Chapter 52: Pure Landlord and Black Tenant 20 So... small, it's already...
The kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of caramel and custard.
Shao Ye removed the baked caramel pudding from the water bath. The golden caramel layer formed a perfect amber mirror on the surface of the pudding, trembling slightly and emitting an alluring luster.
"What a nice smell!" Ye Ling couldn't help but move closer, her hazelnut eyes sparkling. "Shao Ye, you're a genius!"
Shao Ye raised the corner of his lips slightly, put a pudding on a porcelain plate, pushed it in front of him, and rubbed his head as he leaned forward: "Try it, be careful of the heat."
Ye Ling couldn't wait to pick up the spoon and gently break the crispy and sweet caramel shell.
The golden sugar flakes crumbled, revealing the smooth, creamy pudding beneath. He scooped up a full spoonful, blew on it, and carefully placed it in his mouth.
The rich aroma of egg and milk, and the slightly bitter aftertaste of caramel, instantly melted on the tip of the tongue, incredibly smooth. Ye Ling narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, "It's delicious! It's a hundred times better than what you buy outside!"
Shao Ye leaned against the sink and looked at him quietly.
At this moment, Ye Ling paused.
The terms of the quick-through game quietly emerged in my mind:
[The maximum stay time in a single small world: 180 natural days.]
[Consequences of timeout: The system's energy supply cannot be sustained, the temporary body will suffer irreversible damage, and the host's spirit will permanently dissipate in the turbulence of time and space...]
It has been more than three months since the day he came into this world.
Only seventy days remain.
Ye Ling was thinking about something, and the spoon unconsciously poked the pudding, leaving small holes.
"What's wrong? It doesn't taste good?" Shao Ye immediately came over and carefully examined Ye Ling's expression. "Did you put too much sugar? Or is the caramel a bit bitter?"
Ye Ling snapped back to her senses and quickly shook her head, "No, no! It's absolutely delicious! Really! Just the right sweetness!"
"...Eat slowly, it's all yours." Shao Ye lowered his eyes with mixed emotions, his voice still gentle.
Ye Ling looked at the small piece of pudding left on the plate, and the sweet burden seemed even heavier.
Staying in this world and waiting for time to run out... isn't that possible?
The life of a bird is short to begin with. He spent his life chirping in a cage. Then, as if in a dream, he gained a human body and consciousness. Under the "cultivation" of the Quick Travel Bureau, he lived for another eighteen years.
He has seen different landscapes, experienced what it's like to be a human being, and met people like Shao Ye.
Shao Ye would hold him in his arms and say "I'm here" when he was scared, and would make him the most delicious caramel pudding in the world... That was enough. This was a thousand times better than the master he had imagined when he was a little bird.
What he wanted was never a long life or endless freedom. All he wanted was a place where he could rest in peace and someone he could trust and rely on completely.
Without a master, what meaning does life, no matter how long it is, have for a little bird like him?
[Host!] 778's weak yet panicked electronic voice rang out, as if sensing his dangerous intentions. [Abnormal energy fluctuations! What...what are you thinking? If we continue to stay in this world...we...we will all die! I only have enough energy to barely maintain basic communications...If I don't seize this opportunity to leave...]
[…I know.] Ye Ling pursed her lips and interrupted, [Anyway, there's no chance of escaping now… Let's talk about it later!]
In the study of the Ye family mansion, heavy curtains blocked out the afternoon sun.
Shao Ye sat in front of a large desk with the thick book "Introduction to Algorithms" spread out in front of him.
Between the pages of the book, there was a strand of Ye Ling's light golden hair that he treasured.
After confirming the existence of the system, Shao Ye opened the book again.
That strand of golden hair was undergoing incredible changes at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The golden roots of the hair seemed like melted sunlight, flowing with an even more dazzling golden light, but the tips strangely lost the texture of human hair, gradually becoming finer and showing the texture and texture of feathers.
Starting from the feathers, the gold gradually transitions into a vibrant apple green, and then goes down to a bright sky blue.
In just a few seconds, the soft golden hair completely turned into an extremely gorgeous feather with a gradient of gold, green and blue.
Even though Shao Ye was calm, he felt a strong dizziness at this moment.
He closed the book and opened it again. The feather still lay there, emitting an unnatural, dreamy luster.
“…”
The remaining incomprehensible clues were all connected together at this moment.
Ye Ling's innocence beyond that of an average human, his obsession with shiny objects, his habit of arranging pillows like nests, and even his hazel eyes that occasionally revealed an inhuman purity and innocence...
I see.
It turns out that his little golden retriever... is really a "little bird".
Shao Ye gently stroked the gorgeous feather.
