110 successfully used Mo Yang’s name to deal with its host. It watched as its host suddenly became energized, like a shot of adrenaline, searching forums for information about the “Are You Happy?” escape and puzzle-solving game, and earnestly looking for related items.
Unable to contain itself, 110 gave its host a thumbs up. Due to the game’s principles, it couldn’t tell its host that its dear friend, Black Cat Detective, was the one he was so determined to catch in real life. It felt suffocated by the fact that it knew the truth but couldn’t reveal it. However, 110 believed that one day it would witness its host’s astonished expression, and so it silently recorded everything, trying not to be impatient.
While flipping through the information, Song Kefeng suddenly remembered something. He turned to ask 110, “Even though Zhao Guoxiang has been captured, is there a chance he might escape using the Dream World or do something else bad? Is there anything that can prevent him from utilizing the Dream World?”
110 paused for a moment and replied, [Host, you’re so slow to react. You’re only thinking of this now? But Zhao Guoxiang has no way of entering the Dream World anymore. It’s possible that his guide has already been devoured by Mo Yang’s guide. Without the guidance of a guide, even if his mental power is extraordinary, he cannot enter the Dream World.]
Song Kefeng stopped in his tracks.
“Devoured? Can guides devour each other? Aren’t you all from the same origin?”
A silver light shimmered on 110’s sphere, and it replied with a mocking tone, [Don’t compare me with those insignificant guides. I, unlike them, am an outstanding guide who has completed five rounds of competition.]
[Perhaps you think that we are the same and should help each other, but the laws of our world are completely different from yours. The weak have no right to complain, and when faced with the strong, if they die, they die. Only the strong have the right to do as they please.]
[Mo Yang’s guide has a very high ranking, so even if it devoured a guide with a few thousand as its number, or even me, if it wishes to devour me in person, I would have no complaints, I can only say that I had bad luck.]
[However, currently, devouring each other is not allowed in the Dream World. The reason Zhao Guoxiang’s guide was devoured may very well be due to something he said, like ‘If you let me go, I’ll give you my guide,’ or something similar.]
Song Kefeng furrowed his brow at 110’s explanation of the relationship between guides. Both being guides, the significant difference in their hierarchy made him think deeply. Additionally, if that were the case, wasn’t Zhao Guoxiang able to break free from the Dream World’s control? In some ways, this could be considered a good thing.
110 seemed to instantly understand Song Kefeng’s thoughts and sneered, [Don’t be delusional. It’s not that easy. ‘Devouring’ itself is a very dangerous and painful battle.]
[Zhao Guoxiang is still new to the Dream World, and his connection to the world is not deep. So even if his guide was devoured, it won’t cause him much harm, at most he’ll suffer from a headache for ten to twenty days.]
[But for players who have been in the Dream World for a long time, if their guide is devoured, they may become idiots or mentally disabled. Or they may die directly. So don’t consider ‘devouring’ as a means of salvation, it’s a very dangerous behavior and won’t be allowed until the end.]
[And, most importantly, even without a guide, it doesn’t mean the Dream World doesn’t exist. When the Dream World needs it, Zhao Guoxiang will still be controlled by the Dream World.]
Listening to 110’s increasingly smug tone, Song Kefeng couldn’t bear it any longer and left the Dream World to catch criminals and relieve his frustration.
On the other hand, 006 and 009 were also explaining the concept of “devouring” to Mo Yang and Wan Mei, with similar content to what 110 had explained. However, their hosts managed to ‘coax’ more information out of them, to the point that the hosts weren’t angry, but rather the two guide elites were becoming increasingly frustrated.
“So, in the beginning, out of the initial one hundred thousand guides, more than half have successfully split and become guides for other players?”
Mo Yang calculated, “So now there are over two hundred thousand players in the Dream World? If the player base continues to grow at this rate, there could be up to five hundred thousand players within a month?”
Wan Mei nodded beside him, “The longer the time, the bigger the player population. It’s like the division and spread of a viral infection.”
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.
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Every time Mo Yang spoke, 006’s core would jump, and as Mo Yang reached the end of his question, 006 stared at its host with an intense gaze.
