Chapter 143 Returning to Reality

As the Lord of the Divine Seal introduced me, all the "chosen ones," except for the second small bowl, looked at me with very strange eyes.

Among them were the curiosity of Number Four, the confusion of Number Six, the vigilance of Number One, and the shock of Number Five... I never expected that I could distinguish so many emotions when I couldn't see other people's expressions clearly.

Even Number Seven expressed her emotions, somewhat similar to Number One, showing strong wariness towards me. However, I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I felt that her wariness revealed a subtle hostility.

She sees me as an enemy because I can invade the virtual realm? I'm a little unsure. Perhaps she didn't show any hostility and I just misunderstood; or perhaps she just sees me, an unknown being, as a hypothetical enemy, which could be another form of warning.

Moreover, to be honest, I didn't feel like an intruder into the virtual realm at all.

To be precise, I lack practical experience in intrusion. Even Little Bowl No. 2 said that my process of entering the virtual realm was similar to theirs, so how come they were the chosen ones, but I became the intruder?

To be shameless, this feeling of being scrutinized by everyone with their own agendas is quite unpleasant. After all, everyone else was essentially kidnapped here, while I illegally intruded through some method (can anyone tell me what method?). But one thing at a time, this situation is truly terrible. Perhaps I really am going to be punished by the Lord of the Divine Seal.

Right now, my only partner seems to be the powerless Number Two, Xiao Wan. I don't know if I can rally Number Four, Xuan Ming, and Number Six to form a united front in this critical moment. However, although these two are at odds with the Lord of the Divine Seal, it's not necessarily—or rather, I can't imagine—that they could pull out a trump card capable of turning the tide in the Lord of the Divine Seal's home turf.

Just then, Number Seven spoke.

This was the first thing she said after entering the misty dreamscape—the "Virtual Realm".

"Now that you have confirmed that Number Three is the intruder, why haven't you eliminated him yet?" she asked the Lord of the Divine Seal.

Some attention then shifted to her.

“There is no need for that,” said the Lord of the Divine Seal. “Being able to invade the Void Realm on your own is Number Three’s skill. Even if you are an uninvited guest, as long as you are willing to accept my mission and become my apostle, you can receive the same treatment as everyone else.”

He actually had the idea of ​​bringing me under his wing.

After receiving the answer, Number Seven returned to silence.

Number Four, Xuanming, then said, "So, what if Number Three... no, if none of us listen to you and refuse to collect the fragments of the divine seal for you?"

"You will collect them." The Lord of the Divine Seal seemed to have everything under control. "No one with the destiny associated with it can access the fragments of the Divine Seal. Now that you have obtained the fragments of the Divine Seal and even formed a bond with them, it means that whether you like it or not, you are destined to embark on the path of collecting the fragments of the Divine Seal—to embark on the path of destiny that I have chosen for you."

"Fate?" Number Six laughed dismissively.

"However, if you all focus all your energy on resisting me, it will indeed create some unnecessary complications. This place has no place for incompetent people. I want to see corresponding results within a year," the Lord of the Divine Seal said coldly. "Those of you bound to the fragments of the Divine Seal, if you disobey, this will be your fate."

As his words echoed across the field, everyone seemed to witness an extremely terrifying hallucination. I, however, remained an exception; I had no idea what had happened. Suddenly, Number One's body began to tremble, while Number Two, Xiao Wan, and Number Five cried out in pain. Even Number Four, Xuan Ming, and Number Six stiffened, while Number Seven remained unmoved.

I don't believe I wasn't affected by their attacks because I'm powerful. Even the monster creator's soul attack made me feel uneasy, yet the Lord of the Divine Seal's actions didn't elicit any reaction from me. It's as if something fundamentally is out of place.

Is it because I was never meant to be here that the Lord of the Divine Seal cannot deeply interfere with me? Considering his words, the reason others reacted abnormally is because of their binding relationship with the Divine Seal fragments? Logically, I am also bound to the Divine Seal fragments, so is my binding different from others'?

Seeing the pained expression on Little Bowl Number Two's face, I immediately wanted to leave the rock seat and go to her side, but the gray mist still firmly held me in place.

