Chapter 80 Dragon Quest (Part 1) [VIP]

Lin Chen squatted on the floor of the orphanage, broke off a pill and handed it to the detective NPC: "Let me make it clear, don't blame me if you die."

Just kidding, if the detective NPC dies, the player will definitely revert to the previous game!

"The famous detective won't die!" Ranpo grabbed the pill and threw it into his mouth, his cheeks puffed up like a hamster's.

Five seconds later, he shrank to a size of seven, his detective uniform draped over him like a sack, his glasses sliding down to the tip of his nose. "Akira, look! My toffee has grown!"

Yosano Akiko's hands were shaking as she held the pills: "Do I really have to take it?"

"You can stay outside and provide support." Lin Chen stood on tiptoe and patted her shoulder, her ponytail swinging across Zhongyuan Chuuya's face. "After all, not everyone is as brave as me..."

The sound of a pill being swallowed interrupted her. Akiko, still a seven-year-old, grabbed Ranpo by the collar. "I promised the president I'd keep an eye on Ranpo-san. Of course, I feel more at ease going with him."

"Why doesn't Nakahara-kun need to take medicine?" Jingzi poked Nakahara Chuuya who was trying to hold back his laughter.

"He's only eleven." Lin Chen suddenly leaned in and stared at the auburn-haired boy. "Huh? Yeah, why aren't you asleep?"

"I've been working all night fixing the irrigation system all week," Chuuya said, his voice suddenly rising. "I haven't had time to sleep."

"A growing kid staying up all night?" Seven-year-old Yosano Akiko instinctively reached for her waist, then withdrew her hand when she realized she hadn't brought her scalpel. "Wait until you're thirty and your back hurts, and you'll know you're wrong."

The seven-year-old player suddenly rushed over and pulled his jacket: "Children who stay up late won't grow tall!"

"What do you care?"

"He really won't grow taller." Seven-year-old Ranpo swung his feet on the floor. "Is it that Chuuya hasn't grown in recent years? It must be because of all the late nights. Chuuya himself is the best example..."

"Shut up and go to sleep!"

"Now everyone meets the requirements." Lin Chen picked up the toy wooden sword he had found in the warehouse and said, "Lie down and sleep, prepare to dream—"

Four little kids huddled together on an old carpet. A player thrust a wooden sword into the hands of a good-looking NPC: "Take this, use it as a pillow to help you sleep."

"I don't need..."

NPCs don't have the right to refuse players! If they let you take it, then take it!

Lin Chen, who was still wide awake with his eyes closed, stood up in frustration and found that the three NPCs also looked like they were not asleep at all.

So the player diligently searched his backpack and fed the three little NPCs [Sleepy Tea: No, this isn't a game item. It's useless except for putting people to sleep, and will wake them up with external stimulation.]

The detective NPC obediently accepted the player's feeding and savored the drink after drinking it, but before he could say anything, he fell into a dream.

Although the fan NPC was not used to the passive appearance, he still drank it patiently and followed in the footsteps of the detective NPC.

"I myself...!" Before the NPC with good attributes could struggle, the player quickly poured the black tea into his mouth. The NPC with good attributes choked and coughed a few times, then fell down unable to resist the sleepiness.

The kind player covered every NPC with a blanket! Then, with great enthusiasm, he squeezed in and drank the [Sleepy Tea] in one gulp.

Mmm...it's sweet and delicious...

The player tilted his head and fell asleep.

——

"Welcome to the Fairy Tale Kingdom!" The squirrel in a strawberry apron bowed to them. "The dragon has stolen the princess's marshmallow crown. Heroes of another world, quickly take up your weapons, reclaim the crown, and contribute your strength to the safety of the Fairy Tale Kingdom!"

Lin Chen yawned.

It’s strange, can I feel sleepy even in a dream?

It must be because the NPCs talked too much, making the players drowsy.

Is this really not skippable? Anyone who's played a certain amount of games knows the mechanics of this plot, right? Especially considering this is the familiar Dragon Warrior scenario! With just these two settings, players can write ten stories in three minutes!

The squirrel rubbed its paws as it stood on a hill of strawberry cakes, its pink nose twitching. "The heroes need four treasures to challenge the dragon..."

Lin Chen sat cross-legged on a chocolate rock, twirling a branch he'd broken off from the candy tree with his fingertips. Nakaya was skipping stones across the water, the ripples in the milky lake startling a flock of gummy ducks. Ranpo plucked a bunch of lollipops from the grass by the roadside and snapped them in half.

