Mini World Game Console-Chapter 697 - 698: Brother Obsession Control [Second Update]
"Among the five great war zones of the Didra Empire, Bargulf of Snowy City has the greatest ambitions and the highest popularity among the people."
In the royal room at the highest level of the Rift Fortress, Lorifes laid out her plans in detail. Ren Xingmei took notes while Ren Suo sat next to Dong Chengling, translating for her—she was the only one left who could not understand the Didra language, and Ren Xingmei was not yet skilled enough to translate simultaneously, so the task naturally fell to Ren Suo.
Ren Suo didn't mind the trouble; after all, he understood very well the feeling of 'everyone else discussing their matters while I'm the only one who can't understand.'
Although Dong Chengling seemed indifferent, studying a basic language textbook and nodding occasionally to show she was listening, Ren Suo patiently explained everything to her.
This Ren Suo was, naturally, his true form.
After much consideration, Ren Suo ultimately accepted Lorifes. Apart from her beauty, which was pleasing to look at, she had also proven her value: she truly understood the situation in Didra, far surpassing Sony, who was nothing but a straw bag.
Sony might stand tall, but at best, he can only piss far.
Sony rarely paid attention to the internal power struggles of the Empire, as he didn't need to care—once Xides successfully became the Armored Da-jun, he would either become the Great Magistrate of Grand Duke Menelerus or his own father's Great Magistrate.
And to become a Bloodline Great Law meant automatically wielding supreme authority, truly reigning supreme.
Unlike Earth, the Didra Empire was fully adapted to the 'Blood Offspring-Divine Descendant-Earthling' Level System. Even someone like Sony, upon becoming a Great Magistrate, would automatically receive universal recognition; no Divine Descendant or Earthling would attempt rebellion.
This was because the power of the Bloodline Great Law derived from the Great Lord, who, in ancient times, had made a covenant with the Didra Human Race. As the price for sheltering the Didra, the Didilar People were required to give absolute obedience to the Great Lord. This obedience was almost rooted in their very genetics and souls.
Only a few Didra people could escape this destiny; these few chose to rebel against the Great Lords and gathered in the Dark Descending Dimension, calling themselves Oathbreakers.
The Didra people who could not break their oaths had to comply with the game-like system established by the Great Lord and follow their own Attribute.
In such a case, Sony only needed to become a Bloodline Great Law to gain power, and no one would oppose him; his orders would be absolutely enforced. So, Sony naturally wouldn't waste time studying so-called imperial statecraft or understanding the various factions.
But Lorifes was different. She was a weakling in this world saturated with power, yet she was unwilling to submit to this hierarchical system. Thus, she chose to immerse herself in the study of power, mastering the manipulation of schemes and strategies.
She had already clearly analyzed for Ren Suo that even if Didra opened the Door of Annihilation and connected the two dimensions, there was still one problem Ren Suo couldn't solve—how Dong Chengling and Ren Xingmei would traverse back to Earth.
Coming to Didra was different. When they arrived, they were essentially hooked by Sony's 'Fishhook,' while the 'Fishing Rod' was in the Didra Dimension, so Ren Suo could easily bring them both to Didra.
But traversing back was an issue Ren Suo couldn't help with. All Didra people traversing other dimensions relied on their individual ability; there was almost no such thing as hitching a ride with a companion, no 'please, powerhouse, take me with you' situations.
Therefore, Ren Suo had to prepare Drive Belts and Traversal Cartridges for Dong Chengling and Ren Xingmei. Yet this wasn't a problem Ren Suo could resolve simply by ordering supplies in the name of Sony the Great—Dong Chengling and Ren Xingmei were undocumented individuals, unable to obtain any official status.
The Didra Empire's system was nearly flawless. One of its most crucial aspects was that all Spiritual Power Armor, Spiritual Power Belts, and Spiritual Power Card Bands required identity verification before use. Furthermore, most equipment was bound to the user's identity, rendering it completely unusable by others.
This meant that so-called 'weapons' were, in fact, tools perfectly controlled by the privileged class. Even if dissenters like the Oathbreakers emerged, they had to expend considerable effort to hack the Cartridges and Belts and could not sustain their rebellion through spoils of war. Consequently, they never gained significant traction.