Not only that, the surrounding gray mist grew thicker and thicker, quickly obscuring the Lord of the Divine Seal in the distance. Then, I could no longer see Number Seven and Number Six, Number One and Number Five in the distance, and I couldn't even see Number Two, Little Bowl, and Number Four, Xuanming, who were closest to me.

Finally, the gray fog completely obscured my vision, immersing me in darkness into unconsciousness.

I suddenly opened my eyes and got out of bed.

The surroundings had transformed into my bedroom, with morning sunlight and faint sounds of the bustling city filtering through the curtains. My movement as I got up startled Ma Zao, who was sleeping beside me. She had somehow clung to my arm, and when I sat up, she also woke with a start. She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Zhuang Cheng," she called out to me.

It took me a few seconds to regain my composure, then I turned to look at her. She looked at me patiently.

“I’m back,” I said.

-

Despite the many twists and turns, in the end, I have successfully achieved my biggest goal in entering the virtual realm.

I successfully met with Little Bowl Number Two and gave her her name. Although "Little Bowl" wasn't exactly her real name, but rather a temporary code name she and Asaho had designed together, it did carry many shared memories between them, enough to save her from the life-or-death crisis of her professional demonization. I perfectly fulfilled Asaho's expectations of me.

The awakening of the Lord of the Divine Seal and the competition for fragments he proposed are certainly important matters, and I am indeed very interested in them. However, in my heart, these things are still not as important as my position in Asaho's heart. If Asaho were to completely lose faith in me and cease all contact with me, it would be an utter catastrophe for me—it might sound like I've become a pervert with a little girl's mind, but that's really not the case.

When I announced my triumphant return, she was so overjoyed that she hugged me tightly.

Furthermore, now that Little Bowl No. 2 has escaped the crisis of demonic transformation and it has been proven that holding hands while sleeping cannot bring Asahi into the illusory realm, I have no reason to share a bed with Asahi anymore. Sharing a bed with a beautiful member of the opposite sex is a very common desire, and I am naturally no exception, so I can't help but feel deeply regretful about it.

I also told Asaho about the existence of the Lord of the Divine Seal and the competition between the fragments, and she fell into deep trouble and sorrow.

"Zhuang Cheng, are you planning to participate in this fragment competition?" she asked.

"I can't quit even if I want to," I said.

Although the Lord of the Divine Seal claims I invaded the Void Realm on my own initiative, from my perspective, I didn't actually have the option to refuse entering. The Divine Seal fragments will automatically return to me no matter what, and I'll be pulled back into the Void Realm sooner or later whenever I sleep. And the Void Realm is the Lord of the Divine Seal's domain; I haven't yet figured out a way to resist him.

Of course, I could choose to never sleep again. But this level of trickery is something that not only I, but others—at least Number Four Xuanming and Number Six, those two Great Impermanences—could do easily as well. I don't think such a petty trick would make the Lord of the Divine Seal surrender.

Moreover, Bowl No. 2 has also been selected as a participant in this fragment competition, and given my relationship with Asahi, I cannot ignore Bowl No. 2's situation. I must protect my status as a participant.

Aside from these negative reasons, I also have proactive and positive reasons to participate in the fragmented competition.

"The Lord of the Divine Seal said we can exchange Divine Seal fragments for 'answers'." I took out my own Divine Seal fragment. "Although I can't use the Divine Seal fragment I have that's bound to me to exchange for it, as long as I get another one, according to the rules, I can ask him to answer a question for me. For example, 'Why did the apocalypse come?' or 'What is the way to solve the apocalypse?'"

Considering that the Lord of the Divine Seal might be the culprit behind the apocalypse, he might not be willing to answer my questions.

Similarly, even if I collect the most fragments of the Divine Seal and become the so-called winner, and then make a wish to him to "save the world," he might not be willing to fulfill it.

That approach is undoubtedly cheating and is extremely ugly, but ultimately the initiative lies with them, and we cannot expect them to do things exactly as we expect.

But since he had already made such a bold claim, I felt it necessary to test him.

After thinking it over, Ma Zao shook his head and said, "...No, Zhuang Cheng, collecting the fragments of the Divine Seal is fine, but you'd better not make a deal with the Lord of the Divine Seal."

"Why?" I asked, curious.