After a long silence, it suddenly spoke cheerfully, [Host, are you ready for the next game? It’s a rare elite competition. You might encounter some incredibly skilled individuals inside!]
Mo Yang responded with a sneer, finding 006’s sudden change of topic rather awkward. “Aren’t you changing the topic a bit too abruptly?”
[Oh, the next game is a very joyful one! It’s called ‘Are You Happy?’ The setting is a normal small town. The atmosphere in the town is fantastic! You’ll definitely feel the happiness in the air when you go there~] 006 replied excitedly.
Mo Yang didn’t believe a single word of it. If it were truly a happy and joyful atmosphere, how could it be an escape and puzzle-solving game? There must be something fishy going on.
[Just a friendly reminder, host, you need to be prepared before entering the game these days. This is your second suspenseful puzzle-solving game, and it’s a level two difficulty game.]
Mo Yang narrowed his eyes. If level one was like Phoenix Village, then he needed to mentally prepare himself for level two.
In the following days, Mo Yang, Wan Mei, and Zhou Api spent their time earning money and upgrading their equipment and items using their mental power. They also spent money like water, buying food cards to keep themselves healthy. It was during this time that Zhou Api fully realized what kind of terrifying experts he had followed.
He watched in disbelief as Wan Mei effortlessly prepared plate after plate of level two golden delicacies, some of which were even top-grade level three items.
He couldn’t understand why everything he himself cooked, turned into a pile of charcoal.
And Mo Yang was even more enviable. He casually threw a fishing rod and caught high-quality fresh fish worth thousands of Dream Coins. He even managed to catch a treasure chest from the river! And inside the chest, there were red cards and gold cards!
Zhou Api used to be happy when he sold Dream World information worth 10,000 Dream Coins, but now, in comparison, he couldn’t find any joy. However, he still diligently collected information about the “Are You Happy?” game’s cheerful town background and fell silent after gathering everything.
“Why do you have such a desolate expression?” Mo Yang approached him and raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Api felt like crying, “Boss, I suddenly feel that following you is risky. The ‘Are You Happy?’ game has a lower completion rate than Phoenix Village! Players who have come out of that game don’t even know how they died, let alone solve the mystery!”
Mo Yang blinked, “Seems like this game is quite challenging.”
Zhou Api vigorously nodded, but Mo Yang just smiled, “That’s good.”
Zhou Api: “…”
The next few days passed quickly, and it was finally the day to enter the game. Mo Yang prepared his backpack in the Dream World in advance.
He couldn’t buy high-end weapons or tools that surpassed the game’s era from the Dream Mall this time, but he searched through the store and found a special item he could purchase called “Otaku Happy Water.” It had a purchase limit of five bottles, priced at 500 Dream Coins each. Mo Yang told 006 to double the money and buy him ten bottles, and 006 sneakily agreed.
Wan Mei also bought ten bottles of Otaku Happy Water, and although Zhou Api wanted to do the same, he didn’t have the financial ability, so he gritted his teeth and bought five bottles.
In addition, he could bring his Tang Sword, Acceleration Roller Shoes, Phoenix Ring, and the “Heart of the Treant,” which could restore his mental power, into the game. However, the “Heart of the Treant” remained in its seedling form and couldn’t become a physical entity within the game.
Lastly, Mo Yang noticed that his pig-headed phone, which he had been feeding with 10 points of mental power every day, now had an additional app icon since reaching level two. The app was called “NPC Home.”
When he opened it, he saw the profiles of Feng Yu and Ouyang Yang, the two characters he fed 10 points of mental power to each day. They were only a few tens of points away from reaching level two.
“What’s this app…”
006 interjected, [It can be explained as a calling app to summon friends for help. Although it’s not very useful, it’s better than using two cards to bring a person to life, right? You can also use this app to chat with NPCs, just like a messaging app. Well, that’s the small function your phone gained after leveling up.]
Mo Yang looked at Feng Yu’s excited typing on the keyboard and replied with a smile. He closed the app and prepared to enter the game.
It had been a while since he played a romance cultivation game, and he almost forgot the fear of being confessed to by two people in a row. Tsk tsk.