Of course, with the identity of Sony the Great, Ren Suo could easily obtain unbound Belts and Cartridges. But 'unbound' didn't mean these items could be used freely—otherwise, wouldn't anyone who captured a large number of unbound Cartridges be able to stage a revolt?
Using unbound Cartridges wasn't difficult if one were a Divine Descendant. A Divine Descendant could freely use and bind all non-Divine Descendant series ordinary Cartridges, much like an adult over eighteen can freely surf the internet without being restricted by anti-addiction systems or content filters for minors.
However, if ordinary Didra people wanted to use unbound Cartridges, they first needed a Divine Descendant or a noble of higher status to activate them. Only then could Didra people bind and use the Cartridges. This was akin to all Didra people being minors requiring parental supervision; what games they played or what films they watched all needed permission from the Divine Descendants, who acted as their guardians.
Herein lay the problem: Dong Chengling and Ren Xingmei were neither Divine Descendants nor Didra people.
It had nothing to do with genetics. They couldn't use the cartridges because all of them were transcendent equipment created by the Great Lord. Each cartridge contained the Great Lord's energy; every use of a cartridge was essentially drawing upon this energy. It was only because the Great Lord constantly infused energy into the Outer World that the cartridges had a seemingly infinite supply.
The will of the Great Lord always watched over the world, and only those recognized by the Great Lord were qualified to gain extraordinary strength. The so-called identity binding was, in fact, merely the Great Lord leasing the cartridges to mortals.
Thus, only Didra people, those who adhered to the Great Lord's covenant and passed the Great Lord's energy verification, could normally use the Great Lord's cartridges. This was why the Oathbreakers, having forsaken the covenant, needed to hack the cartridges to use them.
Hence, Lorifes's suggestion was, in the guise of Sony the Great, to gather as many hacked dimensional Traversal Cartridges as possible. This was currently the only viable method.
But Ren Suo knew of another way: once the Sixteen Great Monarchs were exiled by Los, the cartridges would naturally lose their restrictions. Then, even Earthlings could use Didra's transcendent cartridges.
However, aside from needing traversal equipment, they also needed a suitable environment for traversal to escape from Didra!
The Didra Plane was, in truth, a besieged fortress. The reason the Didra Empire could so audaciously invade other dimensions, with its warriors bravely battling without reservation, was primarily because they were certain their own dimension was exceedingly safe!
The entire Didra Plane was enveloped within a Space-Time Barrier, a wall that the Sixteen Great Monarchs had spent countless years erecting—the pride of Didra. Because of this Space-Time Barrier, it was nearly impossible for other dimensions to counter-invade Didra, placing Didra in a perpetually invincible position.
But at the same time, this Space-Time Barrier also restricted Didra people from traversing dimensions. So, whenever Didra warriors crossed dimensions, they almost always had to do so at specific locations, like the Spider Silk Bed at Rift Fortress.
During Bayonet Operations, the fortress commander would open the Space-Time Barrier of the Spider Silk Bed, allowing warriors to cross.
There were only five such places within the Didra Plane capable of opening the Space-Time Barrier—the Five Great War Zones!
Therefore, if Ren Suo and the others wanted to return, they first had to pass through one of the Five Great War Zones to leave through a breach in the Space-Time Barrier!
"Of course, if you can take down Bargulf, you might not even need to go to the Five Great War Zones. Instead, with a single command, you could have all Five Great War Zones open their Space-Time Barriers. Then, you could directly traverse from anywhere in Didra," Lorifes said. "Based on the latest dimensional invasion records, if all Five Great War Zones open their Space-Time Barriers simultaneously, the breaches in the barrier won't be confined to those five locations. The entire dimension will become porous, like a sieve, allowing entry and exit from anywhere."
"However, this carries great risks. Unstable region traversal might lead to danger. According to the data I found, the death rate is about 33%; one in every three individuals attempting random traversal is torn apart by space-time turbulence."
"No matter how you decide, Bargulf is a target you must deal with."
Lorifes tapped the projection of a blond Divine Descendant. "In the Five Great War Zones," she said, "Stone Fort, Dugu Blue Palace, and Windhelm White Palace are all neutral or aligned with the Royal Family faction. Only Black Thorn of Rift Fortress and Bargulf of Snowy City are disloyal to the Empire, brazenly expanding their strength and public support... When it comes down to it, Bargulf might not listen to Sony."
