Chapter 12 Kaffa, you and the Silver Wolf are staring at each other blankly. ...

You and Silver Wolf stare at each other, wide-eyed.

"……What's the meaning?"

Your mouth gaped slightly, a multitude of possibilities flashing through your mind. Had she lost her memory? Had too much time passed and she forgotten the game? Was the phantom before you truly Silver Wolf? Or perhaps… from the very beginning, the one who sent you the game link wasn't Silver Wolf at all?

You suddenly feel the hairs on your body stand on end.

I took out my phone, opened the messaging app, and quickly swiped through the messages; the message history was still there.

[Hey, I found a really fun game, it's not open yet, want to play?]

[Oh, you'll see once you play it. I know this game company very well.]

[Kafka keeps urging me, so I'm logging off now.]

[886.]

A bead of cold sweat trickled down your forehead, down your temple, and down to your chin. Silver Wolf leaned over and looked at your message history, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"...This isn't me!" she gritted her teeth. "How dare someone impersonate me and even mimic my voice! This was clearly my doing before!"

She stopped blowing bubbles, sat down cross-legged on the spot, and casually brought up a blue screen. "Damn it... I want to see who has the guts to do this. I'll find out their IP address!"

No wonder when I tried to message them, the system said the target didn't exist and the message couldn't be sent. Turns out, the other person wasn't Silver Wolf at all.

Silver Wolf's fingers flew across the virtual screen, occasionally frowning and clicking her tongue. It seemed the opponent was quite difficult to deal with. The last time she was this frustrated was when she faced the Genius Club.

"Damn it." Two minutes later, she slammed her fist into her thigh. "They even deleted the account, handled it pretty cleanly... Following the remaining signal, all we can do is pinpoint their last login location to—the place I was on my last business trip???"

She remembered that mission and that planet.

The desolate plains, the sparsely populated city, the dimly lit tavern where even the fan creaked annoyingly, the wooden table soaked with time and wine, its once brown surface now stained with patches of black and light.

That mysterious bartender... no, he was a masked fool. He appeared there for some reason. They originally wanted to get away with it, but they underestimated their keen senses. Liu Ying and she felt something was wrong from the beginning, and later Ren even took direct action, but he still managed to escape.

— Damn it, who knows where this fool got so many weird tricks from? He's so cunning, like a slippery eel, he disappears in the blink of an eye.

Your lips twitched slightly, "...Are you really Silver Wolf?"

Silver Wolf exclaimed in disbelief, "Huh? Of course I am!"

But then she thought, "You've just been through something like this, and there are plenty of people in the universe who are good at imitation, so it's only right to be cautious." She understood.

"Okay, you've improved in terms of vigilance, that's good. Let me think of how to prove it to you... Oh, when you were first born on the space station, you were very reluctant to see Kavka leave. Later, Kavka sent you a message, and you suspected her identity just like you suspected me. Then she sent you a photo, and you opened it and looked at it several times, and even saved it, right? I suspect that back then—"

"Okay, okay." Seeing that she was about to go on and on, practically tearing your underwear off, you quickly stopped her. "Okay, stop talking. I believe you, alright?"

Kafka's photo is so beautiful, you just wanted to admire it. Everyone has a love for beauty, you just spent a lot of time with Gin-chi and started to believe in "pure beauty"... I can't make this up anymore, but no matter how I look at it, it's not your fault!

Silver Wolf shrugged, not exposing your lie, "Show me the game TA sent you."

You click on [Raise a White Evil Simulator].

The familiar interface slowly loaded, and Little White waved to you excitedly when she saw you appear, "You're here! I just had lunch..."

He burped, his face flushed red, and he smiled sheepishly, patting his bulging belly. "Uh, I ate a bit too much."

Ha, it's just Little White Uh-oh—Little White Uh-oh!!!

“…What are you laughing at?” Silver Wolf said. “There’s nothing on this.”

“I showed it to the other people in the train crew before,” you said. “They all said they couldn’t see it either. It seems that only I can see the game interface. The game itself isn’t anything special; it’s just a simulation game. The map and characters are well-made, and the background is in a place called ‘Elegant Secret Pavilion’…”

"The Elegant Pavilion? A temple connected to Paradise?" Silver Wolf pondered, arms crossed. "I've never heard of such a place in the universe. Was it specifically targeting you? You—"

She seemed to want to say something more, but the quiet carriage was suddenly filled with the crisp sound of high heels clicking.

"Da, da, da..."

"What are you talking about? It sounds so lively."

The familiar purple-haired woman walked slowly towards us, her figure graceful. Her sharp business attire, stylish sunglasses, red lips, and unfathomable eyes created a breathtakingly beautiful look.

She smiled and said, "Your relationship is getting better and better."

*

"Kafka? What brings you here?" Silver Wolf asked, equally surprised.

Kafka gave her a reassuring look, tapped her phone, and gestured for her to check the message.

Silver Wolf scanned the new information at a glance, his brows furrowing more and more as he read.

“…Holy crap.” She couldn’t help but blurt out a punk-rod curse. “This wasn’t in my script, but since Elio said so…”

She waves to you, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Eat, drink, and sleep as usual. After all, you're the protagonist of this game. Go ahead and play that simulation game if you want; it won't have any negative effects. As for the reasons behind it, you'll find out naturally during your journey. I'm going back now; I still have work to hand over. Let's play games together again later."

The silver wolf's projection gradually faded inside the carriage.

