Mini World Game Console-Chapter 776 - 777: Selling Emotions, Developing Emotions [Second Release]

By the time Ren Suo returned home, it was already 10:39 PM.

Out of the four girls he dated today, Gu Yueyan was actually the most... well, if Ren Suo were to put it delicately, Gu Yueyan was indeed the cutest.

Dong Chengling, Ren Xingmei, and Qiao Muyi had all vaguely sensed the changes in Ren Suo, but only Gu Yueyan realized—after heeding the advice of her best friend Lin Xianyu—that Ren Suo's love had transformed.

This smart and beautiful Genius, who excelled in academics and Cultivation, was...the adorable type with a very long reaction time when it came to matters of the heart.

Using the popular vernacular of the Martial World, "Trick her once, sleep with her once." Of course, if Gu Yueyan disliked someone, she couldn't be tricked, but if she fell for a bad guy...

Thus, after Ren Suo made his final rational confession to her, reigniting the dying embers of her love, it took him another hour to get home.

Although Ren Suo understood that time was running short, this matter couldn't be rushed; it needed to be approached slowly and methodically, deepening gradually to make her feel relaxed and receptive.

Yes, after Ren Suo's rational confession, Lin Xianyu, who had been discretely following them, finally made her move.

Seeing the class president fooled by Ren Suo again, even though her opponent was Ren Suo, a Fourth-Stage Cultivator, she still stood up for her friend without hesitation, quickly dragging the class president home to "wash her brain."

Ren Suo knew that, thanks to his efforts, Gu Yueyan's feelings were now firm and steadily growing, like a blue-chip stock immune to market crashes. However, he didn't just need her feelings to remain stable; he needed them to skyrocket tonight.

Lin Xianyu was the braking system for Gu Yueyan's emotions.

It was also the first time Ren Suo discovered that Lin Xianyu, usually gentle, was surprisingly stubborn when it came to protecting her friend. She was utterly unwilling to acknowledge Ren Suo, firmly convinced that he was an emotional swindler who wouldn't even commit to love.

According to Lin Xianyu, her stance was, "Since I've gone this far, I can't stop now, and I won't accept being spoon-fed by you again!"

If Gu Yueyan were to fall for a jerk, Lin Xianyu would be there protecting her. That was why Ren Suo spent a full hour trying to persuade Lin Xianyu.

Ultimately, Ren Suo didn't manage to persuade Lin Xianyu—she wasn't someone who could be swayed merely by rational talk.

But through his actions, he made his intentions clear, encouraging the naïve Gu Yueyan to keep scoring wildly on the love test.

He also made sure that Lin Xianyu, an unqualified observer, wouldn't interfere with Gu Yueyan at least for tonight.

He just needed one night.

Upon opening the door to his home, Ren Suo spoke before even turning on the lights, "Luna?"

In the dark room, with the curtains fully drawn, a pair of large cat eyes sparkled with a beautiful green glow. Ren Suo instantly knew who it was.

As soon as Ren Suo turned on the light, he felt a fierce gust of wind.

"Suosuo—"

Luna transformed back into her human form, still wearing her Plain White Robe. She pounced like a tiger and clung to him like a koala, exuberantly hanging onto Ren Suo.

Ren Suo, unfazed, closed and locked the door, then lay down on the couch with Luna. Looking at her, he asked, "Didn't Cheng Ling give you homework today?"

Luna clung tightly to Ren Suo, rubbing her head against his chest and giggling. "Ling Ling said today is a special day, so I can save my homework and come play with you!"

The "homework" referred to her transformation. Luna could transform into a human for thirty minutes every twenty-four hours. She usually used this transformation time at Dong Chengling's home and typically only interacted with Ren Suo in her cat form.

It wasn't that Dong Chengling and other supposedly "evil" humans were oppressing poor little Luna; rather, Luna was too prone to mishaps. It had taken them a long time to get Luna to remember to transform her clothes along with her body. As for other human etiquette, they could only let the seasoned monster infiltrator, Ren Xiaojiu, gradually teach Luna.

Of course, the biggest concern was the fear that Luna, with her cat-like impulses, might try to reproduce with Ren Suo.

After all, Luna only had half an hour of transformation time. No matter how vehemently Ren Suo swore otherwise, they all agreed that Ren Suo, being a man, might conceivably succumb to Luna's feminine charms.

