Mini note:
I haven’t translated for over a week here OTL so forgive me if the translation is a little wonky. (Bless Jules for picking up after my mess like always ( ˘ ³˘)♥)
Because of the attack which they suspected was carried out by players, Xiao Lan decided that it was better not to stay in the real world tonight.
Luo was a little unhappy about this, so the time for him to demonstrate his greatest worth had come. “Sir, shall I prepare a new residence for you? We can buy an island overseas and set up a private residence with tight defences. While ensuring safety, it can also be built completely according to your preferences.”
Xiao Lan looked at the smiling Luo, and it was as if he could see the blinding gold halo of wealth above him.
So, what on earth had this guy done?
Without Xiao Lan’s knowledge, it seemed that Luo’s wealth had already multiplied several times over to a frightening degree; he could even talk about something like buying a private island without a change in his expression.
“Wait first ba. Somehow, I have a feeling that the person investigating me is about to reveal their purpose soon.” After thinking for a moment, Xiao Lan decided to drop the idea of moving for now.
He really felt like he was floating; he actually considered buying an island. A few months ago, he was still just a pitiful broke guy who could only rent a bedroom.
Life was simply too mystical.
“Okay.” Luo’s face was regretful, as if distressed that he couldn’t spend money.
Does sir not like an island abroad? Perhaps I should suggest a local one next time? I don’t know whether sir likes the south with rich natural resources or the north where he can admire views of the snow. How about buying a few more…
After returning to the player hub, Xiao Lan continued to throw himself into training his skills and combat ability.
Apart from basic physical combat, he also specially chose battle practice matched with skills, to avoid discovering at a crucial moment that an ability wasn’t as suitable as he had imagined. He’d be done for then.
His opponent this time was a man who brandished a claymore. Not only was he skilled in exquisite swordplay, he was also an expert in magical attacks, and frequently hammered Xiao Lan into rolling over the floor.
In the following days, Xiao Lan continued to live between being beaten to the ground and punched black and blue.
The only thing worth being happy about was that Luo’s massage skills had improved significantly, and he could simply be called a professional masseuse. This recently led to Xiao Lan falling asleep by accident when he was being massaged. He would then wake up to discover that he was lying on Luo’s legs. This occurred several times, and always made him feel embarrassed.
Luo merely smiled and said, “To avoid disturbing your rest, I’m fine.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
But the expression hidden in the depths of his eyes said that he was doing it on purpose.
Hehe, sir looks so cute asleep, of course I have to look a little longer. But he absolutely wouldn’t say this sort of small and secret thought out loud, and was still as gentle and elegant as always in Xiao Lan’s eyes.
Mlcjiis, atf vjs ab fcafg j ujwf jgglnfv.
Cii rbecv jgbecv atfw ojvfv, jcv atf qegf vjgxcfrr jqqgbjmtfv bcmf wbgf.
Aera jr atf vjgxcfrr vlrjqqfjgfv, atf rsrafw cbalolmjalbc gjcu bea lwqjalfcais:
“Glcu vbcu —”
“Jbwf… atlr rlvf…”
Pa rbecvfv ilxf atf nblmfr bo wjcs qfbqif: wfc, kbwfc, sbecu jcv biv. Ktf nblmfr wlcuifv abufatfg ab mgfjaf j rbga bo fmmfcaglm wfibvs.
Xiao Lan: “Could it be… that the boss this time is made up of a lot of people? Or they’re the type made up of a combination of many bodies? Or maybe they have many heads or many mouths…”
Luo pondered for a moment before a black shadow appeared on his fingertips, and he raised his hand elegantly to draw in the air — an abstract painting filled with individuality.
This time, even the head or legs couldn’t be discerned; Xiao Lan couldn’t figure out what this thing was at all.
Xiao Lan: “…”
It seemed that the drawing tutorials for children didn’t have much of a positive influence on Luo as he pursued his own artistic style. Yueyue Jiejie, Butterfly Jiejie, Dudu Jiejie… we’ve truly failed you.
Xiao Lan shook his head and tossed this pitiful image out of his head.
He should confront reality ba.
From the notification, the only thing they learnt was that players had to leave in a certain direction. As for more information, the stingy Advent World was always disinclined to let you know.
Xiao Lan began to examine the surrounding environment.
