big one might even follow. From now on, it won't call him a stinky man anymore; it will call him a troublemaker, or even a vixen.

Easter sighed, "System, you can't just accept the benefits and conveniences it brings without being willing to take on the risks."

We can still thrive without him; he's more of a balm to the fire than a lifeline.

"System, what you're saying is even more arrogant than they are. Don't let temporary success blind you." After a few short words with the system, Easter had already emptied his glass.

The system was silent for a moment, then said, "[Host, I will reflect on my actions.] Aside from transmigrating to the wrong world, everything that happened afterward went too smoothly, and the number of players kept increasing. It's understandable that he would have such thoughts, but actually, he shouldn't have such thoughts. He's a system, after all~ He seems a little too human."

Without much further thought, the system answered Easter's initial question: "The mission is still ongoing; so far, nothing unexpected has occurred."

"Don't worry about it, I just don't want us to die because of arrogance," Easter gently rubbed the system rabbit's head. "Tomorrow is the day the new players log in." Along with that comes even more complicated matters.

[Host, rest assured, I will objectively evaluate everything from now on, accepting both the good and the bad, without personal...emotional bias.]

East, "..."

The system's self-reflection is strange; it just feels a bit odd. The system doesn't seem to be something made up of just data. It never seemed like that from the beginning. It can cry and whine, and it can be easily fooled by this human. It's very cute and considerate.

"Sweetheart, just focus on important matters. Don't force yourself to do anything else."

After speaking, Easter paused for a moment, almost unable to recall his initial mindset. How exactly did things develop to this point? At first, he was clearly just trying to survive and was willing to give up. The mission was dispensable to him. Truly, life is unpredictable.

"Host, you are the best." The system rabbit nuzzled against Easter frantically.

“You are very good too.” East returned the courtesy.

————

“I overlooked it in my surprise,” East said, ending his conversation with the system. “Isn’t Felix a remote little country? How come there are so many magicians and other species here?”

"Is there a special reason? If it's inconvenient to answer, you can just tell me directly, there's no need to make things difficult for you."

“There’s nothing difficult about it,” Pearl said casually. “What else could it be for? There’s something to be made of. Most of the people who come here are mercenaries and adventurers. Magic crystals have many uses, and coincidentally, there are a lot of monsters gathered here.”

"Furthermore, King Felix, have you forgotten your special status?"

East closed his eyes, feeling a little dizzy. Was it the alcohol taking effect? ​​Or the annoying news? Or perhaps it was a combination of both. He put down his glass and rubbed his temples when a sharp, shattering sound pierced his ears, making East's already dizzy head spin even more.

Pearl reacted quickly, grabbing East's forearm as the defensive alchemical item she carried flashed.

What happened next was something Easter doesn't want to relive a second time; it was too embarrassing.

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Author's note: The system points and says: "Host, take a good look. Is this your partner's friend? Host, he can't even handle such a small thing. He's completely unreliable [eye roll]."