For Luna's safety, and Ren Suo's, they decided it was best to wait until Luna's transformation time could be extended, or until she learned more human etiquette, before allowing her to control her transformation time freely.

Actually, Luna didn't mind this. Although she couldn't play with Ren Suo during her transformation, she could still play with Dong Chengling and Little Jiu!

These days, Luna's meals were getting increasingly lavish, a clear sign that Dong Chengling was gradually being won over by her.

Now, Dong Chengling was even willing to let Luna save her transformation ability to see Ren Suo. This wasn't just because Chengling wanted to maintain "fairness" on what they considered an important day, allowing Luna a chance to compete. It was also because Chengling had come to accept Luna as family and was willing to support Luna in her pursuit of happiness.

Gently stroking Luna's soft blue hair, Ren Suo asked, "What do you want to play? I'll play with you."

"Hmm~~~" Luna hummed thoughtfully, a cute nasal sound, then shook her head. "I can't think of anything I want to play right now."

"So, should I just hold you like this?"

"Yeah!"

Although time was short, Ren Suo remained very calm. He held Luna on the couch, stroking her head, caressing her cheek, and gently pinching her ear, making Luna so comfortable she closed her eyes.

After playing for a while, Luna asked, "Suosuo, what do you want to play? I can play with you too."

"Nothing," Ren Suo shook his head. "Just playing with you is enough for me."

"Really nothing? Isn't there any game that can make Suosuo feel Joy? Luna can play anything with you!" Luna said, pouting.

"Nothing, really nothing," Ren Suo gently flicked Luna's cute cheek and shook his head.

"Then Luna can't feel Joy either."

Ren Suo was slightly taken aback. "Why not?"

Luna turned over and lay on top of Ren Suo. Looking at him, she said, "Because Suosuo, you are not feeling Joy."

"I am not without Joy," Ren Suo shook his head.

"No, you are definitely without Joy," Luna insisted. "I just made you comfortable for so long, but you didn't show any scent of Joy!"

In Luna's eyes, was it not I who served her, but she who was granting me a Blessing?

Ren Suo silently updated this information in his mind and smiled, asking, "Can you really smell the scent of Joy?"

"Exactly this!" Luna stretched out her finger and pulled at the corners of Ren Suo's mouth. "Your smile is so fake! Since... since when did it start… Right, that day Ling Ling made a terribly bitter dish of stir-fried eggs with bitter melon. It was from that day on that Suosuo has never felt Joy again!"

In the entire month of March, Dong Chengling had only made stir-fried eggs with bitter melon once.

Ren Suo remembered very clearly: that meal was dinner on March 1st. That bitter melon dish was Dong Chengling's fourth attempt that year and was still not approved by Little Jiu; Lin Xianyu had also voiced strong protests. Dong Chengling finally gave up and never touched the dish again.

Luna might not remember all the delicious meals she had eaten, but the unappetizing ones certainly left a deep impression on her.

However, the fact that Luna had noticed his difference from the very beginning genuinely surprised Ren Suo.

Among his five girlfriends, Gu Yueyan was undoubtedly the cutest and sweetest.

Ren Suo reined in his forced, business-like smile and said calmly, "Although I don't feel Joy, I'm not without Joy either."

"Isn't the antonym of Joy, the absence of Joy?" Luna cocked her head and countered.

Ren Suo slightly raised his eyebrows, finally understanding Luna's way of thinking. "Between Joy and the absence of Joy, there is another state: no feeling."

"What is 'no feeling'?"

"If you had to eat today's meal again tomorrow, would you feel Joy?"

"Joyful! Today's meal was delicious!"

"But what if you had to eat today's meal the day after tomorrow too? And the day after that? What if you had to eat the same meal for the next ten days?"

"Um~~~ then I would be without Joy. Luna would get tired of it and want to eat other tasty things."

Ren Suo blinked and said, "Let's put it another way. Before I came back, while you were waiting at home, did you feel Joy or an absence of Joy?"

"Joyful! I knew I was about to see Suosuo, so of course, I felt great Joy!"

"Then, right when you woke up, did you feel Joy or an absence of Joy?"

"Joyful! When I woke up, I could go play with the tablet, or go find Ling Ling, find Little Jiu, or find Suosuo to play with!"