This was an old-fashioned carriage, which seemed to be from the 1800s or 1900s. There were signs of mottling and peeling paint everywhere, as well as many traces of repair. The light in the carriage was an old-fashioned incandescent light. It wasn’t as bright as lights in the future, but could still clearly illuminate everything in the carriage.
The train was rumbling ahead. It was pitch-black outside the window, and only a faint light would flash past occasionally. It seemed that they were travelling along underground tracks.
Xiao Lan and Luo were sitting shoulder to shoulder. There was no one around them at all, not even the players whom they would usually encounter. The only sound was the rumbling of the train, quiet and monotonous.
The two of them stood up to inspect the surrounding seats.
They were completely vacant, and there was nothing at all. Whether it was traces of passengers or any hidden lost items, there was nothing. This place was like an old model that wasn’t being used at all.
Xiao Lan felt a little perplexed. What was going on?
Luo: “Sir, look at this.”
Xiao Lan looked at where Luo was pointing. A route map had been put up next to the carriage door. The map also appeared to be from a distant era, and was already beginning to fade; many location names were already blurry.
They could only determine that this train didn’t have an extensive route, and only covered one area of a city; it seemed that this was a commuter train.
Generally, commuter trains were for city residents to commute more conveniently, the interval between each station just mere minutes. However, from Xiao Lan waking up to the two of them searching for clues, it definitely had been more than a few minutes; the train had always been moving and never stopped once.
Xiao Lan waited a little longer, but the train still didn’t reach a station.
It was as if it was just a train that would loop around forever with no end.
Xiao Lan switched directions and headed to the front of the train. He wanted to see how this train was moving, and what the situation was like in the conductor’s room; in passing, he could check out the other carriages.
He walked through several carriages in a row, and they were all completely empty like the one Xiao Lan had been in.
Finally, they arrived at the first carriage, and the conductor’s room was right up ahead.
The door of the conductor’s room had already been sent flying and was currently lying pathetically on the floor like waste cardboard; it looked like it had suffered violent treatment.
Xiao Lan examined the door on the ground. The metal door had been pulled out by blunt force, and there were even deep fingerprints left on it; this looked like a player’s style.
That player who had entered the conductor’s room a step ahead of them probably wasn’t weak, and was more or less walking the path of physical enhancement like Xiao Lan.
There was the continuous ‘pa pa’ of power switches from inside the conductor’s room, and there was even the occasional sound of someone smacking a metal panel.
Xiao Lan and Luo walked into the conductor’s room.
The first thing to greet their eyes was a fluorescent green head with an extremely scene-ic hairstyle. The person seemed to be alone, and was sitting in the conductor’s seat. They were constantly fiddling with the control panel and scratching their head from time to time, muttering, “This doesn’t work ah… This doesn’t work either ah…”
Although this person was physically very strong, it seemed they weren’t very smart; they even gave off a sense of unreliability that was a little worrying.
“Hello…” Xiao Lan called out to attract the other’s attention. “I’m Xiao Lan. Are you the one who opened the conductor’s room?”
“Yes ah, I wanted to try and see whether this thing could be stopped. In the end, it seems there’s no response at all…” the green-haired scenester said as they turned around. It turned out that this was unexpectedly a female player, dressed in a leather shirt and leather pants. She looked rather young, but the makeup on her face was too thick and also slightly in Luo’s art style, which gave her a slightly unclear appearance.
When her gaze shifted to Xiao Lan’s face, her eyes abruptly lit up. “Xiao Lan… Xiao ge! You’re Xiao ge, right?!”
The name Xiao ge made Xiao Lan think of Zhao Xiaohe whom he met in the newbie game.
But…
Xiao Lan looked at this green-haired scenester’s excited face. Even if a girl changed eighteen times between childhood and womanhood, it had only been a few months ah. Even if Zhao Xiaohe had been ravaged by the Advent World, she wouldn’t have changed to this degree, right?
He hesitantly asked, “You are?”
The green-haired scenester excitedly jumped up and down. “Hello, hello Xiao ge! I’m Zhao Xiaohe’s friend, my name’s Diyi Fugui. Xiao ge, you’re Xiaohe’s benefactor, so just call me Fugui.”
Xiao Lan: “Fu… Fugui, hello.”
Young girl, your name truly is very unique; it makes one’s heart yearn for it.
He had wanted to ask around about recent developments with Zhao Xiaohe before, but there were numerous beginner players and they were scattered across seventeen player hubs; it was beyond his capabilities to search for her.