Ren Suo was a bit puzzled. "But I thought Black Thorn was very respectful towards me…"
"Whether it's humans or Divine Descendants, don't listen to what they say; watch what they do," Lorifes shook her head. "You've already dealt with Black Thorn, so let's set him aside for now. But Bargulf has been meddling in all aspects of Snowy City for years, turning it completely into his personal fortress. He's deliberately fostered the pride of Snowy City's people, making them look down on those from other regions... Bargulf holds no goodwill towards the current Empire and is diligently building his own power base."
"Moreover, with the support of Duke Farkas, Bargulf can completely disregard your status," Lorifes said. "If you want to be absolutely sure, it's best to also remove Bargulf and replace him with someone who will listen to you. Then, you can certainly open the Space-Time Barrier in any war zone for traversal."
Ren Suo nodded silently. Just then, Dong Chengling whispered something to him. Ren Suo then asked Lorifes, "And you? You're encouraging me to take down Bargulf. What's in it for you?"
Lorifes's smile vanished. "Vengeance," she said coldly.
"Vengeance?"
"Bargulf is the leader of the Werewolf Comrade Corps. The Comrades-in-arms Group is an organization established by the Farkas Apostles, and Los was also a member of the Comrades-in-arms Group. But when Los was incarcerated, it was Bargulf who ordered Los to be abandoned, directly banishing him from the Comrades-in-arms Group."
"Black Thorn is Los's direct enemy, and Bargulf is his indirect enemy. Los secured so many military benefits and so much prestige for the Comrades-in-arms Group, an organization supposedly built on mutual support. Yet, they discarded him like trash the moment he ran into trouble. I can't just pretend it never happened."
"Los believes vengeance is a dish best served cold, even if it takes ten years. My philosophy is the sooner, the better—from morning till night. Since Los can't get his revenge now, I'll make them all pay in his stead."
Hearing the silver-haired beauty utter such venomous words, Ren Suo felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The main reason Ren Suo accepted Lorifes was not because of her talents, but because she was Los's sister.
What else could I do? Kill her?
Besides, Los was currently striving to prevent a war between the two realms and to exile the Feudal Great Lord. Moreover, Los was a game character Ren Suo had personally seen through to the end, one he had painstakingly 'raised,' so to speak.
Even in his emotionless Sony state, Ren Suo couldn't bring himself to treat this silver-haired beauty, who was striving solely for Los's sake, harshly.
Since he couldn't kill her, and letting her go was too risky, it was better to keep her by his side. Incidentally, he could have Lorifes serve as a consultant and tutor, helping Dong Chengling and Ren Xingmei learn Didra knowledge.
"Besides, if you haven't lied to me, Los has now joined the Oathbreakers and become a traitor rebelling against the Empire."
Lorifes said indifferently, "To make it easier for Los to overthrow this country, Snowy City must have a master with less ambition. This will reduce the difficulty of Los's rebellion."
Lorifes had conditions for joining them. The most important, naturally, was Ren Suo's promise not to harm her. The second was that Ren Suo had to guarantee Los's safety.
After some thought, Ren Suo not only agreed but also duped Lorifes in Sony's name: the imprisoned Oathbreakers were actually searching for a Dragonborn, a Son of Destiny. Now that Los had managed to escape with the Oathbreakers, if he left with them, he must be the Dragonborn they were looking for, destined to overthrow the Empire!
Later, Los did teleport away with the Oathbreakers, confirming Ren Suo's claim. Although Lorifes was skeptical about this so-called Dragonborn, Son of Destiny, she firmly believed that 'Los would overthrow the Empire.'
After a night of discussion, Ren Suo finally had a clear outline of what to do next.
Seeing that it was about time, they took baths and rested. During this period, Lorifes gave Dong Chengling and Ren Xingmei a crash course, helping them recognize the most basic Didra vocabulary and teaching them techniques for learning the Didra language.
"Cheng Ling…"
Before going to sleep, Ren Suo called out to Dong Chengling, hesitating, then stopping mid-sentence, then seeming to want to speak again. Dong Chengling, who was studying, looked up. She couldn't help but smile, signaled to Lorifes, and then pulled Ren Suo out into the living room.