Ren Suo asked several more questions and found that Luna could always clearly express whether she felt Joy or an absence of Joy.

Doing anything she liked brought her Joy; not being able to do what she liked meant an absence of Joy. There was absolutely no middle state for her.

Always brimming with Enthusiasm, always curious and active.

In her world, there truly were only two states: feeling Joy or lacking Joy.

Calm? No feeling? To Luna, that meant an absence of Joy.

There weren't many reasons to feel Joy, but there were many explanations for lacking it.

At that moment, Ren Suo suddenly understood. He hugged Luna's slender waist and nodded, saying, "Yes, you're right. I lack Joy."

Luna patted Ren Suo's head, her face showing the kind of satisfaction one has for a child who admits their mistakes. She asked, "So what does Suosuo need to feel Joy?"

Ren Suo thought for a moment. "Love me."

Luna nodded and reached out to undo her Plain White Robe.

Ren Suo caught her hand. Luna blinked. "Should I keep my clothes on?"

"That's not what I meant," Ren Suo said. "I hope you can love me more in your heart."

"Love you more?" Luna sat cross-legged like a duck, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Yes." Ren Suo also sat up and thought for a moment before saying, "It's like taking all the love you would have for me tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and for the entire next month, and concentrating it all into loving me tonight."

"But in that case, I won't love you for the next month!" Luna considered this seriously.

"It doesn't matter," Ren Suo said calmly. "For the next month, I will love you back with double the amount of love."

Luna counted on her fingers and pondered for a moment before saying, "I don't think I'm losing out!"

"I'm the one losing out," Ren Suo said.

"Then it's settled!" Luna perked up. "The love for tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the entire next month—I'll combine it all and pour it into loving you tonight!"

"So…"

Luna took Ren Suo's hands and pressed them against her own face. She gently rubbed his palms and said tenderly, "For the next month, every day, every second, Suosuo, you have to be full of Joy and return my love twofold."

"A month might not be enough. I might as well use a lifetime to repay you," Ren Suo said.

At that moment, Luna's time was up. She transformed back into a Black Cat nestled in Ren Suo's arms.

A sweet, kittenish voice sounded, "NYA~ Ling Ling told me to come back after finishing my homework. Ling Ling made supper and is waiting for me~"

Ren Suo carried her to the balcony. As he said goodbye, he thought for a moment, then used both hands to pull the corners of his mouth into a wide smile to send off the Black Cat. Only then did the Black Cat, satisfied, jump from the balcony, deftly navigating the air conditioning units outside the building to return to Dong Chengling's home.

「11:12 PM.」

Now, all five girlfriends had had their respective dates, made their promises, and sworn their eternities.

Ren Suo's heart was calm as he prepared to don Pandora's Magic Box.

Just then, a message suddenly arrived on his phone.

It was from Zhao Huo, addressed to Xiao Suo.

"Xiao Suo, I'm sorry.

Although it might feel strange to you, I will no longer contact you or see you again.

Although it might surprise you, I have fallen for you.

Although it might disgust you, I think you like me too.

If only I could have met you sooner.

We're both heirs to Martial Arts Clans,

Both Exceptionally Gifted Cultivators,

And both youths of the new era who fell into the anime trap.

We have countless topics to talk about, never growing tired, always having something to discuss.

When we scheduled sparring for 1:00 PM, I'd start feeling happy from 11:00 AM.

Even though we've only known each other for just over ten days, you're probably the only soulmate I could ever fall in love with at first sight in this lifetime.

I used to not believe in love at first sight, that kind of Miracle, but now I do. Because it's not a Miracle; it's meant to be.

Like Arima Kousei and Miyazono Kaori,

Like Yuzuriha Inori from Sakura Manjyu,

Like Yagami Taichi's Ancient Beast.

I'm so happy I met you, and also so regretful.

Because it's too late.

Before you, I already had a fiancée who had waited for me for three years, then another three, and then three more.

I had a Childhood Sweetheart who silently supported and accompanied me.

I had a junior who became my only memory of university.

Ah, counting them all up, I feel I don't even have the right to like you.

And indeed, I don't.

Since I know I love them, I can't allow myself to fall for someone else.

You might ask, does love follow a sequence?

Of course, it doesn't.

But people have a sense of responsibility.

They've given so much for me; I can't let all their efforts become sunk costs.

