Chapter 32 What to do if Bai E falls asleep? Bai E's perspective shifts...

Bai E's perspective shifted, and he felt his body pause subtly in the void for a moment before being teleported to an unknown space.

Everything before my eyes seemed like a bubble in a dream—illusory, hazy, and unreal.

He cautiously summoned his weapon and looked ahead, discovering that it seemed to be nighttime. The surrounding decorations were all styles he had never seen before. He glimpsed a familiar style in the luxurious sofas and red velvet cushions, recalling what you had told him about Pinocchio's past. This must be a replica built based on Pinocchio.

Bai E turned around, eager to share with you, "Partner, our next move..."

He was stunned for a moment.

There was no one around you; you didn't know where you had gone.

What happened? Did your teleportation ability malfunction? He subconsciously took a few steps forward, cautiously observing the traces around him.

There were no footprints... Now that I think about it, I haven't heard your voice since entering the dungeon. It seems that the problem didn't happen inside the dungeon, but rather something went wrong during the teleportation process.

He can't help but worry about you, but thankfully your fighting skills are reassuring enough. He doesn't possess any special abilities and can't do anything about it; the best solution now is to stay put and wait for you to come to him.

Bai E lowered his head, his right hand clenching and then relaxing.

He's been training really hard, but at times like this, he can only wait for you to come to him. There's nothing he can do to help you, nothing he can do to ease your burden...

He still didn't do a good enough job.

Bai E doesn't want to restrict you too much.

Ohma is a romantic city-state where bards spend their days playing their harps and singing, mostly about dramatic emotions, in addition to the heroic epics passed down orally.

Occasionally, a drunken poet would open his hazy, intoxicated eyes, lean against the wall in a corner, and shout for a reward.

Sometimes Bai'er would walk over and hand him a few coins, asking him to finish the romantic hymn he hadn't sung earlier.

The poet's vision was blurry, and he didn't recognize him. He chuckled a few times and said, "Business is closed for today, no more singing. Since you want to hear the ending, I'll just tell you directly."

"...The ending of this romance is nothing new. The characters argue and reconcile several times, become obsessed with love, lose themselves because of love, and become different from their original selves because of love... It is precisely the regret that makes the story seem complete."

“It’s rare to hear someone say that,” Bai’er said. “But the story of Ceres and Meneta is, in a relatively sense, ‘without regrets,’ and it’s still been passed down to this day, hasn’t it?”

The poet shook his head. “How can the power of the Titans compare to that of us mortals? ... You haven’t met your sweetheart yet, have you? We mortals are often powerless against our own will, bound by worldly concerns, money, ideals, and beliefs... All we can do is try our best to accept the outcome, whether it is good or bad.”

But Bai E thought that love of talent was not what he was talking about, and he would never stand by and watch fate play tricks on him without making any counterattack.

Admittedly, he did develop a few more concerns because of this love, and couldn't control himself. But even if you were just an ordinary person, even if you were much weaker than you are now, he would not use his power to imprison you in the name of love.

...You should be free to do whatever you want, even if he's not around.

He never talks about "possession" because no matter what your identity or status is, you should not be his appendage, nor a cold object that can be "possessed".

So it's up to him to try. If he tries a little harder, he can protect everything he wants to protect: you, Onphalus, and this crumbling world.

Bai E looked around and found the sofa he had seen earlier in the corner. He placed his weapon next to it and sat down for the time being.

Perhaps it was because the sofa was too soft and comfortable, or perhaps it was because you had told him that there was no danger here and he didn't need to worry, but he actually dozed off.

...There's a condition called post-traumatic amnesia, and Bai E had actually considered whether he had it. Feng Jin had told him that if a patient suffers a major trauma and experiences a severe emotional breakdown, this psychological disorder can occur. He suspected that the "mushroom soup" incident you mentioned earlier might be the reason he couldn't remember it.

But as he dozed off, he dreamt of scenes he had missed from his past memories.

"Caus...the subject of the experiment has been found."

Under the big tree at the entrance of Ai Li Mi Xie village, young Bai E looked up.

Under the burning sky, a crack seemed to have been forcibly torn open, but soon returned to calm.

I heard a few unfamiliar female murmurs in my ear.

"The world...reboots...your life...should not be here..."

*

"Little White? Little White? White Calamity!"

A pair of warm hands covered my forehead, checked the temperature a few times, and then put them down.

"Thank goodness I don't have a fever. Honestly... why am I sleeping here?"

You thought that since you suddenly disappeared, he would definitely accuse you of leaving without saying goodbye, but when you came back, you saw him sleeping soundly on the sofa.

He seemed completely unprepared, his neck was uncomfortable against the back of the sofa, and he was frowning, as if he was having a nightmare.