The beautiful tutor, Lorifes, glanced at the door, then at the female student before her, and asked, "Do you want to go too? Shall we take a break?"
"No," Ren Xingmei quickly shook her head. "You continue teaching."
A few minutes later, Ren Suo and Dong Chengling returned, both looking fully recharged and satisfied. Ren Suo happily lay down on the couch to sleep, and Dong Chengling resumed her lesson.
Lorifes glanced at Ren Xingmei and gestured with her chin towards Ren Suo. Ren Xingmei gently shook her head, avoiding Lorifes's implied suggestion.
After studying for another ten minutes or so, they also needed to rest. The three of them ended up sleeping on the large bed, with Lorifes in the middle.
The light grew dim, inducing drowsiness, and the room fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Ren Xingmei suddenly felt a weight on her chest. Opening her eyes, she saw Lorifes's small, white-haired face pressing against her.
Ren Xingmei looked at Dong Chengling on the other side, lowered her voice, and asked in the Didra language, "What are you doing?"
"Hey, what's your relationship with him?" Lorifes asked.
"None of your damn business!" Ren Xingmei's grasp of the Didra language was improving at a divine speed.
Lorifes didn't mind and guessed, "I think both of you are his lovers. But the one with the bigger chest is the favored one, and you're the unfavored one, right?"
"Bullshit!" Ren Xingmei snapped, her voice low and sharp with anger. "He's my brother, not my lover!"
"Oh, so you're the unfavored sister, right?"
"I'm not out of favor! Siblings just aren't as close as lovers!"
"Oh, really?" Lorifes laughed softly, staring into Ren Xingmei's eyes. "But it seems like you're not satisfied with this distance."
Ren Xingmei felt inexplicably guilty under her gaze. "That's not true! Stop making things up."
"When that busty woman dragged him out earlier, your eyes looked like they were about to pop out. You wished you could teleport over there, didn't you?"
"That's—that's not..."
"I'm just a stranger to you all. I don't know your past, and I probably won't see your future. Is there any point in lying to me?" Lorifes said. "Don't pretend not to care unless you genuinely don't. Otherwise, you'll end up with regrets."
Ren Xingmei fell silent.
After a while, she suddenly asked, "Siblings in Didra, they grow up together from a young age, right?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Lorifes nodded. "Yes."
"Then you should understand, right? It's just like that..."
"No, I don't understand," Lorifes shook her head. "What's the big deal about siblings?"
This Didra woman is completely unreasonable! Ren Xingmei thought, then said, "Siblings mean family! It means they *can't* be lovers!"
"Why? You Otherworlders are truly interesting," Lorifes laughed. "We don't have that rule here."
Ah, right. Didra people don't even have the concept of family. Their 'siblings' are just people they acknowledge as such in orphanages.
Ren Xingmei instantly felt foolish for discussing this with her and pursed her lips, falling silent.
"Escaping is easy, and enduring pain isn't as difficult as one might imagine. People can readily subject themselves to suffering because they derive a certain happiness from an inner sense of duty—like telling themselves, 'It's for your own good.'"
"But in truth," Lorifes said leisurely, "if you bravely take that one step forward, you might just find a solution that satisfies everyone."
Ren Xingmei still didn't speak.
Lorifes continued, "A secret crush is a polite thing, isn't it? Like building a beautiful castle in secret. But I don't know if you've ever performed on stage... Ah, I'm not sure how it is where you're from, but on a Didra stage, the lights are incredibly bright. Those on stage can't see the audience below clearly."
"So, if you don't walk up on stage and show yourself, those on stage will never see you. If your feelings are unrequited, then you have to be prepared to accept the outcome of your gamble."
Lorifes waited a moment. Hearing no response, she touched her stinging, reddened cheek, tsked silently, and prepared to sleep.
However, at this moment, Ren Xingmei suddenly whispered, "I'm afraid."
Lorifes's spirits lifted. "What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid of holding him back."
"But if you don't hold him back, someone else will. Are you okay with that? Better that you're the one holding him back."
Hearing the soft, rustling discussion behind her, Dong Chengling opened her eyes. She turned her head, glanced at Ren Suo sleeping soundly on the couch, sighed softly, and a helpless smile touched her lips.
