“Well, I suppose that’s enough leveling for now…”
Yan paused, lowering his long spear, and slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes settled on the party list, where the number ‘fifty-two’ gleamed beside his name.
Continuing to grind for experience would only widen the gap between him and Qing Bai and Tian Jiu.
“But if we’re not leveling up, what are we going to do next?”
Alice tilted her head, her clear eyes brimming with a touch of perplexity as she looked at Yan.
“Hmm…”
Yan raised his left hand to his chin, contemplating for a moment.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened, as if struck by an amusing idea. He turned his face towards Alice, a slight curve forming on his lips.
“Then, let’s go on a journey.”
“A jour…ney?”
Alice stumbled over the words, her eyes widening with profound confusion, seemingly unable to grasp Yan’s meaning.
“That’s right, a journey.”
Yan replied with a smile, deftly twirling his spear before bringing it back to rest behind him.
“Huh? In this game?”
Alice finally processed that Yan’s “journey” was meant literally, her astonished gaze fixed on him, an expression of disbelief clouding her features.
“Exactly.”
Yan nodded, a smile playing on his lips. He had always been a spontaneous person, acting on whatever whim struck him.
Yet, he was also stubborn; once he decided on something, he would see it through.
“Ugh…”
Alice gazed at the smile on Yan’s face, pouting, yet finding herself at a loss for words, she could only watch him helplessly.
“Isn’t the whole point of a journey to discover new places and experience unfamiliar customs and cultures?”
She sighed, her eyebrows drooping slightly, a flicker of melancholy passing through her clear eyes.
“But both Yan, who came from the old server, and I, as a navigation AI, are already incredibly familiar with every map in this game. What’s the point of a journey like that?”
“Besides…”
Alice’s complaining words were cut short by a weight on her head. She looked up to see Yan’s broad palm resting there.
“You really don’t get it, do you?”
Yan chuckled, patting Alice’s head, looking at her with an amused, almost triumphant smile, as if lecturing a child.
“The essence of a journey isn’t about where you go, but whether you truly savor the present moment.”
“Even if you tell me such profound things, I still won’t understand.”
She turned her face away, her cheeks puffing out slightly in indignation, seemingly unwilling to listen to Yan.
“After all, I’m just this game’s navigation AI; I can’t see anything beyond the unchanging scenery within the game.”
‘Oh dear, did I just step on a landmine with that topic?’
Yan scratched his head helplessly, a wry smile gracing his face.
‘What should I say in a situation like this?’
‘Someone, please teach me.’
Yan awkwardly ruffled his short gray hair, messing it up further, yet still unable to come up with a suitable retort.
‘Fine, no turning back now!’
He reached out and firmly grasped Alice’s slender, pale wrist.
“Just follow me for now.”
****
It had to be said, the graphics of “Companion God Realm” were exceptionally exquisite; the towering green mountains in the distance, the clouds drifting across the sky, the firm earth beneath their feet, the river flowing nearby—everything appeared so picturesque and real.
For those living in the steel jungles of modern metropolises, surrounded by towering skyscrapers, such natural beauty was a rare and wondrous sight.
Though, in reality, Yan had always lived in his hometown, so he wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with such rustic, natural scenery.
Even so, every time he logged into the game, his consciousness entering this world, Yan often found himself marveling at the pristine beauty.
This was the charm of a full-dive VR game: a beautiful world, similar yet distinct from reality, often evoking deep emotions.
Yan, still holding Alice’s wrist, intended to step across the river stones in the valley, landing lightly on the lush green grass of the opposite bank.
Perhaps due to holding Alice’s hand, Yan’s movements were a bit stiff. The river stones, smoothed by the flowing water, proved too slippery, causing Yan’s foot to suddenly slide. He nearly toppled over, almost dragging both of them into the stream.
“Ah!”
Alice cried out in surprise, her delicate feet swiftly lifting off the ground as she floated upwards. Her fair, tender hand, still clasped by Yan, quickly reversed its grip, pulling him back and barely stabilizing their forms.
“Phew…”
Yan let out a long breath, quickly moving onto the grass on the opposite bank. He turned his head and offered Alice a slight smile.
“Safe landing.”
“Hm? And you have the nerve to say that?”
Alice shot him a glare, indignantly turning her face away.
