VAP - Chapter 151

Chapter 151: The Intersection of Illusion and Reality (16)

Unfortunately, Ji You didn’t have the Word Spirit ability. Even if she did, it would be difficult for it to work across a world barrier. Thus, the Main System wouldn’t be affected by that intense, curse-like thought. At most, it might sneeze.

The two hosts looked at each other, at a loss.

Yue Du, perfectly composed, glanced at the hosts on either side of her and smiled. “Well?”

Jealousy’s eyes flickered, and she rushed to confess first. “Sister, you know me. It’s just an ordinary illusion—useful and harmless. It never hurts or kills anyone, and it can even activate an immersive movie-watching mode for you at any time—”

Gluttony stared at her with wide eyes.

Shameless!

Jealousy maintained her sincere gaze on Yue Du, looking into those deep, thoughtful amber eyes while pretending not to see Gluttony’s accusing stare. She wasn’t actually lying. Of all the people or other things that had died at her hands, not a single one had died from the illusion itself. They were all trapped by the illusion, and then she personally slaughtered them.

The illusion never hurt or killed anyone; the one who did the hurting and killing was her. The logic was flawless.

Yue Du gave Jealousy a meaningful look, then smiled, crossed her arms, and turned to Gluttony. “So, Little Gluttony, is your ability also illusions?”

Gluttony shot a quick glance at Jealousy, understanding that this damn other self of hers wouldn’t help. Resigned to her fate, she closed her eyes as if facing death and said, “No.”

“What is it, then?”

“…Eating.”

Yue Du raised an eyebrow. Gluttony’s gaze darted about as she vaguely expanded on the word. “Eating… a certain kind of spiritual energy. The more I eat, the more I can eat. That’s all.”

Yue Du did a quick translation in her head. In other words, Gluttony devoured a certain kind of spiritual energy, and the more energy she devoured, the higher her capacity to devour became.

Although Little Gluttony had specifically emphasized “that’s all” at the end, what her explanation had revealed was already terrifying enough.

What kind of spiritual energy, when lost, would cause a living being to die silently and instantly?

“Is it souls?” Yue Du asked softly.

Ji You was startled, but then she understood there was no point in hiding it anymore. She nodded listlessly.

At that exact moment, the Main System’s voice echoed through the mental space, announcing the mission’s completion. It was the same mechanical voice as always, yet within its coldness, there seemed to be a faint, gloating mockery—at least, that’s how it sounded to the host.

Gluttony quietly ground her teeth.

There were no more secrets about her ability, but Gluttony didn’t relax completely. Her body remained slightly tense, ready for Yue Du’s next question.

If Yue Du asked how many human souls she had eaten, how was she supposed to answer?

If it were one of the other hosts, even if they were panicking internally with their minds racing for an excuse, they would have maintained a calm and composed facade. They wouldn’t be as openly anxious as Gluttony.

After all, the others retained their consciousness from outside the worlds. The only one in the same situation as Gluttony was Yun Yijiu, who had lived for over nine thousand years and had become cunning with age. Only the eighteen-year-old Gluttony was the weakest, most pitiful, and most helpless of them all. She was still young, after all.

Yue Du caught Little Gluttony’s apprehensive gaze and suppressed a laugh, clearing her throat. “You hid this from me for so long, and it was just this? What are you afraid of?”

Ji You seized the opportunity to put on a pitiful act, hanging her head. “I was afraid Sister wouldn’t want me anymore.”

Yue Du… Yue Du honestly didn’t think it was a big deal.

She had seen plenty of species whose diets included humans. Compared to them, Gluttony’s menu was the most comprehensive; theoretically, any creature with a soul was within her hunting grounds. It was a hunt that left no survivors.

But Gluttony had discretion. She probably hadn’t devoured the souls of innocents. Probably?

Yue Du was a little unsure. After a moment’s thought, she decided not to press the issue, like an incompetent parent protecting a problem child.

Gluttony seemed to read her mind and proactively raised a hand to swear, “Ever since I became self-aware, I’ve never eaten an ordinary person, unless they attacked me first.” After all, once she was conscious, she could choose her own food. The souls of ordinary humans weren’t very tasty and provided little energy. In comparison, Scarlet Beasts were the optimal choice.

Yue Du didn’t stay long in the host’s mental space. The hosts couldn’t cross to each other’s territory, so no matter which side she sat on, the other would spare no effort to lure her over.

She couldn’t just stand on the ice over the central pool and talk forever. To avoid conflict, Yue Du voluntarily withdrew.

After she emerged, Gluttony was still in control of the host’s body. She shuffled over clingingly, wrapped her arms around Yue Du’s waist from behind, and went still.

Yue Du unconsciously picked up a strand of her long, wine-red hair, twirling it around her finger as she played with it. She casually asked a few more questions, and Ji You answered each one obediently.

“It’s sort of an active skill, but if I get really hungry, the ability can also activate unconsciously.”

“My current devouring limit is three high-level Scarlet Beasts.”

“The Ji family? They don’t know. If they did, they would never have allowed me to walk out of the Northern Stronghold’s gates alive.”

Yue Du hummed thoughtfully. Once she understood the special nature of Gluttony’s ability, some of her past questions were answered.

For example, nineteen years ago, when Ji You’s mother—the so-called Miss Ji—was trapped in a Scarlet Beast lair, how did she escape that hell?

The credit went to Gluttony. She required too much energy to grow, and her mother’s body couldn’t supply enough. The hungry fetus had unconsciously activated its devouring ability, killing all nearby creatures except for her mother, which allowed Miss Ji to escape.