"Making deals with unknown and strange things rarely leads to anything good. Especially those that claim to grant any wish are the most suspicious." She looked at me with concern. "Even just asking them questions is the same; the deal itself may harbor enormous danger. If it were an ordinary strange thing, it wouldn't be a problem; with your power, you wouldn't have to worry about the threat. However, this object has the power to control divine seals; you absolutely cannot take this risk."

"Even if we make a deal with him, is it possible to obtain the truth about the apocalypse?" I asked.

Asa hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "...That's right, even so."

Even though the option to get the answer was right in front of me, I hesitated because of the risk, which is somewhat contrary to my usual style. However, this was especially true for Asaho, who took it upon herself to prevent the apocalypse, yet she advised me against taking the dangerous shortcut. Her genuine concern for me touched me.

“I understand. I won’t do business with him until I can confirm whether there are any risks involved in the transaction itself,” I said, compromising as an option.

She breathed a small sigh of relief.

Perhaps she wasn't just worried that I would ask the Lord of the Divine Seal for a way to stop the apocalypse, but also that I would make a deal to fulfill my own desires. Although she didn't know what my desires were, everyone has desires. The bait the Lord of the Divine Seal offered was so universally appealing.

However, even if I remain inactive, others might not. Take Number One, for example; he clearly has a strong obsession with making wishes, and might immediately initiate a trade with the Lord of the Divine Seal after obtaining a new fragment. Number Five also seems to have similar intentions. I can observe from the sidelines then.

Several more days passed.

During this period, no new disturbances occurred. I was neither pulled back into the virtual realm nor did any new strange events happen. Considering Asaho's inherent jinx nature, interpreting this peaceful period negatively (which might be a positive sign for me) might be a sign that a storm is brewing.

However, just as some protagonists in fantasy stories with extremely tight schedules may have some breathing room in their daily lives, even Asahi isn't in a vortex of dangerous events 365 days a year. She herself wasn't alarmed by it, but simply continued to silently maintain her vigilance, guarding against the calamity that could strike again at any time.

I took her shopping twice and bought her several new outfits for the season. It wasn't just about buying necessities; her accustomed attitude towards danger and hardship often made me feel an irresistible urge to cherish her. I wanted to take her out to eat delicious food and see beautiful things, letting her enjoy the things she couldn't experience in the resource-scarce post-apocalyptic era.

Sometimes she would frown in dissatisfaction, criticizing these indulgences for eroding her will to endure hardship. I couldn't deny that such willpower was indeed indispensable in her life, which was destined to be filled with suffering. However, I also genuinely loved the happy smile that unconsciously appeared on her cold expression after it melted away.

And seeing her troubled yet adorable expression, I couldn't help but want to make things even more difficult for her.

She seemed completely oblivious to my "malice." I guess it's because she sees me through a lens of excessive kindness; she interprets everything I do as purely well-intentioned.

"Zhuang Cheng, you've done so much for me, how can I ever repay you?" she exclaimed.

“Didn’t you want to save the world? Compared to what you’re going to do, my contribution isn’t even worth repaying. Just accept it without any guilt,” I said.

“But Zhuang Cheng, aren’t you also planning to work with me to stop the apocalypse?” she said. “Since you want to repay me, then I should repay you too.”

Am I the one who plans to prevent the apocalypse?

I kept my true feelings to myself.

Occasionally, Mazao would look at the food in her hand with a very complicated expression, perhaps thinking of Little Bowl No. 2, who was still living a hard life in the post-apocalyptic era.

When I bought her new clothes, I also asked Zhu Shi for guidance. Zhu Shi saw everything I did and seemed to see through my motives, occasionally casting speechless glances at me.

"Senior Brother Zhuang, you have a rather wicked sense of humor," Zhu Shi whispered to me in private.

I countered, "Don't you want to make her happier?"

"Of course I want to do that too, but Asa won't accept anything I buy for her... uh, let's not talk about that."

As if she'd let something slip, she quickly changed the subject, then looked at Asahi not far away. To be precise, she looked at the red GPS bracelet Asahi was still wearing on her left wrist.

"Senior Brother Zhuang, when do you plan to tell Ma Zao the truth?" she asked.

(End of this chapter)