"Brave men, stop playing and listen to me!" The squirrel in a strawberry apron clung to the edge of the chocolate rock, its furry tail swaying above the honey swamp. "Be careful of melting cookie traps as you pass through the sweet forest, and collect..."

The player was bored squatting by the milk lake and poking at the gummy duck, but she pushed him aside. The good entry NPC said: "..."

Good Entry NPC: "You have to stand on this long shore, right?"

Yes, that's right.

As a player, I love to squeeze out NPCs the most!

, and moved aside silently.

"E has a detective NPC anyway!" the player looked up at the detective who was breaking candy tree trunks in E. "Based on the game's plot, he's either the mastermind or a superb guide for the players! His goal is to provide a good experience for players who don't want to use their brains."

He pointed at himself and said proudly, "It has been confirmed that he is the mastermind behind this, so he must be guiding the NPC, the user!"

Nakahara Chuuya: You’re the one behind this?! And don’t give people nicknames without permission, it’s very rude!

Chuuya looked at the player who turned his head and only revealed the back of his round head, with an obvious attitude of "the sound slipped through my smooth cerebral cortex and I didn't hear a word hehehe".

Ranpo, inexplicably pleased, turned around, the hem of his brown detective uniform still stained with colorful icing. "Huh? This tutorial-like process is so long-winded, the detective already knows it all! First level: Go find Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother to accept the mission!"

He bit off half of the rainbow candy cane with a snap, and with his other hand, he swung out a complete rainbow candy cane, saying with great enthusiasm, "Three o'clock, gingerbread house, let's go!"

The group ignored the squirrel's urgent squeaking and happily embarked on a journey to find Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother.

In the dreamy kingdom of children, the trees are made of chocolate, the stones are honey bread, the fruits are all kinds of snacks, and there are colorful candy canes and super lollipops on the roadside.

A candy-scented wind whistled through the forest, and dark clouds drifted by, raining down colorful jams.

In a dream, you don’t have to worry about being overeating or having tooth decay. You can eat whatever you want and as much as you want!

"I can't eat anymore." The player saw the fan NPC patting his stomach sadly and refused the "super delicious sweet and sticky snow dumpling" that the detective NPC handed over to him.

The detective NPC put it in his mouth and ate it in one gulp. He didn't forget to instruct the fan NPC while chewing, "Because Jingzi thinks she should be full now, she feels bloated. This is a dream, everything will reflect your thoughts!"

He pointed at the player and said, "Look, she's like a shredder all the way here, chewing through all those trees without any problem! That's her!"

The player who destroyed a chocolate tree with E gives a thumbs up.

Akiko's expression hardened. "Well, I can't collapse here! I'll eat up this dessert forest and show you!"

Ranpo laughed and patted her shoulder, "That's the kind of momentum I need! Come on, Jingzi, I believe you can do it!"

Although Player didn't know why they suddenly became so excited, he still applauded and cheered out of respect.

The atmosphere was very warm for a while.

Only Nakahara Chuuya picked a blueberry-flavored candy and put it in his mouth, sighing: "You are all sick!"

The four children walked along Honey Creek for about ten minutes when Jingzi suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, "Look! There seems to be a house up ahead?"

Through the marshmallow bushes, bubblegum smoke could be seen rising from the chimney of the gingerbread house. Ranpo stood on tiptoe and tugged at the corner of Akiko's clothes. "Akira, don't be surprised by anything you see later, okay?"

Jingzi agreed with a puzzled look on her face.

As they walked along the maple syrup path to the front door, Chuuya squatted down and poked at the honey bread that served as a mailbox. "This boss has a really sweet taste, hasn't he?"

The biscuit door suddenly creaked open. A silver-haired old woman wearing a floral apron was knitting a sock when the ball of yarn hanging from her needles suddenly rolled to Lin Chen's feet.

"Oh, is it the lost little guest?" The old man raised his head - under the brim of his hat was the face of a middle-aged man with sharp edges and a serious look.

The lollipop in Jingzi's hand fell to the ground with a "clack". "President? What are you..."

"It's Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother." The grandmother NPC calmly pushed her reading glasses, put down her woolen socks, and pulled out a small box from under the seat. "My granddaughter Little Red Riding Hood's favorite snacks and soda are missing. Can you help me, an old man with blurry eyes, find them?"

Lin Chen squatted down and poked the plush slippers on the old man's feet: "What does the thing you are looking for look like?"

"Blue soda pop, and the snack is konpeito." The old man pulled a senbei cracker from his apron pocket and handed it to the player, who ate it all. "Last week, Little Red Riding Hood hid her snacks in a tree hole, but a mischievous squirrel stole them."