“This is a [Spearmaster]? So clumsy…”
“Haha…”
Yan scratched his head awkwardly, letting out a couple of wry laughs. Then, he narrowed his eyes at Alice.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Alice raised her right hand to smooth her beautiful long blue hair behind her head, accepting Yan’s thanks without ceremony.
“It’s just my duty as a navigation AI to look after clumsy players.”
“…”
Yan offered a helpless smile, noticing that Alice’s tone towards him was becoming increasingly impudent.
‘She’s really stopped hiding her sly and sharp-tongued nature, hasn’t she?’
‘And she’s supposed to be the popular mascot of “Companion God Realm”?’ Yan couldn’t help but feel that people’s aesthetic tastes in this world might have gone awry.
He spread his hands in resignation, then continued to wander aimlessly with Alice through various maps.
After passing through a forest teeming with dazzling fireflies, Yan and Alice arrived in a valley. The moment they entered, Yan sensed something amiss with the map.
“Hm? Why are there so many people?”
Yan’s mouth parted slightly in surprise as he observed the sizable valley before them, swarming with players. They gathered in excited groups, animatedly discussing something amidst a lively hubbub.
“Wait, isn’t this an outdoor non-safe zone map? Why are there so many players here?”
Alice also wore a puzzled expression, gripping Yan’s sleeve tightly.
‘Surely, it’s not a gathering of players who enjoy open-world PK, is it? Being ‘red-named’ (TL Note: A player status indicating they have attacked and killed other players, often resulting in penalties.) isn’t exactly fun in this game. While open-world PK does allow you to snatch an item from another player, it’s too early in the game for a guild like “Smiling Coffin” to appear, right?’
‘And besides, these guys all look so cheerful; they don’t seem like they’re up to no good.’
Yan eyed the clustered groups of people with deep curiosity, noting that every single face radiated joyful and peaceful smiles.
“Hey, young man.”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Yan called out to a male Mage Player who was passing by.
“What are you all doing?”
“Ah? Oh, you’re just passing through, aren’t you?”
The Mage Player, startled by Yan’s call, first showed a confused expression. He then quickly understood, replacing it with a friendly smile, and began to explain to Yan.
“Actually, we’re holding a ‘wedding’. Would you like to join the celebration?”
‘A wedding? Oh! So that’s what this is.’
Yan’s gaze fell upon an open space amidst the throngs of people. There, on a naturally formed rock platform, stood a female player adorned in a splendid white gown, her face beaming with a joyful, gentle smile.
‘That must be the bride.’
“Companion God Realm” featured a marriage system, meaning two players could “marry” within the game. After marriage, their inventories and item slots would be shared, and they could even purchase a house together.
Yan had actually attended several “weddings” (others’ weddings, of course) back on the old server. The reason he hadn’t immediately realized what was happening was that he hadn’t expected a couple to tie the knot so soon after the new server launched.
Moreover, the marriage system in “Companion God Realm”… well… how should he put it… it had quite a few quirks.
For one, it was a contractual relationship with no gender restrictions.
‘So, it’s common to see wedding scenes with two girls (or two burly men) getting cozy?’
‘Well, the official explanation was that players had the freedom to choose their character’s gender, so the romance between two players wouldn’t be limited by the gender of their chosen characters.’
‘But let’s not dwell on that for now.’
“Oh, I see. In that case, we should certainly offer our congratulations to the happy couple.”
Yan said with a smile to the kind Mage Player who had explained everything.
“Haha, thank you.”
The Mage Player nodded, smiling.
“By the way, where’s the groom… or rather, it could be another bride? Why is there only one person on stage?”
Yan quite enjoyed attending such events. With a perfectly content attitude of merely wanting to watch the spectacle, he stood among the players gathered to celebrate the wedding, his eyes curiously scanning the crowd for anyone resembling a groom.
“Ah… I’ll go up now.”
The Mage Player scratched his head sheepishly, then turned and leisurely walked towards the rock platform.
“Huh?”
Yan froze, staring blankly as the Mage Player ascended the stage. The bride, standing on the platform, saw him approach, her smile widening even further as she gently linked arms with the player.
‘Wait, so I just stopped the groom from going on stage to chat? And now I’m an outsider who shouldn’t even be at this wedding? I didn’t even know what was happening?’
Yan was dumbfounded.
“Pfft.”
Alice, standing beside him, couldn’t help but burst into laughter at his dumbfounded expression.