What Do You Want

The next morning.

Gu Mo emerged from his room with a yawn and stretched hard. His bones crackled softly all over, and he grimaced, feeling sore and uncomfortable all over. He had probably slept too much.

"This won't do... When will the Idiot System finally get its act together?"

He let out a long sigh, feeling a terrible headache coming on. The Idiot System was good—absurdly powerful, even. Every function that operated normally was practically heaven-defying. Whether it was killing monsters to level up or Auto-Save, they all seemed like incomprehensible mystical laws that transcended everything.

But its broken parts could drive someone mad. It was already such an insanely powerful system, so why did it still have those low-level errors? All kinds of idiotic bugs kept popping up one after another...

There were even inexplicable issues like network fluctuations. Would anyone believe that if he told them?

In short, it was enough to send his blood pressure through the roof.

As he thought about it, he swung his arms vigorously a few times and rubbed his shoulders and neck. The advantage of voluntarily sleeping was that it allowed him to allocate his limited online time to some extent. The downside was this—after sleeping too much, his whole body felt uncomfortable and miserable.

Voluntarily falling asleep required subjective initiative. Even when he was not sleepy, he had to force himself to sleep. Not only was that difficult, it was exhausting. There was no effortless instant sleep brought by forced logouts, nor was there that incredibly high-quality rest that left him refreshed and fully restored after waking. Instead, the more he slept, the more tired he became, waking up several times in between...

He yawned again, rubbed his bleary eyes, and casually waved at a servant passing by at the far end of the corridor—

"Hey, good morning. Excuse me... where can I wash up? Oh, and if possible, could you please find me a mirror?"

About fifteen minutes later.

After washing up, Gu Mo returned to his room and sighed at the extra bronze mirror. It seemed glass mirrors had not yet become widespread in this era... Though, from another perspective, that was not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps if he got the chance in the future, he could become some kind of cross-dimensional middleman or dimensional merchant.

—But for now, it did not seem to help him at all.

Squinting as he carefully examined himself in the bronze mirror, Gu Mo realized he might have misunderstood metal mirrors because of television dramas. On TV, dim yellow bronze mirrors always reflected even blurrier figures, making them utterly useless. Over time, it was no wonder he had formed that impression.

But in reality, bronze mirrors were not dim, yellow, and unclear. They were actually quite sharp. There was indeed a difference in clarity compared to glass mirrors, but it was not a large one.

At the very least, he could clearly see his reflection, every feature distinct... The problem was that it had not produced the effect he had expected. No interactive options related to the Idiot System appeared in the reflection, and he could not tell what the issue was.

The mirror at home had worked perfectly. Could it be that bronze mirrors did not work?

Frowning, he put down the mirror and headed outside. However, just as he stepped out, an exceptionally enthusiastic voice called out—

"Brother Gu Mo, you're up so early... Hahahaha, aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"

Tokichiro was rubbing his sleepy eyes as he came down the hall, yawning continuously along the way. Seeing Gu Mo emerge ahead of him, he hurriedly greeted him. His tone carried undisguised flattery, yet he seemed perfectly open about it.

"No, I can't sleep... Hmm, your dark circles are pretty bad. Didn't you sleep last night?"

Gu Mo raised his brows, noticing Monkey's obvious panda eyes, and could not help asking.

"Ahahaha, yes, yes. After all, it was my first... my first time staying in a place like this! I was so excited I couldn't sleep all night. Even turning over in the middle of the night startled me—I was afraid I'd bump into something and break it..." Monkey chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his hands together in embarrassment.

He did not mention the other reasons. For instance, his emotions had been on a roller coaster all night, and he had been frightened again and again. Or how he had been so excited that his mind was filled with fantasies of making a name for himself in the future. He had kept reminding himself that he absolutely had to seize this opportunity, and before he knew it, it was already deep into the night...

"That sounds rough..."

Gu Mo's gaze became somewhat sympathetic.

"Not rough at all, not at all. Just remember to look after me more in the future, Brother Gu Mo... Lord Dosan thinks highly of you, so you'll definitely become an important person someday." Tokichiro shook his head repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear as he cautiously flattered him. "When that time comes, I hope you won't forget me."