Feng Yu: “…” Why did he close it just when I passionately expressed my liking for him? What happened?!
Ouyang Yang: “Hehe.” Idiot.
Soon, it was time to enter the game. 006, 009, and 666 opened the door to the suspenseful puzzle-solving game, while on the other side, 110 also opened the door to the game.
Song Kefeng: “…” It’s true that guides are full of nonsense. Look, this is clearly a suspenseful puzzle-solving game!
As Mo Yang, Wan Mei, Zhou Api, and Song Kefeng stepped through the game’s entrance, there were also forty-six other players who entered the same game with confident or relaxed expressions.
A bright light flashed.
A lively and cheerful melody suddenly played in their ears, accompanied by the voices of many people with smiles. Mo Yang heard the first words spoken in the game after entering.
“Welcome to Joyful Town!”
He opened his eyes and found himself and the other players standing in a beautiful square adorned with colorful flags and balloons. They were surrounded by many people wearing smiles, who approached each of them and offered flower garlands and… lollipops?
“Welcome to Joyful Town! Wishing you a happy and joyful time here!”
Mo Yang received a flower garland and a lollipop from a sweet-looking girl. He was slightly taken aback, but he still smiled and said, “Thank you.”
The girl’s smile became even brighter when she saw him smile, and she replied, “You’re welcome! My family runs an ice cream shop, and we have the most authentic milk chocolate ice cream! Would you like to have some? I’ll give you one for free!”
While eating his lollipop, Mo Yang was about to decline the offer when he heard an unpleasant voice from nearby.
“Sir, are you not happy?”
As soon as those words were spoken, Mo Yang felt like the cheerful atmosphere in the entire square suddenly froze. It seemed like everyone’s attention shifted to the man with a frowning face standing not far from him.
The man furrowed his brows tightly but didn’t answer directly. He looked around warily and replied, “…I’m not unhappy.”
However, the girl who had offered him the flower garland tilted her head and asked, “Then why aren’t you smiling?”
The man grew slightly impatient and said, “Is it mandatory to smile when you arrive here? I don’t feel like smiling, so just leave me alone.”
The girl stopped tilting her head and looked straight at him. Then, she suddenly spoke up, “Not smiling is not allowed. In Joyful Town, if you’re not happy, misfortune will surround you.”
The man’s expression changed, and he was about to say something when a system voice echoed throughout the square, audible to all fifty players present.
[Welcome to Joyful Town. Hahaha. Now, let’s announce the completion rules for this game.]
[1. There is no sadness in Joyful Town; sad people will face misfortune.]
[2. Find the truly sad and unfortunate individuals in Joyful Town.]
[3. Dispel the panic in Joyful Town and capture the smiling evildoer.]
[Note: Players must survive until the end of the game. Answering one puzzle correctly will earn a C-grade evaluation, while answering two puzzles successfully will earn a B-grade evaluation. Answering all three puzzles will earn an A-grade evaluation. Discovering hidden clues or special plotlines will result in evaluation bonuses.]
[Please, players, strive to complete the game.]
After the system announcement of the completion rules, the girl in front of the man asked him again, “Sir, are you not happy?”
A surge of impatience rose in the man’s heart, and he shouted, “Aren’t you annoying? I’m not happy, so what?!”
Today, he had lost a large sum of money in a gamble before entering the game, and the woman he was interested in had run off with someone else. He couldn’t possibly be happy!
Mo Yang suddenly felt a sense of unease. He hadn’t even had a chance to warn the man when the girl in front of him revealed a bright smile.
“Oh, then you should be careful. Unhappy people can’t survive a day here!”
Everyone’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing her words. They thought of the first rule of the game.
- There is no sadness in Joyful Town; sad people will face misfortune.
Creepy….
Anyway, I’m just gonna sit back, relax, and let the bosses handle (and hard carry) the game (๑´ڡ`๑)♡
I think everyone should smile while reading this arch
Thank you for your translation 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍
Hum, the canon fodder syndrome stroke again 😂
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
Aaahh Feng Yu!!! So glad they are all okay! Would be soo cool if the npcs are used in a future game!
instead of saying there is no sadness, it should be there should be no other emotion other than happiness lol