Another example was why the little girl’s gaze had felt off a few years ago. Although Ji You would deliberately stare at her with a hungry look when she thought Yue Du wasn’t paying attention, Yue Du wasn’t completely oblivious. At the time, she had wondered how a child could have such a look in her eyes and had even considered the possibility that Gluttony’s consciousness from outside the world had awakened.

Now, the truth was out. It certainly wasn’t a carnal craving for her body; a few years ago, Gluttony was just a child who didn’t understand love. She was simply craving the system’s soul.

…Literally craving.

And another thing: why she never got to watch any holographic illusion blockbusters when Gluttony was in control of the body.

She had previously assumed it was because Gluttony’s ability was more dangerous and not suited for leisure. Now she realized that Gluttony couldn’t create illusions at all. And she had put on such a convincing act when asked!

Yue Du raised a hand to rub her temples, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Ji You’s arms tightened around her, her chin resting in the crook of Yue Du’s shoulder. Her tone was incredibly soft. “I won’t randomly eat—randomly devour humans, Sister. Unless they try to hurt you. Only people like that, I will absolutely never let them go.”

Yue Du corrected her, “And people who want to hurt you.”

Ji You just smiled obediently. “Mm.”

From Yue Du’s own perspective, she didn’t particularly like overly ruthless and decisive methods, but she wasn’t inflexible either.

In this small world fraught with danger, holding back would be inappropriate. In contrast, if this were her original world, she would never approve of killing so wantonly.

Night had fallen, and the sky was completely dark. Only a blood-red half-moon hung in the sky, casting faint, dark red shadows. All was silent.

A night with a red moon and high winds was perfect for having some fun with Sister in a warm and cozy home. Unfortunately, the Main System had pulled this stunt. Ji You, who had been full of amorous thoughts before, was now filled with lingering fear. All she wanted was to hold Yue Du tightly and not move. Sleep, sleep. At worst, they could play tomorrow.

Suddenly, Jealousy whispered something in the mental space. Ji You, her eyes half-closed, listened unhappily. Only after she finished did she reluctantly relay the message to Yue Du. “That untrustworthy, two-faced, sour-brained person inside says that she won’t kill randomly anymore either, unless the other party strikes first.”

…That word “anymore” was very subtle.

Yue Du still couldn’t understand why both of this host’s personalities were so afraid of her discovering their true nature. Did she really seem like such an upright person, someone who couldn’t tolerate the slightest wrongdoing?

Especially in this small world, when dealing with Ji You, she shouldn’t have displayed a sense of morality that was beyond the pale… right?

Seeing Yue Du’s expression gradually turn pensive, the corner of Ji You’s eye twitched almost imperceptibly. She immediately pulled Yue Du into her embrace and said quickly, “Good night, Sister.”

Yue Du shrugged. “Alright. Good night.”

She had only just closed her eyes.

Yue Du silently opened them again; she hadn’t even activated sleep mode. “Ah Jiu, I just thought of something.”

Ji You asked, “What?”

Her voice was already tinged with sleepiness, a little lower than usual, carrying a lazy sort of sexiness.

Yue Du said, “My soul, does it feel different from other people’s?”

Ji You answered without a second thought, “Of course. Sister’s is the sweetest, smells wonderful, and is very rich in energy.”

Being described by her host in a tone one might use to praise fine cuisine, Yue Du couldn’t help but reveal a complicated expression. Something felt off. However, that wasn’t her main concern.

The main point was that, as a System, as a so-called “high-level AI lifeform existing as data” according to the Main God’s definition, she actually had a soul. Was the flowing, silver-blue substance that constituted her consciousness not cold, hard data, but a real, existing soul?

Yue Du recalled the explanation for the origin of Systems in the training manual.

On the very first page, it was declared in an unquestionable tone to all Systems who had just died and “returned” that Systems had never been human. The reason they experienced human life, aging, sickness, and death was simply because the Main God wanted them to learn the joys, sorrows, and passions of ordinary people. Only after experiencing a normal human life would they be “reclaimed” and officially begin performing tasks as a System.

In other words, from beginning to end, Systems were just tools constructed from data—tools of the Main God.

But Ji You’s words showed Yue Du another possibility.

Perhaps they had always been human, just forced into the identity of a System. Or perhaps…

Yue Du tentatively released a small stream of data, letting it flow and swirl around her fingertip. At first glance, it looked like living code, filled with a technological aura.

This thing, so thoroughly sci-fi in style, was actually a branch of her soul. Ji You’s reaction confirmed it.

Little Gluttony stared at it, the craving in her eyes nearly overflowing. Her breathing subconsciously became extremely light, like a large feline that had spotted its prey.

Yue Du glanced at Ji You’s expression and curled her finger slightly. “Want a taste?”

Ji You answered honestly, “I do, but I can’t eat it. If I lose control, Sister won’t wake up.” Then she carefully added, “But I can lick it, just to get a taste.”

Yue Du said, “…Mm.” This atmosphere felt strangely familiar.

Ji You clearly took that “Mm” as tacit permission. She immediately grabbed Yue Du’s wrist and, as if licking an ice cream cone, licked every inch of the tiny branch of soul.

Yue Du’s entire body tensed. She couldn’t tell if it was more pleasure, more discomfort, or more the sense of danger from being dominated by a predator. She stood perfectly still for a moment before retracting the branch of her soul.

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