He was somewhat worried. It was certainly a good thing for his partner to soar to greatness, but this...

Well, he was rising far too quickly. He had already broken the speed limit!

They had known each other for only three days at most, yet the other man had suddenly shown signs of skyrocketing to the top. Monkey had been completely caught off guard. This partner had proven far more capable than he had initially expected, because he had not held too many unrealistic hopes at first—

He had merely wanted to find two highly skilled companions and rise through the ranks by constantly accumulating military merit.

It was a very practical route to promotion and higher pay, without too many unrealistic fantasies. It was also the most reliable method. This was an age of war, after all. Today, someone might think that a true man born in troubled times should wield a three-foot sword and achieve immortal merit. Tomorrow, someone else might suddenly realize that they had always harbored lofty ideals of serving their country and its people...

When a hero drew his sword, the common people suffered ten years of calamity. So there was no need to worry about lacking opportunities for military merit. For commoners like him, with no background or lineage and no choice but to start from scratch, this was the most suitable path.

But having a partner who was too capable might not be a bad thing, yet it was not entirely good either. The biggest issue was time... It was too fast, truly too fast. He had not been given any time to prepare, and Tokichiro's heart was filled with helplessness and anxiety. If only he had been given another year or half a year—even three to five months would have been enough—he would not have been so unsettled.

At least during that time, they could have become friends and built some degree of friendship. Then it would have been easy enough to ask a friend who had become a powerful backer to carry him along.

But now, they had only known each other for three days. What could they possibly have done in that time? No matter how shameless Tokichiro was, he did not dare claim they were close friends. At most, they had gone from "strangers who did not know each other" to "people who had just met."

Yet he was unwilling to give up this opportunity. It might be the closest he would ever come to success in his life. He would probably never get another chance like this, so while they could still speak to each other, he could only try every possible way to get closer to Gu Mo and increase his chances.

Here it came again...

Gu Mo did not know about Tokichiro's complicated thoughts, nor was he particularly interested. He merely sighed, feeling that Monkey had misunderstood something. "What do you mean, thinks highly of me? Haven't you noticed that whenever that old... he looks at me, he's glaring at me? He clearly can't stand the sight of me!"

"Ahahaha, you can't put it that way, Brother Gu Mo..." Tokichiro gave an awkward laugh. Of course he knew that, but he did not think it was a problem. "Lord Dosan may be unhappy because of your relationship with Miss Axiu, but it's also because of your relationship with Miss Axiu that he'll definitely value you from now on..."

At that, Tokichiro sneakily stepped closer and lowered his voice, sounding as if he were claiming credit. "And Lord Dosan even questioned me last night. I said quite a few good things about you, Brother Gu Mo!"

"Good things?" Gu Mo's brows rose slightly.

"Yes, yes..." Monkey nodded repeatedly and was about to continue when footsteps came from the corridor.

A servant approached the two of them, bowed respectfully, and said:

"The clan head requests the presence of both of you."

"You're here... Sit."

It was still the same room as yesterday. Saito Dosan stood before the Buddhist statue, drinking heavily from a sake bowl. Hearing them arrive, he glanced at them before setting down the bowl and speaking.

This time, he did not glare at someone with that fierce gaze of his. His attitude had only improved somewhat, and though he was no longer glaring, there was still obvious reluctance in his tone, as if he would have preferred the brat before him to remain standing.

"Very well, Lord Dosan."

Gu Mo's expression did not change. He calmly sat upright on the tatami, then looked around, but did not see the black-haired girl whose presence reassured him.

Maybe she was still asleep? Then again, that old man had not summoned Axiu, only me. Could he be up to no good?

That made Gu Mo slightly concerned.

Perhaps sensing its host's emotions, the "spirit" that had always remained beside him slowly drew near. The great fox lay down at his side again, its nine tails gently swaying as they encircled him. Only he could feel the smooth fur and warmth radiating from it.