For a moment, only you and Kafka remained. You gazed into each other's eyes, neither of you uttering a word.

She was the one who finally broke the silence, "...How have you been lately?"

Soon she smiled again, her red lips curving upwards. In stark contrast to her mature and alluring appearance, her eyes held only indulgence and tenderness as she looked at you.

"I forgot, you just went through something big on the last planet, you must be exhausted. Have you been eating properly? Although your body isn't as fragile as an ordinary person's, you still need to take good care of yourself... If you have any difficulties, be sure to tell me, I'll always be here for you."

Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since you've seen her. She was already thin, and I don't know if it's because she's been too busy with work, too many tasks, or because she's been thinking too much about you, but her already thin chin has become even more pointed. Even with makeup, she can't hide the weariness in her eyes.

Your eyes stung and felt dry. You almost cried, but in the end you just sniffed. "...Yeah. Are you okay?"

She smiled slightly, but her eyebrows drooped, revealing a strange expression that seemed to be both helpless and touched. "Darling, of course I'm fine."

"—Liar! You've lost so much weight, you even have dark circles under your eyes—you're usually so conscious of your appearance…!"

Kafka's fingers twitched. Her arm moved strangely back and forth, as if she wanted to hug you, but was mindful of her current status as a virtual projection. Her translucent fingertips passed through the table beside her, reason and emotion churning within her chest.

She placed her right hand on her chest, near her heart, and tried to answer you in a relaxed tone, "...I've been too busy lately, I haven't had time to get my beauty sleep."

"Next adventure, you'll have to rely on yourself. Are you scared?" she said.

"I'm not afraid."

Countless brushes with death—being pierced through the chest by Cocolia, being deceived by the disguise of the Extinction Lord, being dragged into an endless dream from which you almost couldn't wake up, falling from the sky, escaping from a blizzard… these are all your unique memories. Compared to the bewilderment of your time on the space station, they together make up who you are now.

The path of [pioneering] is accompanied by countless dangers... but also by countless growths, countless acts of courage and determination. If you were to use a background music to describe you, it would not be simply bitter or sweet, but rather magnificent and full of ups and downs.

You said, "I'm not afraid. This is my inevitable path, my mission—this is my journey."

“…Good child.” Kafka paused for a moment. “It’s a pity that I couldn’t witness your growth into the way you are now.”

She said, as her body gradually dissipated, "Then let's each do our part. Your future... I'll be looking forward to it."

*

On the phone, Xiaobai'e noticed that you hadn't answered for a long time. At first, she called out to you a few times in confusion, but she wasn't annoyed when she didn't get a response. Instead, she obediently sat on the swing and started swinging.

You go back to your room and pick up your phone.

You've noticed the difference in time flow between in-game and out-of-game. Remember the last time you logged in? The background behind Xiaobai was a bleak autumn wind and fields with stubble. He himself had mentioned before that it was the grain storage season, which meant winter was approaching.

However, this time, the big tree behind him had sprouted tender green buds, and if nothing unexpected happened, the seasons would turn and the Elegant Secret Pavilion would enter a new spring and summer.

Although the game's origins are unclear, Silver Wolf said it was okay to play around with it before leaving, and Kafka just smiled and nodded, so it shouldn't be a big problem. Besides, even if there really is a problem, you wouldn't choose to abandon Little Whitey; instead, you would find out who the mastermind was, beat them up, and then go back to accompany them as they grow up.

Bai Er's attribute panel has been updated again:

Name: Bai E (??????)

Gender: Male

Age: 9

Identity: Villager of Ai Li Mi Xie (???)

Combat ability: 45/100 (Without any cheating, he has achieved his current level through his own efforts, which is quite remarkable)

Charm rating: 65/100 (Comment: The child has grown up)

Please select: [Feed], [Dress Up], or [Tutorial]

Since the last tutorial battle against the goose, and the subsequent Lost Realm incident, only a few days have passed for you, but for Little White Eel, it has felt like two long years.

In the past two years, he has matured considerably and grown taller. Although he still looks small on the phone screen, you feel quite gratified.

The game system seems to know that you're in a bad mood right now, so it doesn't pop up and show its presence like before. It's like it never existed, hiding in the background and not saying a word.

“We’ve known each other for three years now.” Little White looked up at you and asked, “Spring has come again in Aili Secret Pavilion. Over the years, have I become even a little bit stronger? Have you become even a little bit happier?”

He pursed his lips, revealing the same bright, sparkling eyes and slightly shy smile as when they first met. "Have I become the person you expected me to be?"

You softened your features and typed:

[You've been getting stronger, and you'll definitely become the great hero you dream of being.]

He paused again.

[However... there's no need for you to become what I expect you to be. I have no demands on you, and I have no right to judge what kind of person you should become. As long as you grow up safely and healthily, whatever you become, that's the best version of yourself I've always hoped for.]

"Oh..." Little White nodded as if she understood, "Then, are you happy being with me?"

[Happy.] You smiled. [I'm so happy right now. It's all because of you, Xiaobai.]

"That's great!" Bai E laughed along with him.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy too!"

A note from the author:

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I can't wait to show you what it'll be like when I meet Xiaobai E (pats chest). Dating will be a piece of cake, hehehe. Writing the Riddler's plot is giving me a headache... For this Ai Li Mi Xie, I even went to read agricultural papers related to wheat drying and storage in order to make it not too outrageous (closes eyes in pain).