Ultimately, I'm not a jerk—well, I don't think I am.

Before my feelings for you can reach a point where they might shake their place in my heart, I have to block you first.

These days, chatting with you, I almost forgot about getting back together with them.

Only by cutting off contact with you can I be sure I won't make a mistake."

Ren Suo raised his eyebrows slightly.

Is this my fault too?

"Forgive me for being a man of such weak willpower.

I could allow myself to fall for someone else,

But I can't forgive myself for no longer loving them deeply.

Thank you, Xiao Suo, for letting me have such a beautiful dream, for showing me more possibilities of Martial Arts Magic.

Some people don't belong to us, but meeting them is precious nonetheless.

However, this might all just be my overactive self-awareness.

If this has confused or disgusted you, then I apologize in advance. Hahahahaha.

But, you probably won't find a better man than me. Hahahahaha.

Finally, thank you again.

You are a memory I will forever cherish—never spoken of, never dwelled upon, but never forgotten.

I can't give you flowers now that you're 17; I hope I can drink with you when you're 27."

The message was long, filled with redundant emotions. Ren Suo felt he had wasted a lot of time.

However, after reading this message, Ren Suo quietly reflected for another precious three minutes.

These foolish mortals, always delayed by mundane matters, use emotional reasoning to derive emotional conclusions, making even rationality bend.

Ren Suo donned Pandora's Magic Box.

"Minor World, boundless Joy."

It was only then that Ren Suo suddenly realized: these days, the startup tone of the Mini-World Game Console had been a calm, unchanging male voice.

An anomaly, an omen, had existed from the beginning.

Even though time was pressing, he still made a trip to the Mystic Tavern.

"Door of Truth, can it really trade everything conceivable that I am aware of?"

The tavern owner replied, "10 Merit Points."

Ren Suo had already left the Merit Points for the inquiry. After giving them, the tavern owner confirmed, "Yes."

Having received a considerable tip, the tavern owner quietly tells you, "Hurry!"

Entering the Door of Truth, he opened the list of emotions.

Dong Chengling, added 11,000 Points.

Ren Xingmei, added 10,500 Points.

Qiao Muyi, added 11,000 Points.

Gu Yueyan, added 10,500 Points.

Luna, added 15,000 Points.

Lin Xianyu, added 1,000 Points.

Zhao Huo (Xiao Suo), added 1,000 Points.

A total of 60,000 Points.

Trying to gain 70,000 Points in one day through the emotions of just a few people was still too difficult.

But today, Ren Suo deposited all emotions and props that wouldn't be useful into the Truth Bank, gaining an interest of 12,000 Points.

360,000 Truth Points. He had gathered them all, even managing to avoid selling a few powerful props.

Ren Suo hesitated for a second, then began to sell.

All sellable props and useless Abilities, all sold.

Emotional relationships with strangers, all sold.

The emotions of Xiao Suo and Xiao Ren, all sold.

Then...

The emotions of Ren's father, Ren's mother, sold.

Truth Points surged.

When two lines vanished from the emotion list, Ren Suo felt as if something was missing in his heart. His body seemed lighter, as if a crack had been torn open and all the emotions and responsibilities had leaked out. Perhaps this is what being an orphan feels like.

Finally, there were the emotions of Dong Chengling, Ren Xingmei, Qiao Muyi, Gu Yueyan, and Luna. Their emotional values had stabilized; they were probably asleep.

Ren Suo hesitated for three seconds.

Then he sold them all.

Truth Points surged once more.

A grand total of 360,000 Points.

As long as he spent all these Points, Ren Suo could become a Super Strong Being who could punch Zack and You Jiu, and kick Emotions.

Only thirty minutes left; soon the Door of Truth would not wait for him anymore.

However, Ren Suo closed his eyes and did nothing, letting time slip by, second by second.

He didn't know how long it had been—perhaps half an hour, perhaps only a second. Suddenly, Ren Suo lost all track of time.

All he knew was that when he opened his eyes, the emotion list he saw was not blank.

Emotions of Dong Chengling were added.

Emotions of Ren Xingmei were added.

Emotions of Qiao Muyi were added.

Emotions of Gu Yueyan were added.

Emotions of Luna were added.

Ren Suo's rationality couldn't determine if he would win, but one thing was certain: he would not lose.