Ranpo came out from the corner and piled the snacks in his arms on the table in front of his grandmother. "Well, that's about it. Mission accomplished. Where is the treasure?"

"Wow," the player said to Zhong Ye happily, "I told you he was a super useful backup NPC, right?"

The famous detective looked up and adjusted the glasses he had just taken out and put on. "Hehe, isn't this simple? You can tell at a glance, right?"

"So what? Are you admiring the great detective Ranpo more? Hahahahahaha, after all, I have the unparalleled special ability of "super reasoning"! Hahahaha!"

"Wow! 'Super Reasoning' is awesome!" The player took out colorful ribbons from his backpack and scattered them on Ranpo like flowers from heaven.

The grandmother NPC gave the detective NPC a "Full Snack Box": This box is filled with snacks due to the guardian's favoritism towards their children. Because of the dream, the box will continuously produce the food that the child desires most. Each food item randomly grants a buff to the eater.

As the four children walked out of the gingerbread house, Akiko grabbed Ranpo's cape and asked, "What did the president just put in your pocket?"

"It's lemon candy." Ranpo took out a candy wrapper with a cat pattern on it. "Would you like one?"

The player who didn't consider himself an outsider at all took the lemon candy and put it into his mouth.

"How is it? Is it delicious?" The detective NPC poked the player with a wicked smile.

"It's delicious." The player's eyes sparkled as he tried to take another candy from the detective NPC's pocket. "It's sour and sweet, just the right amount."

The detective NPC opened his narrowed eyes, moved closer to the innocent-looking player, and carefully observed her every expression.

"Can't you handle sour food?" the player asked sincerely. "Yeah, that's understandable. After all, he's introduced as an NPC with a sweet tooth... But his acidity is only level one, so lame..."

"Huh? No way! No, no, I won't fall for such a simple provocation." The famous detective NPC shook his head and handed the lemon candy to the fan NPC, "Jingzi Jingzi! Come and try this candy, and be sure to tell me what you really think!"

"Isn't that childish?" The fan NPC complained while taking the candy and eating it.

The detective NPC stared intently at the fan NPC's expression the entire time, only to be pushed away by the fan NPC in disgust. "For some reason, this candy tastes just like normal! Hmm... maybe even sweeter than usual? The president really dotes on you."

"That shouldn't be the case?" The famous detective fell into a rare moment of deep thought. "The president created this based on my memory. In my mind, he must have known that I exceeded the snack limit the day before yesterday, hiding the strawberry daifuku and eating the snow meringues I had prepared as a treat for the guests... So, there must be something wrong with this candy!"

Ranpo rushed in front of Chuuya and shouted, "Chuuya! I believe you will not lie to me! Hurry up and taste this candy and tell me the real taste!"

Nakahara Chuuya was startled by Ranpo's sudden excitement and held onto his arm, "Don't rush over so suddenly..."

He waited until Ranpo had regained his footing, then took the candy and ate it.

"How is it? Very sour, right? Super sour? The kind that makes your teeth fall out?" Ranpo looked at him expectantly.

After tasting it carefully, Nakaya shook his head calmly, "It tastes just like normal."

"I don't believe this, detective! You all conspired to deceive me!" Ranpo shouted, and ran to the front angrily with the snack box in his arms.

Lin Chen watched his little bean-like figure leave, his lips moving slightly, "How does it taste?"

"My teeth are about to fall out. The president is so cruel." Jingzi opened her mouth slightly.

"It's so sour." Chuuya turned his head away and grinned briefly.

They walked along the maple syrup trail to the jelly lake. Ranpo was already sitting there, guzzling soda. Seeing the three of them wandering over, he shouted in frustration, "You three must have teamed up to trick me! This lemon candy is so sour!"

The player rubbed his chubby cheeks, "Cute, kitty."

"Hashidou Madai!" Ranpo continued loudly, "Don't put your hands on me, and I have no intention of being your subordinate or dog like Chuuya! Forget it!

The player smiled.

The cat's panting is so cute.

Ranpo ran up behind Akiko in a horrified manner and pulled her towards the lake. "I just want to join in the fun but I have no intention of selling myself. Let's go, Akiko! Defeat the dragon quickly, or you'll become her pet!"

Ranpo trotted along, poking at the boy who was leaning against a watermelon jelly bean juggling five cherry bullets. Without waiting for him to say hello, he shouted hurriedly, "Jump over, jump over! Hurry and take out your weapons!"

The boy obediently pulled out four water guns from behind his back and kindly instructed, "Fill them with juice before using them. You need different flavors."

