VAP - Chapter 55
Chapter 55: The Supreme Sage Hopelessly Obsessed with Beauty (14)
Although the cross-world group chat was created for exchanging experiences, there wasn't actually much to talk about.
Only one system could be in a small world at a time. Once its mission was complete, the passage would close, preventing any other systems from entering.
The world settings were different, and the mission formats were wildly varied, so there was little of reference value to share.
…So, it was really just a chat group.
Turasu had set the chat background to a dynamic jungle. The short-haired woman in a leopard-skin skirt fit the jungle perfectly; she seemed to have a preference for all things wild.
So, the four systems sat in a circle on a massive water lily pad, floating down a wide, gentle river that wound through the forest.
On the riverbank, simulated herds of deer and small, zebra-like animals bowed their heads to drink, but they didn't even glance up as the systems floated by. The simulation was rather half-hearted.
Yue Du: “…”
All she could say was that it was… creative.
The conversation went more or less as Yue Du had expected. Turasu was the most talkative, Jian Mingtian was a man of few words, and Xiao Yi barely spoke at all, seeming to drift through the entire meeting. Her gaze wandered past everyone, as if her mind, too, was detached from the discussion.
But at least they learned Xiao Yi's gender—
“I was female before becoming a system.”
Xiao Yi said, then immediately sank back into her vacant meditation, like a pensive white ghost.
Yue Du mostly played the role of a listener. The other systems in the group had lower serial numbers than her and had experienced more worlds.
Compared to them, Yue Du was a true novice system with next to no experience.
So she just listened, chiming in with an encouraging word or a question at the right moments.
Overall, however, the conversation was quite pleasant. While it wasn't a case of “wishing they'd met sooner,” they certainly got along well.
Before long, Yue Du checked the time. “I have to go back,” she said.
“Just a little longer! I was just getting to the part about how the fierce lion king died,” Turasu said, not yet ready to stop.
Turasu was a system full of stories. The first small world she'd been assigned to was set in a savage beastman era, and the body she had redeemed from the system store was also from a beast tribe.
The leopard-skin skirt she wore was, in fact, the pelt of her own body.
How did Yue Du know this?
Because Turasu had already told them nearly everything about herself…
“I'd better not. My host is waiting,” Yue Du said, declining with a smile. “I'll come again when I have time. You can tell me about the lion king then.”
Turasu said, “Oh? So obedient to your host, are we?”
“Can't be helped. She is my host, after all.”
The moment she finished speaking, Yue Du suddenly felt a subtle sense of being watched.
She looked in that direction and saw it was Xiao Yi.
Yue Du offered a natural smile.
The other girl didn't respond, her gaze drifting away as she went back to playing the ghost.
After saying a proper goodbye, Yue Du rose from the lily pad. Her toes touched the surface of the river, and she walked on it as if it were solid ground.
A gate of data streams quietly opened on the bank. Just before stepping through, prompted by some unknown impulse, Yue Du glanced back.
Xiao Yi was watching her, her expression still and placid.
But soon, that gaze vanished along with the group chat space, and Yue Du found herself standing on the pure white virtual platform once more.
“I'll come again when I have time” really meant “I'll come again when I'm in the mood.”
And when would she be in the mood? That was up to her to decide.
Yue Du continued to live her peaceful life as a salted fish in Galor Castle.
…Actually, it wasn't all that peaceful. Not only had Miss Bifula increased her workload after discovering her terrifying memory, but there was also Nai Yin.
Once you give in the first time, a second and third time are sure to follow.
Likewise, once you succeed the first time, you'll try again and again.
Ever since Yue Du had allowed Lord Nai Yin to drink her blood, the situation had spiraled out of control.
The Vampire race was indulgent by nature; restraint was not in their vocabulary.
Before she'd had a taste, Nai Yin had been able to restrain herself. But after succeeding, she immediately surrendered to her boundless desires, becoming hopelessly addicted to drinking blood.
In the morning, Nai Yin would pin her against the back of a chair, finding the most comfortable angle to bite.
While Yue Du ate breakfast, Nai Yin would feast on her.
At night, it would happen in her room. Their bodies would touch, close yet not, and Nai Yin would bite down while holding her in an embrace. From a distance, it looked as if they were kissing.
Sometimes, she would launch a surprise attack from behind. The nape of the neck was also a good place to drink from, and… well, it added a certain thrill.
One meal a day, simple and quick.
Although Nai Yin always knew the limit, ensuring the amount of blood she took each day was well within a range that wouldn't cause any physical harm—and there was never a shortage of top-grade blood-replenishing potions—Yue Du still felt drained.
It was probably just psychological.
She was beginning to understand why prey felt pleasure when a vampire drank their blood. The sensation was addictive. Someone with less self-control might even offer themselves up willingly, begging to be bitten.
And who wouldn't want food that delivered itself to their door? So you couldn't blame them for having such a mechanism; it was all for the sake of a meal.
Every time Nai Yin finished drinking, Yue Du would enter a brief, blissful haze. Her mind felt as if it were floating on a cloud, her body was as limp as a pillow, and her rationality hit an all-time low.