His little bird seemed even more precious and...cute than he had imagined.
But...how could Ye Ling, who was a bird, change into a human appearance, come to his world, and carry out those incredible tasks?
He frowned.
778...The key lies in that damn system.
Shao Ye quickly turned on the computer connected to the special equipment, and an extremely complex data stream was displayed on the screen.
This was the encrypted file fragment he had painstakingly parsed after forcibly infiltrating the 778 core database. He dug deeper and unearthed a document titled: "Agreement on the Training and Execution of Beast Soul Hosts."
[Cultivation Agreement: To ensure that animal soul hosts (specifically non-mammals) can successfully adapt to human form, understand the rules of human society, and effectively perform tasks, a mandatory training period combining virtual and real-world experiences of no less than 18 years is required.]
[Cultivation content includes: basic language, social norms, ethics (human standards), target recognition, task execution logic...]
Shao Ye read word by word, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.
18 years... It turns out that Ye Ling was "cultivated" into an adult bit by bit by that cold system, just like shaping a tool?
Instilling rules, learning to cheat, suppressing nature... No wonder Ye Ling obeyed 778's words and believed in them without a doubt.
He suppressed his anger and continued reading.
[The host's original body has been confirmed dead. He enters the Quick Travel Bureau in a spiritual state. Using the temporary body customized by the Quick Travel Bureau, he travels to the small world to perform tasks, earn points, and regain his life.]
"…Confirmed dead?"
Shao Ye's breathing stopped.
His little bird, so lively, so... small, had already died once?
Shao Ye's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, causing him so much pain that he could hardly breathe.
He subconsciously held the feather tightly in his palm and forced himself to continue reading.
[The maximum stay time in a single small world: 180 natural days.]
[Consequences of timeout: The system's energy supply cannot be sustained, the temporary body is damaged, and the host's spirit body permanently dissipates in the turbulence of time and space.]
"180 days... forever dissipated..."
Shao Ye suddenly looked at the date in the lower right corner of the computer screen - more than 110 days had passed since Ye Ling came to this world.
In other words, his little bird only has... two months left to live?
It seemed as if the whole world was quiet.
Shao Ye's world collapsed.
That System 778, the evil system that he regarded as an exploiter, issued those tasks that made Ye Ling feel ashamed and painful. Perhaps it had its own rules and purposes, but its ultimate goal... was to give this prematurely deceased bird a chance to be reborn?
It's its way of... protecting him?
absurd!
Shao Ye just thought it was ridiculous.
778 was actually protecting Ye Ling, and his self-righteous rescue... was actually pushing Ye Ling to death?
He could easily force Ye Ling to stay, using every possible means to keep him by his side. He was confident he could do it. Now, not only could Ye Ling not physically escape his surveillance range, but the system under his control could not cause any disturbance either.
But at what cost? He would personally push this bird, which had finally gained a second life, into eternal, cold death.
Shao Ye suddenly closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently.
The study was dead silent.
Dissipate...annihilate...die...
He thought he had everything under control, Ye Ling's dependence, Ye Ling's fear, and even that damn system... He thought he had enough time, using the method of boiling a frog in warm water, to make this little golden retriever completely accustomed to his arms and never fly away again.
But now, reality gave him a heavy blow.
He forced himself to look up at another document open on the screen:
[The little golden retriever loves sweets very much, including but not limited to chocolate, honey, and various fruits...]
His plans were a great success, but now he had to overturn them with his own hands.
Shao Ye's fingertips hovered over the delete key, and the cold light of the screen reflected his expressionless face.
Showing weakness, green tea, considerate... Every word was once his weapon for every step, but now it has become the most glaring irony.
"Freedom? Rebirth? Haha..."
The countdown in the 778 core protocol pierced through all his secret fantasies of possession - his little golden retriever must leave this world.
After a long time, Shao Ye's fingertips fell heavily, erasing all the strategy guides he had written, word by word.
Two months left... yes, two months left.
The suppressed beast in his heart was also clamoring, asking him to indulge in this hard-earned and precious time.
But……
"No." He pressed down hard on his pounding heart across his chest. He closed his eyes and shook his head vigorously, as if to clear out all the selfish, crazy thoughts.
For the first time in his life, he lost the confidence and sense of control that he was proud of.
He was confident that he could trap Ye Ling, but he was not confident that he could control himself, control his surging possessive desire that was growing stronger day by day.
After a long time, he turned on the computer that had been turned off, and tapped the keyboard with his fingers heavily, typing a new plan word by word.
So that Ye Ling could leave here and continue those bizarre missions. So that Ye Ling could live... for a long, long time.
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