Gu Mo felt somewhat reassured. It was like going to a teacher's office during his student days—going alone would make him uneasy, but having a classmate beside him would make him relax considerably... That was the feeling the Guardian Spirit gave him: knowing that no matter what happened, a loyal friend would always be there by his side.

Saito Dosan raised his brows as he looked at the fox-shaped Guardian Spirit lying beside the boy, with its nine tails, and unconsciously froze for a moment.

After a long while, he finally withdrew his gaze and casually asked, "What were you looking for just now?"

"Axiu."

Blinking, Gu Mo answered honestly. He had looked around because he wanted to see whether the black-haired girl was present, so he could determine whether the old man's summons was a Feast at Hong Gate.

"..."

"..."

His thick knuckles tightened abruptly, making the sake bowl in his hand creak. Saito Dosan had spent the entire previous night preparing himself mentally and had barely managed to persuade himself to accept things, but now he suddenly felt that this brat was truly irritating and hateful again.

He silently set down the sake bowl, took a deep breath, then still could not help gritting his teeth and glaring fiercely at the brat before him.

"Boy, how did you come here?"

"..."

"..."

Gu Mo stared straight back at him. After a moment, he answered hesitantly, "We came by carriage. Two horses pulled it, and we traveled for a day and two nights... Didn't Tokichiro tell you?"

Monkey lowered his head tightly and did not make a sound.

"That's not what I mean!" Saito Dosan's eye twitched violently. "I mean, why did you come to this island nation? Someone like you should not have fallen so low, should you?"

"Someone like me...?"

Gu Mo froze. What kind of person was he supposed to be? Did the Dungeon system actually assign him some kind of identity that he simply had not discovered?

"Hmph, you don't want to say? Fine. This old man does not care that much anyway..."

Saito Dosan, already convinced of his own assumptions, waved a hand. He felt there was no need to ask about such matters to understand what had happened. It was nothing more than a failed political struggle. Even someone as noble as Gu Mo could only flee overseas after that. Such things were not uncommon.

"This old man asks you, what are your plans from now on?" Without giving him time to think carefully, the Viper of Mino immediately followed with another question.

"...What plans could I possibly have?" Gu Mo also felt the conversation was becoming somewhat strange. He could only force a smile and carefully choose his words, trying to figure out how to fool this old man whose thought process was not entirely normal.

"Do not lie to me. If you are trying to come up with an excuse, there is no need..." Saito Dosan said flatly, then snorted. "You do not even dare say what you truly want."

Gu Mo's expression stiffened slightly. This old man was really infuriating. If he knew something, why was he going on and on about it? Was an NPC trying to lecture him now?

His expression cooled, and his tone became somewhat distant. "All I want is to go back. That is all. Lord Dosan, you need not overthink it."

"Oh? You want to return..." A gleam flashed in Saito Dosan's eyes. "That will not be easy."

Someone like Gu Mo, even in the Celestial Empire across the sea, must have come from an unimaginably powerful faction. Yet he had still lost in political conflict, forcing a young man born into such wealth and privilege to flee overseas.

Even normal political struggles had ended in failure. Now that he had lost everything, returning would be unimaginably difficult. Starting from nothing, making a comeback, returning to reclaim what was his... It sounded easy, but how many could truly accomplish it?

"Not easy? I think it'll be very simple. I'll be going back soon enough..." Gu Mo curled his lip.

"Is that so? Very good. You have ambition..." Saito Dosan looked at the young man and finally nodded. He could tell that although Gu Mo spoke calmly, he was not merely putting on a brave face. He was truly filled with confidence, seemingly convinced that he would soon rise again and return to reclaim everything that was his.

He had originally favored Oda Nobunaga of Owari Province, and had even planned to hand Mino over to him after some time. After all, he did not have any heirs worth favoring.

But now Axiu had returned—and she had brought back a son-in-law with an impressive background... Even the great fool of Owari Province, Oda Nobunaga, who had originally had no ties to him, could receive such treatment after becoming his son-in-law. Naturally, Saito Dosan did not mind considering the man Axiu had brought back as well.