During one such haze, Yue Du dazedly expressed this thought to her host, marveling at the cunning of the Vampire race's physiology.
Nai Yin licked her fangs and gave a bewitching smile. “Thank you for understanding.”
Then she lowered her head once more, sinking her teeth into the still-reddened skin.
With such intimacy on display, it was only natural that sweet stories about the two masters' loving relationship began to circulate throughout the castle.
The newcomers had all witnessed Lord Galor's beauty and were envious of Yue's good fortune.
The long-serving staff, however, felt differently. They had long been worried about their master's cold demeanor, fearing Nai Yin would remain single forever.
Thankfully, Yue had appeared. May the Elemental Gods bless her! They sincerely hoped Lord Nai Yin could spend the rest of her life with this partner!
Yue Du: “…”
Except we are single, thank you very much.
Spreading rumors is a thrill, but dispelling them is a marathon.
In fact, you probably couldn't dispel them even if you ran your legs off, especially when the other party in the rumor was secretly fanning the flames, wishing for them to come true.
Was there any point in trying to refute them? Not anymore.
At least I know we're innocent!
Putting aside her emotional entanglements, the “career” plotline seemed to have stalled—though Yue Du seriously doubted she even had one.
This couldn't go on. She was neglecting her duties. The system mission was getting buried under her daily life.
Just then, the black-feathered crow sent back news of an anomaly concerning the protagonist—
“He went to the mountain behind the academy?” Nai Yin raised an eyebrow.
The black-feathered crow cawed in affirmation.
The mountain behind the Royal Academy was essentially a free-range reserve, home to low-level magical beasts and various resources that apprentices often needed. There were always lucky or knowledgeable students who managed to find something valuable there.
Students chosen as disciples by a mentor generally didn't need to go there, as their mentors provided them with training resources. There was no need for them to compete with the unsupported commoners.
…The Abio in the original plot hadn't needed to either, which was why he only visited the mountain for the first time midway through the story.
But the current Abio had lost the chance to become Leo's disciple and had also refused the olive branches extended by other warrior mentors. He was, for all intents and purposes, starting from scratch.
Abio needed resources, so it was only natural that he had to go to the mountain to prospect. There was nothing strange about that.
The problem was, he went straight to a secret location on the mountain—a treasure trove the protagonist wasn't supposed to discover for another ten years.
“It seems our guess was correct,” Nai Yin said. “He really does know what's going to happen—or rather, what was supposed to happen.”
Yue Du asked, “Should we stop him?”
“I'll do whatever you say. If you want to go, we'll go.”
Yue Du recalled the important plot points, then said after a moment of silence, “There's no need, actually.”
“In the original plot, Abio found the treasure trove midway through the story. But most of the items inside were only suitable for low-level practitioners. He needed them to win over his future subordinates, who were still in their early stages of development.”
“But for the protagonist, who had already become a mid-level practitioner, these things were more or less optional. They were a nice bonus, but it wouldn't matter much if he didn't have them.”
Therefore, this event wasn't a plot point that required their intervention, as it had nothing to do with increasing Abio's own power.
Yue Du said, “Let's just leave it.”
After all, they had no grudge against the protagonist. The protagonist in the story, despite his minor flaws, was still a very charismatic man.
There was no need to be ruthless just because of the mission's implications and completely block his path to power.
Nai Yin seemed to find this amusing. “So we're just going to ignore it?”
Yue Du nodded seriously. “Just keep monitoring him. Don't let the situation get out of control.”
The next moment, Nai Yin grabbed her hands and pulled her into an embrace that smelled faintly of roses and black orchids.
“This is good,” Nai Yin said, lazily nuzzling her shoulder. “Let him find another path to climb up, advance to a high-level practitioner. The longer he lives, the better.”
“We really do think alike.”
Nai Yin's reasoning was that if the protagonist lived longer—and the higher his rank, the longer his lifespan—the later their mission would end.
Helping the protagonist extend his life was a mutually beneficial idea.
Yue Du hadn't actually been thinking along those lines, but after a moment of silence, she still murmured, “Yes.”
Nai Yin laughed. “I want to bite you.”
Yue Du: “—Wait?!”
She spoke a moment too late. Fangs were already pressed against the faint blue vein in her neck. Nai Yin ground them gently against her skin and asked, “Don't you want me to?”
The system was speechless.
The system gave up in resignation. “Go ahead.”
The familiar wave of pleasure washed over her, sweeping away all rational thought.
At that moment, no one there remembered who Abio was.
Yue Du tilted her head back blankly, her vision filled with nothing but silver-frost hair and pure black horns, rising and falling with Nai Yin's movements as she fed.
The Dharma Saint had done something very clever.
She was using desire to lure her beautiful Little Black Swan, drawing her a little deeper, a little closer, while imperceptibly erasing the distance between them.
At the very least, if Nai Yin were to confess her love to Yue Du now, the silence before the inevitable rejection would last much longer.
It was a silence that represented wavering and hesitation.
That was already significant progress.
Take it slow, she told herself.
Slowly.
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