Volume 4 - CH 64.1

Changes in the Tower

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

Mu Jiashi is sweating inside. Oh wait, did he disrupt dalao Lin Qin’s plans for courting Xü Beijin?

Xü Beijin doesn’t look the least bit aware of Lin Qin’s feelings for him!

Oh shit oh shit oh shit… The two words keep looping inside Mu Jiashi’s mind. Now how is he going to salvage this?

He is also slightly surprised inside at Xü Beijin’s shock──The Tower resident in question isn’t the least bit aware even though the entire bottom floor is talking about it?!

What Mu Jiashi doesn’t know, however, is that the rumours have even spread to the floors above by now.

Mainly because of the uproar the decadent Missiontakers have caused because a certain crownless King of the bottom floor has confiscated almost the entire supply of drinks of the floor to appease his target of romance.

The collapse of the supply is even affecting many downstream Necessities Merchant, too.

In fact, Mu Jiashi has even been approached by an acquaintance from his Golddigging days, asking if he might be able to pull any strings to help dissuade Lin Qin from the utterly disruptive chaos he’s causing in his romantic pursuit.

That acquaintance promised to return the favour how ever he could; Mu Jiashi thought of Su Enya, and asked.

The acquaintance did not know her well, but he knew somebody who does, and told Mu Jiashi that that somebody is interested in this Nightmare──this possible candidate for the Ultimate Nightmare, and so if Mu Jiashi could dig up valuable information from the Nightmare, or even achieve a True End, he would have good stakes for bargaining for information on Su Enya.

That is why Mu Jiashi is here.

He didn’t expect to meet Xü Beijin here, of course, but since he did, he could also mention what the acquaintance asked him to help with to him.

Mu Jiashi is aware that the drinks Lin Qin has is what Ding Yi handed over before she left. He is also equally speechless at the market chaos it’s caused so far, as he is acutely aware that, rather than actually going after Lin Qin’s supply of drinks, the chaos from the Missiontakers and Necessities Merchants, for that matter, is largely to do with the gap in the market left behind by Ding Yi’s departure.

Everyone has eyes on what she left behind. The inventory is one, but the her market connections even more so; she left most of that to her subordinates, of course, but who knows who that large amount of regulars she had might decide to choose after she has left?

That is why they need to see a response, a signal, a direction… a decision, from Lin Qin.

They might call Lin Qin the ‘Crownless King’ of the bottom floor, but Lin Qin is utterly unaware himself. That is no deterrent, however, to how the pragmatic and sly Missiontakers of the bottom floor enjoys pushing him to the forefront instead of themselves.

If someone really does acquire the ‘go-ahead’ from Lin Qin──Or at least, something that could constitute a firm ‘go-ahead’ in other’s eyes, to allow them to take over the operations as a representative for Lin Qin, then that would certainly grant them an immensely powerful cover.

This isn’t just some fantastical scheme either, because they all know two things about Lin Qin if nothing else,

One, his fighting strength practically makes him a bug;

Two, he is a bit, eh… simple, in the head.

So, in other words, if they really managed to rope Lin Qin in, to be some kind of front for themselves for real…

Up to this point, though, no one has managed to convincingly elicit a permission from Lin Qin, nor has anyone managed to get away with anything by stating that Lin Qin is behind their backs, for now.

However, since Ding Yi has left the bottom floor of the Tower in the wake of the rumours that someone has left the Tower, and now with the new rumours of the Ultimate Nightmare circulating around as well… Someone is getting impatient.

Regardless of their trade, from Necessities Merchants, to Tailors, Golddiggers, Carddealers, Vultures… All of them, and the powers behind them, and the forces beneath the surface, are all ready to muddy the waters themselves.

Departure from the Tower notwithstanding, they’re interested in advancing their own powers, at least.

All of that, led to Mu Jiashi being asked for help.

Is that acquaintance that concerned over some drinks?

No, of course not! Mu Jiashi gets it. He is tired of it, even──This is the Tower! This is the fucking Tower!

