In the next story.
A Young Lord of Warring States from the Warring States era.
Her mission and duty were to protect her family from destruction.
Once, she found a magical Bronze Mirror that transported her to an unbelievable place.
There was no war here, and everyone could live freely and happily. The prosperity dazzled her, and before she knew it, she met him: an otaku who was not entirely useless.
Their first meeting was quite unpleasant, and they even got into a fight.
She lost, and by the rules of her world, he became her husband from then on.
When she was hungry, the otaku took her out for a meal.
A serving of Pork Cutlet Rice left her astonished. "So much meat—this must have cost a fortune, right?"
Because in her world, ordinary people could not afford to eat meat.
Here, she also tasted an alcohol called beer for the first time.
What is this? It tastes so good. Drunk, she hugged the bottle and spoke happily.
This was probably the most relaxed she had ever been.
After waking from her hangover, she picked up the Bronze Mirror that had brought her to this world.
And brought the otaku from before back to her own world with her.
But this did not bring much change.
In her world, everything remained as it had been.
The Yano Family was still the Yano Family on the verge of collapse, with dangerous enemies eyeing them hungrily.
The only change was perhaps this "husband," who did not look particularly impressive.
He became her captain of the guard, but that was all.
Even with his arrival, the Yano Family's destruction could not be avoided in the end.
Two months later, she sat atop the city wall, covered in blood. The endless flames of war and spilled blood had dyed the earth red.
Outside the city, corpses were piled like mountains, and the sounds of slaughter shook the heavens.
Those were the enemies about to breach the city.
Watching the enemies about to arrive outside the city, she knew that she had ultimately failed to keep the Yano Family alive in these chaotic times.
"Looks like the Yano Family's three hundred years of glory are about to be destroyed."
The otaku was still desperately urging her to flee, but she merely shook her head gently.
"Makoto, you are different from me. From the day Father draped me in this armor, I swore... to defend the Yano Family's glory with my life."
The otaku cited countless examples and arguments, trying to persuade her: the world long divided must unite, and long united must divide. The Yano Family was not the only family to have been destroyed.
"Makoto, you would not understand. The dreams and efforts of generations of the Yano Family are here. Take this Bronze Mirror and leave quickly."
She told him everything.
After hearing her out, he insisted that she leave with him.
But she had her convictions. How could she possibly agree?
If she had been willing to abandon those convictions, why would she have returned in the first place?
She closed her eyes. It seemed that she could no longer hear his voice around her, only the sounds of the enemy breaking through the city and drawing near.
"Makoto, have you left? You really... left... Actually, I really wanted to leave with you too."
"I wanted to drink beer with you again... That beer was really delicious... really delicious!"
Tears welled up uncontrollably at the corners of her eyes.
Memories from back then resurfaced once more, and her illustration holding a wineglass appeared in the center of the screen.
"Husband, this wine is truly delicious! How about two more drinks? Look, I drank it all up! You should have a couple too. Come, cheers!"
And in that daze, she seemed to faintly hear his voice.
"Kill!!!! I am the captain of Yano Anna's personal guard! Any who stand in my way will be shown no mercy!!"
Looking at the game after it returned to the main menu, Jiang Ping could not help sniffing, then shut his slightly stinging eyes.
Only after a long while did he open them again.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"What the hell is wrong with this game? It's a Gentleman Game, so why are the character illustrations so good, the voice acting so good, and the Match-3 combat system so good? Is all that free!?"
"I just wanted to play a Gentleman Game. Why did you have to make it so damn emotional!?"
Though he was "complaining," Jiang Ping's hands did not hesitate in the slightest.
Of course, he was not pulling out tissues. Instead, he exited to the game's main menu and decisively entered the shop to leave it a positive review.
Although the refund period had not ended yet, leaving a review directly for the game meant he would no longer be able to get a refund.
But that did not matter at all. There was no need to mention the later content.
Jiang Ping already felt that just this much was worth it.
He even felt that selling it for ten yuan meant the developer was an idiot!
It was not just Jiang Ping. Through some obscure overseas forum, quite a few LSP players discovered this game and entered it with curiosity.
But when they quit, every one of them was filled with emotion.
Some were moved by the story in the game.
The story of the elf and the demon made them reflect on the good and evil of humanity.
Humanity had willingly fallen into depravity, while an elf from another race helped them instead, only to have kindness repaid with resentment in the end.
The story of the otaku and the Female General moved them deeply.
He looked like nothing more than a useless shut-in, yet when the time came to leave, he displayed courage and responsibility beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
The story of the dragon maid and the Knight was a long and wondrous journey.
"Our achievements surpass those of Yao and Shun—who could stand alongside us?"
Because of us, evil beasts dared not harm the land; because of us, greedy rulers dared not oppress the people.
And the story of Junior Sister Caiyun and Mingyue made many LSP players burst into tears.
Even if you were Mingyue's reincarnation, Qingfeng was still Qingfeng.
Two hundred years of waiting, two hundred years of reincarnation—the story of Mingyue and Caiyun should have ended two hundred years ago.
It was clearly a game LSP players loved most.
So why did they feel so heavy-hearted and sad after playing it?
These players finally understood what the posts they had seen earlier had meant.
In that moment, they truly empathized.
Of course, there were also many impatient gentlemen who were shut out because they were bad at Match-3 games.
Junior Sister Caiyun, please stop draining my blood and open the door for me! I'm your Senior Brother Mingyue! Let me see you!
These players repeatedly studied the game's Match-3 combat system, constantly grinding points and money to level up and buy items.
In the end, these players evolved.
They no longer paid any attention to the Gentleman Game content at all. Instead, they became obsessed with the Match-3 game within it.
It was simple and straightforward, yet still full of fun.
For a Gentleman Game, it was simply unbelievable.
It was just that the girl beside it was really a little annoying—she was blocking me from playing the Match-3 game!
Woman, get lost! Move aside already! Don't interrupt my Match-3 game!
This time, with my wisdom, I'll definitely beat my previous high score!