Chương 64: Forward or?

Ren took a deep breath. He felt as though a rock had been lodged in his mind, halting his thoughts completely. He knew he needed to lift that rock somehow, but he had no leverage over it. So, old habits kicked up. Breathing out in frustration, he threw a quick look at Demoness. Seeing her getting busy with the formation, he finally opened the system panel. Let me see what the hell you have been yapping about. [Ding! Detected that the host has an unusual fluctuation in lifecore.] Of course.

These were from yesterday. He quickly scrolled through them to see the new daily watering rate. But what he found was a little different from what he expected. [System warning: Temporary measurements seem ineffective.] The host is too unstable. Searching for new measurements… pending…] [Found two measurements… simulating for real-life situations… world testing…] [Ding! A better measurement was found. Continue?] [Approval is strongly advised. Further situations may cause unwanted circumstances.] Ren lifted a brow but didn't give permission immediately. Instead, he continued reading. [Warning! Warning! Host is approaching a violation of interdimensional transmigration laws.] [Immediate termination of action is strongly advised! Repeating: immediate termination is strongly advised!] [CRITICAL WARNING!] [Failure to comply will trigger karmic repercussions…] [Host, stop at once!] … [Wise decision… host.] Thanks… for nothing, bastard, Ren thought, corner of his lips twitching.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had expected to glean something useful from the system. But except this 'interdimensional transmigration laws' bullshit, he got nothing. At least explain what these laws are supposed to mean. Strangely, the system immediately popped up with a new panel, being awfully obedient for once. His earlier resolve might have frightened it. [Interdimensional Transmigration Laws are the rules decided by %&^+% for the protection and sustainability of transmigrators. Breaking them isn't advisable.] Ren really and truly struggled not to facepalm. You're telling me now? This fucker… huh… [Host didn't ask.] This is it? Fine! I'm asking now. Explain them so I won't break them unintentionally or 'intentionally'. [Host, these are the eternal laws founded by %&/^%&.] I can't even read this bullshit, what do you expect me to think? [That's because the host's essence isn't high enough. Even knowing %&/^%&'s name might cause soul ruination. So respecting them is strongly advised, again!] You're one hell of an arrogant bastard. Fine, list the rules. [Pursuant to the Interdimensional Transmigration Law — Article I — Revision 3489, any action or utterance by a transmigrator that directly or indirectly reveals their transmigratory existence is strictly prohibited until certain conditions (see Conditions of Fulfillment and Exceptional Universes) are met. Violation of this provision shall result, depending on the severity of the breach, in the imposition of karmic repercussions or the initiation of perpetual pursuit by the Fatehunters.] Ren sharply gasped, earning a confused glare from Demoness. He quickly waved it off. Fortunately, she didn't insist this time and returned to her thing. So there are truly freaking laws for transmigrators? I thought you were just exaggerating… Pausing, he suddenly remembered another thing.

The very first time he had activated this shitty system, it had mentioned a transmigrator database. He hadn't focused on that much back then, since he had 'bigger' problems, but looking at it now… Does this mean the universe— or universes— has countless transmigrators? he couldn't help but ask. [Yes, host.] Even though he expected it, Ren's eyes widened. Then… am I the only one in this world or…? [Clearance insufficient.] This means there might be? [Clearance insufficient.] It was an unrelated discovery, not helping his current predicament, yet this didn't mean it was worthless. On the contrary, knowing he might not be the only one, it sent an indescribable thrill through him. He couldn't give up on this one easily. He tried to pry open the system's mouth for a while, using every trick in the book only to— Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. [Clearance insufficient.] You motherless— ugh, alright, alright. Read me the other rules, at least.

Maybe they'd turn out more useful than you and I might glean something from them. [Host hasn't met the requirements.] Ren felt like he was one breath away from grabbing the useless fucker by the throat! [System doesn't have a throat, host. It doesn't even have a tangible presence.] He went slack and sagged, completely spent. He ached for a cigarette, although he wasn't much of a smoker. Just as his eyes wandered aimlessly—"Here." Demoness held out a cup of tea to him.

"I thought you might need it."

"You sure it's tea?" Ren asked, not accepting immediately. He hadn't forgotten the Clear Spirit Liquor incident. Even remembering felt like lighting a fire in him.

"Thankless wretch," she snorted and pushed the cup into his hand. She then jumped onto the table, took off her mask, and started to swing her legs.

"I'd prefer that, but look at this luck, someone already stole my precious flask!"

"That tiny little thing doesn't even hold much to begin with. Are you really going to be stingy over something like that?" he muttered, taking a sip. It turned out to be a green tea variant. Surprisingly, he couldn't help but take another sip, holding it in his mouth. Hmm, milder with a deep, popcorn-like aroma. Demoness's sharp snort interrupted his thoughts.

"Doesn't hold much?" she said.

"That tiny thing holds more than a lake's worth of hard liquor, you hear that? I had to beg for months until Master Gao agreed to help me inscribe those runes. And if you ever dare to lose it or break it… I swear to heavens you'd learn what the meaning of liquid-based feeding is!" Raising a brow, Ren took out the flask. Taking a big sip, he felt the fiery burning revisit his throat, let out a contented sigh, and tried to see what was inside. As for Demoness's audible gulp, he pretended not to notice.