You are deep in thought.

When you're unsure what to do next, that's when options come into play!

Bai'er is asleep, what do you plan to do?

A. Artificial respiration.

Carry forward the fine tradition of artificial respiration on trains.

B. Sing the song "Sleeping Banana Monkey" loudly in his ear and say that he is "Sleeping Banana Dog".

You've cleverly used two memes and a pun at the same time; even if you shut up, you'd be considered a genius.

C. Take the opportunity to steal all the money he has.

...Uh, what a strange option. It feels like a kitten briefly controlled your mind. What cat phantom thief?

D. Press [F] to elbow.

This is definitely the authentic choice for RPG games!

Hidden options:

E. He's really handsome.

He's so handsome... Wait, wake up!

You've made your decision.

—Bai E twitched in his dream for some reason, his eyebrows twitched a few times, and then he woke up.

The moment I opened my eyes, I was met with eyes that were extremely close to mine.

"..." He seemed startled. "Partner...? What are you doing?"

You felt a slight pang of regret, but your expression remained calm. "Oh, I was just thinking that if someone still didn't wake up, I'd have to give him CPR."

Teacher Danheng, although you failed to actually perform artificial respiration twice, you have already learned how to use this technique to save others.

If Xiao Qinglong himself knew, he would surely be proud of you! This is what inheritance is all about!

Bai E blinked slowly, sensing that it was some kind of joke he didn't know about.

Seeing you step back, he straightened up and said guiltily, "How did I fall asleep... Partner, are you alright? What happened just now?"

You replied, "It's nothing, it's just that an old friend missed me after not seeing me for a long time and pulled me over to catch up."

Although I didn't quite understand what riddle Ruan Mei was trying to say, I couldn't say it directly, otherwise he would catch me and kill me. So I could only use a metaphor.

But she also said that she knew someone from the Black Tower and even treated you to pastries, which basically means that she would help you with your trip to Onpharos... So there shouldn't be any major problems?

Moreover, moreover—

She also gave you an extremely generous event reward!

Not only will the blessings of the Differential Universe be amplified this time, but you've also acquired ten rare items in one fell swoop. It's like you've become rich overnight, making you quite giddy.

You ask her, "After all this talk, have we met before? Otherwise, why do you seem so familiar?"

Ruan Mei smiled slightly, "Let's not delve too deeply into the affairs of geniuses."

—What she meant was, "Mind your own business when it comes to geniuses!" Her tone was a little flat, but don't think you couldn't tell—

Okay, now I believe she's a friend of Black Tower.

*

You and Bai Er start anew.

Amidst the energetic "mi" sounds and the heavy hum of metal, you easily dispatched several minor monsters.

Bai Er recorded the copy data from the side.

“I never thought that after being away from the classroom for so long, I would still have the opportunity to do fieldwork,” he exclaimed. “...Before I saw it, I was always curious about what Pinocchio was like. Now it seems really luxurious.”

The sofa is so comfortable to lie on; it must have cost a fortune. Even the surrounding decorations are gilded, reflecting an atmosphere of extravagance under the lights.

He paused, "And it looks completely different from the style of Onfaros, very refreshing. Do the people there also like to drink mead and take baths?"

You smiled. "Once it's all over, come with me in the car and you'll see. This is just a replica; the real Pinocchio is even more amazing. Of course, Mimi will come too."

"I...remember, I was moved..."

I'm so touched that you still remember me. Let's make a promise then!

Mimi wagged its tail and showed an expectant expression.

In the midst of the joyful atmosphere, you clicked on the [event] again.

"Why not choose [Combat]? Is there some other consideration?" Bai E asked, puzzled.

He noticed that you seemed to be clicking on [Events] every time, and you hadn't encountered any monsters to clear along the way, which was far from what he had planned before coming here.

"Oh, this?" you replied matter-of-factly. "There's no particular reason, it's just because I'm a compendium-filling fanatic."

Xingqiong gets a reward every time she completes the illustration. Why not take advantage of this freebie!

"And don't underestimate the [Event] grid, thinking it's safe. Sometimes the strange items that drop can be quite troublesome, like—"

With a crisp clang, Bai E casually smashed the destructible object next to him.

—Your health has instantly dropped to one percent.

You almost couldn't catch your breath.

"...For example...cough, like this now..."

[Galaxy Lotto/Lottery] The artifact is damaged.

That's right, it's one of the ten rare items Ruan Mei just gave me. You're so silly, really, you shouldn't have opened the champagne halfway through.

As a spirit of memory, Mimi is the only one who is unaffected.

Seeing how weak you all looked, almost collapsing to the ground, she flew anxiously back and forth, calling out:

"Mmmmmm!"

Don't make any promises you can't keep!