Ten or so transparent jelly monsters crawled out of the lake, each one containing a popping candy heart. Jingzi aimed at the nearest monster: "Three, one, one—"

The player took two water guns - one of which belonged to the detective NPC - and happily attacked.

Finally, it’s time for the fighting part, the one players are best at! All monsters are sniping!

Tata open!

The happy players fought their way through the beach in a very short time, smashing the jelly slimes, gumdrop archers and ice cream mages into pieces.

"It's smoothie!" Lin Chen happily ate them all in one bite, and opened his bloody mouth to chase the fleeing food.

"Was she like this before?" Akiko asked Chuuya who was standing next to her.

"Based on my limited understanding of her, yes." Chuuya sighed, "She's supposed to be older than me, but she doesn't act like an adult at all."

Jingzi pondered, "After being in the adult world for so long, can I still maintain a childlike heart? As expected of a Player, I still have a lot to learn!"

Chuuya: "I didn't mean to praise her... Never mind, I'm glad I encouraged you."

"You've completed your mission." The red-haired boy slowly walked out from behind the watermelon jelly, holding four rainbow-colored shells in his hands. "This is a reward for the brave warriors."

Lin Chen took the shell, inspected it, and decisively stuffed it into his mouth, but was stopped by the NPC with the good entry: "Idiot! This is a talking shell!"

"Eh? Can't eat it?" The player put down the shell in disappointment, turned around and saw the detective NPC putting the shell to his ear.

"I can hear the sound of waves..." The detective NPC's eyes sparkled. He spun around excitedly, his cape fluttering as he moved. "Boss... Grandma told me there's a chocolate factory on the other side of the ocean! Let's go!"

Jingzi looked at the lake warily: "If we want to cross the lake..."

"Do you need a boat?" A gentle male voice came from the lake.

Following the sound, the player saw an NPC, clearly filled with malicious intent, paddling a purple-red boat towards the shore, his white lab coat swaying gently in the candy breeze. Akiko immediately pulled Ranpo behind her and stared at the newcomer warily.

"Doctor Mori!" Jingzi raised her spines like a hen facing an eagle. "Why are you here?"

"Come and show the way to the lost lambs." Dr. Sen said with a smile.

It really seems like a weird old man is kidnapping underage kids, and there are also lost lambs... It sounds terrible.

Chuuya frowned: "Do you know this guy?"

"He's a black-hearted doctor." Ranpo said as he leisurely ate his snacks, then walked out and protected Akiko behind him. "If a fool like Chuuya gets close to him, he'll definitely be tricked into losing everything."

"Can you please stop calling others stupid in such a serious situation?!"

Lin Chen had already jumped onto the boat briskly and was studying the oars: "It's made of lollipops."

"Young lady, you have good taste." Mori Ogai smiled and handed over the oar. "Would you like to try rowing?"

"Don't take things handed to you by strangers!" Zhong Ye wanted to hold the player back, so he jumped onto the boat and pulled the player behind him.

Ranpo pulled Akiko onto the boat as well.

Lin Chen retreated casually following his force, feeling a little curious.

Does this NPC have the attribute of "Caring for Others"? Or does "Protecting One's Faults" also include "Caring for Others"? He always complains about the players every time we meet, hahahahahaha.

Lin Chen looked curiously at the shimmering water below... or was it jelly noodles? Regardless, she decisively reached out and touched it.

Icy, cool, springy, tender and smooth.

It looks delicious when you touch it.

Nakahara Chuuya had a rare feeling of returning to his old self, taking care of a child. After all, Player was now seven years old—though still taller than him—but with a childish appearance and bright eyes. He looked like someone who could be tricked into giving him a lollipop.

Although everyone knows that the one she should be afraid of is the person who deceived her, this cannot hide the fact that Player looks extremely innocent, cute and romantic.

So Zhongyuan Zhong couldn't help but feel the urge to protect her, and couldn't help but sigh when he saw her ignorantly about to leave with the black-hearted doctor.

Now, Player7 made a move to pull something out of thin air, and as she did so, she lifted up an oversized spoon.

Without hesitation, she dug a large hole in the lake and opened her mouth. The huge jelly shrank miraculously and slid obediently into her mouth.

Player made a few chewing motions and the jelly disappeared into her mouth.

...No matter how many times I watch it, it still feels magical. It completely challenges everyone's common sense.

"Can I write this?" Ranpo approached Player and asked seriously, "This ability to eat anything, no matter how big, with just one mouth. Can I write this?"

The player being asked had a very human look of confusion on her face. She took a moment to understand and then said confidently, "It's very simple!"

Then she repeated the above actions, trying to teach Edogawa Ranpo the ability of [Gorgous Mouth].