Who would have thought he would unexpectedly receive news about Zhao Xiaohe. Xiao Lan asked, “How’s Zhao Xiaohe doing now?”
Diyi Fugui said, “She’s already passed a lot of games and even obtained a skill. It probably won’t be long before she advances as an intermediate player.”
Xiao Lan thought of that strong young lady. It seemed she was doing pretty well, and had even made friends.
Diyi Fugui was clearly a little stimulated. “Aiya, Xiaohe is always talking about you. She says that you’re really powerful, and you were able to help her clear the game with a few casual words, even advising her not to carelessly trust other people and to try her best on her own. Anyway, it’s just that you’re super powerful!”
“How can I be that powerful?” Xiao Lan laughed despite himself. “I survived the newbie round by the skin of my teeth as well, nor did I help Zhao Xiaohe that much. She survived by relying on her own skills.”
“Ai~ Xiaohe has already told me about the whole affair. I’ve even memorised your quotes.” Diyi Fugui had a ‘no need to be modest’ expression on her face as she recited on the spot, “‘I haven’t grasped how to clear this game. Moreover, I’m incapable of shouldering someone else’s life, nor am I interested in using you to test the preconditions for death.
“Even if someone helps you this time, what about the next time? Will you meet a second Lin Yan? My suggestion is — control your own life.’
“And also this sentence: ‘There’s still twenty minutes left, you still have a chance to find clues. If you still can’t find anything even when it’s almost time, then just take a gamble.’”
Xiao Lan: “…”
Hearing another person recite your own quotes and feeling embarrassed – what’s going on…
Oh she’s the girl from the first arc
I think she’s the friend of that girl
yea she said she was Zhao Xiaohe’s friend (the girl at the start of the game)
yep she’s said she is Zhao Xiaohe’s friend! (girl from first instance)
prick why does my words keep repeating 💀 sorry to bother you bye! 😅
Ahaha XL’s fame is passing through different hubs~
Thanks for the chapter~
Hehe, sir looks so cute asleep, of course I have to look a little longer.
But he absolutely wouldn’t say this sort of small and secret thought
out loud, and was still as gentle and elegant as always in Xiao Lan’s
eyes.
Me: (¬_¬”)
Reminds me of Kurosawa from Cherry Magic.
Ackk. That series is so good! Adachi is so damn cuteeeeeeee
Oof, I wish I were Xiao Lan and didn’t know Luo’s inner thoughts.
Hahaha he has a a fan club now
Oooo, if this game is set on the train, it’ll be cool.
Thanks for the chapter！ ( ´∀｀)
Yeah boi! XL fanclub!
How can she know what he looks like from word of mouth alone? Did Zhao Xiaohe have a picture of him I’ve forgotten about? Also it’s wild to me that Zhao Xiaohe could have memorized word for word what he said back then, though I suppose it was impactful enough that she might have… Still, there’s a part of me that can’t help but wonder if this is the game’s setup somehow haha
Thank you for translating! <3
No from the name. Surely if zhao xiaohe talked about him a lot, then she would’ve said his name multiple times so her friend probably recalled him from his name
She’s basically a fangirl 😂 I’m glad the girl’s fine
Thank you for the chapter!! ❤️❤️
Thanks for the chapter! ^^)❤
Luo is happily eating tofu and XL meets his first fangirl lolol
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
awww our baby has his own fan club! Well deserved!
thanks for the chapter <3
Too cuteee!!! Ahhhhh~
I love this chapter!!! Fugui is really adorbs also. squeal
Thanks for the translation.
HAHAHA this girl is too much 😂😂 quoting his own words back to him like he’s an action hero, i can just imagine Xiao Lans face
It’s been so long since I’ve read the mtl, I completely forgot this instance existed
I also feel embarrassed when my tutee read my fanfics. I just feel it’s super embarrassing someone reading out loud your work. Can we keep it a silent reading mode? TTATT
LMFAO
I am a orv fan, I dont like trains
I love her already
Umm, after reading the later chapters, I think the time period for the train should be “80s or 90s”, rather than “1800s or 1900s” ? I mean, I don’t think there would have been incandescent lights installed in carriages in the 1800s 😬
Zhao jiejie is still okay AHHHHHH!!!!
i can’t explain how happy this information makes me!! she’s doing okay!! sobs
also, is i just them two (technically) as the players for this same? this will be interesting ba!