He didn't notice any abnormality at first, yet when he tentatively reached with his energy like he used his ring, the scene changed briefly. He saw a vast expanse of clear water— vodka in this case— rippling with endless waves.

"Truly amazing," he muttered at last, putting it back in his ring with no shame.

"No matter how many times I witness, runes never cease to astonish me. Why did you have to beg that old geezer, anyway? Aren't you already a runemaster? And the more important question, why does he know such a thing despite the fact that he hates even the thought of drinking?" Pouting, she rolled her eyes.

"So much for being a bookworm. It's not that easy to inscribe even a simple durability rune on such a small thing, let alone the second-hardest space runes in three specific formations. I barely drew one, and that was the lesser space preservation rune. Fortunately, Master Shu's love for booze is boundless and had already forced Master Gao to learn the other two runes years ago." She chuckled.

"No wonder, hehe," Ren laughed along with her, imagining Master Gao's pitiful state.

"Only Old Shu can nag someone into learning such a thing." They drifted back into idle chatter, ranging from Master Shu's 'secret' raids on the sect treasury in pursuit of rare wines to Elder Meng's stubborn refusal to back down on their bet and his apparent determination to starve his own fatty brother into submission. As they talked, Ren found himself laughing more, the dark clouds hanging over him slowly beginning to disperse. His shoulders relaxed, the tension in his brow slowly easing.

However, unlike him, Demoness stiffened at some point, her ears trembling faintly. She then kept shifting in place: one moment crossed her legs, the next pulled her knee toward her chest and hugged it.

"Demoness, go on, just say it," he said, smiling wryly.

"If you're worried, I can put on my mask, too."

"No… It's just… huh, forget about it. What are we going to do now? We're about to arrive at the border. Forward or?" she said, evading his eyes. She stared at her feet instead. She was worried, though I can't blame her. The question was easy. Not because it had a good answer, but because every step he knew only pointed one way.

"You want to return?" Ren raised both brows.

"I really wonder what faces people would make if they heard you, the Wailing Demoness of the Voidwhisperer Gorge… heh." Her head snapped up, her eyes blazing with a glare that made him stop and snort in amusement.

"It wasn't funny."

"It was, just admit it," he uttered.

"Especially watching the pure terror and shock on your face when you realized, haah." He shook his head, his eyes flashing. She remained silent. Only her eyes tried to 'choke' him, forcing him to let out a dramatic sigh. Yeah, time to bring out the big guns. He hesitated for a second. She was a bit more violent than Baozhai, but hey, weren't the trump cards meant for moments like this? So he jumped to his feet, stepped beside her and stared at her from above.

She wasn't pouting, which put him off a little bit, yet he still proceeded to pat her head, not forgetting to mess up her hair in the process.

"Don't worry, I'm not that keen on dying. At least not before I find out who these sneaky bastards are." His smile softened. He even swept a stray curl beside her ear as he posed in the most charismatic way he could manage.

"I'd already made some preparations, but just to be safe, I'll have Baozhai bring the Voidcrown too. And let's send this corpse back, too. Master should know what to do since it involves Azure Sky," he said, tone warm and reassuring.

"That should be enough for a beast tide mission, right?" His voice turned out to be more magnetic than he expected, and it resonated with his smile, so much so that even he couldn't help but admire it. And of course, he completely ignored her frown.

"You made some preparations, eh?" She suddenly licked her red, cherry-like lips. She pulled him closer by his arm.

"Seems like you're mistaking me for certain someone. It's cute, you know, acting as if you can just fool me and have your way with such a move? You are hopeless…" she whispered right into his ear, voice sultry, "and full of surprises, Reny ~" Ren swallowed hard.

"I wonder what other surprises you have in mind." A hot breath hit him, causing him to think the golem's punches were light after all. But these? Yeah, these are nuclear.

"For example… where does this courage come from? Care to enlighten this poor girl, so she doesn't get bullied next time?" Mayday, mayday, I'm in so fucking trouble— … Ren had always thought of himself as a successful poker player, acing with minimal effort whether his opponent knew him or not. He wasn't a gambling addict, more of a party game menace. He had fooled his siblings countless times, and at work, they called him a faceless ghost, refusing to play with him after a game or two.

He wasn't a super genius, true, but he thought he was better at hiding his true thoughts than most. He'd never found anyone who proved otherwise, after all. That was until today. I still can't understand how just a few sentences could make me sweat buckets. What magic did this woman even have?! He threw a resentful glare. She didn't care.

"That was fun, Reny," she muttered with a languid yawn.

"But I'm starving, and you must be too. Let's go get something to eat." Watching her leave with a slight smile tugging at her lips, Ren remained in his spot and just slapped himself. Fortunately, there was no mirror in the prison; otherwise, he didn't know how to face himself. Or somebody else. Or anybody. He had met a real 'Demoness' at last. Deep breaths… deep breaths… He shook his head, then returned to the matter at hand. System, let's see this better method of yours. [Ding! Based on the host's current situation, daily watering can be reduced to weekly watering with a slight increase in required energy. This way, more stored energy can help in case of sudden 'triggers'.] How much is needed now? And how much will it be? [Current Daily Watering Rate: 62. Estimated Weekly Watering Rate: 700] Ren raised a brow. Unlike what the system said, it was quite a steep price, but considering the approaching beast tide, he didn't hesitate much. Actually, you're being thoughtful for once, system.

What a surprise. Do it, then.