Why is it that even in somewhere like the Tower, where everyone is trapped in a hyper realistic escape game, where it is so dark and depressing that everyone is a living corpse, humanity’s squabbles are still ongoing?

… Humans, really…

In the Nightmare, when he heard Xü Beijin tell them about the motto, ‘Humans are the Impurities of the Earth,’ there is one moment in there where he, exhausted, exasperated, actually felt a concerning… concordance… with the sentiment.

He could actually agree with the school of thought that humans are impurities on Earth.

No matter how much he agreed with that, though, he still packs his emotions up immediately, and then relay to Xü Beijin what his acquaintance asked him, about the drinks.

The acquaintance knew about the fact that Mu Jiashi once got a clue to a Nightmare from Xü Beijin using drinks, so he asked if Mu Jiashi could talk to Xü Beijin.

Mu Jiashi never thought that Xü Beijin wasn’t actually aware of Lin Qin’s advances on him!

Mu Jiashi is in a bind.

Keep rushing, and he might ruin dalao Lin Qin’s efforts; retreat, and he’ll have to go back on the promise with his acquaintance.

Frustrated, he is thinking, damn, can’t this world just go boom already?

Since Mu Jiashi has experienced that unprecedented defeat on the upper floors, it seems his mental stability is crumbling more and more…

Meanwhile, back to our Xü Beijin, whose jaw is on the floor.

In the stream, the audience are plastering the comment barrage with exclamation marks before going ‘hahahaha.’

“i knew the little apple wanted something something with Beibei!”

“called it!”

“hmm, yes, a brawl… the kind taking place on the bed!!!”

“little apple, little apple, so you were such a kind of little apple”

“Beibei, you can’t lose your self to the little apple, ok? [cry emoji]”

“Beibei, you cant lose yourself in the little apple, ok? [cry emoji]”

“mommy doesnt approve of the date! you hear me Bei???”

“looking at Beibei… ok, Beibei does not know, dense Beibei is sad”

Xü Beijin “…”

What do you mean by dense?! Since when did Lin Qin like him? It’s… It’s just Mu Jiashi talking bullshit!

Xü Beijin’s ears have gone red and, after patching up his cracked facial expression, says seemingly exceedingly calmly, “you misunderstand. Lin Qin does not like me in that sense.”

Mu Jiashi gives him a strange look.

Really…?

Mu Jiashi is unconvinced, and instead concludes that Xü Beijin is helplessly dense. Or rather… you know, Tower residents. They are a stream of data in the game.

So Mu Jiashi suddenly understands.

Right! Of course! How could an artificial intelligence comprehend feelings a human might hold towards some 1s and 0s?

He is even giving a glance that reads pity, sympathy and relief at Xü Beijin; if Xü Beijin had to translate that face into words, he would try ‘don’t worry about it my boy, that’s how utterly depraved humans are.’

Xü Beijin “…”

What are you thinking about this time, man?!

Xü Beijin is positively vexed.

Now, only two thoughts occupy his mind,

One, go back to the Tower and have a comprehensive talk with Lin Qin;

Two, have a comprehensive talk with Mu Jiashi.

Though after thinking about it somewhat, Xü Beijin realises, sadly, hopelessly, that he might be able to convince neither…

A rather long time passes, until even the Server is hurrying him along, that Xü Beijin finally picks up his stiff legs to walk towards the fountain again.

Also, there seems to now be some sort of unspoken agreement between him and Mu Jiashi now, that Mu Jiashi would not mention how Lin Qin likes him, nor would Xü Beijin act like he is the least bit aware.

… Seriously, how could Lin Qin even fall in love with him!

That dumb little apple about as smart as his namesake…?!

Does he even have the capacity for romance right now…?!

Countless questions flash through Xü Beijin’s mind, each of them possibly leading to a more serious minefield of topic, like ‘what kind of people would actually fall in love with someone without EQ while being excessively clingy?’

Xü Beijin does not know, but Xü Beijin can say it is not him.

Apparently, Xü Beijin isn’t aware of how big of a flag he just planted for himself there to be recovered in the future.