Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Body?

Saria was pulled back from her reverie by Su Rui. After glancing at the materialization progress in the corner of her vision, she said to Su Rui:

"Almost there. The materialization process is already 98% complete. It should be finished soon."

In fact, Saria was also looking forward to Su Rui's materialization, but now, looking at Su Rui smiling and sitting in front of her, Saria actually had the idea of not letting others see him.

"I see, that's about what I thought." Su Rui nodded, glanced at the lemonade in front of Saria, and suddenly said:

"Lemonade, have a sip."

"Huh?" Saria paused for a moment, then pushed the lemonade in front of her towards Su Rui: "Drink it if you want, you can take anything of mine."

"Idiot, I already said I don't have a physical form yet, how am I supposed to drink from it?"

Su Rui tapped the glass of lemonade, but no sound came out. She just looked at Saria with a strange expression.

"I can't even lift a cup, I'm making you drink it."

Saria nodded without saying anything, but simply picked up the glass of lemonade in front of her as Su Rui had asked, took a sip, and looked at Su Rui with a puzzled expression.

"Hmm, it's sweet and sour, but not that sour. It feels a bit lacking in sourness. Is this to cater to people like you who aren't used to sour flavors?"

Even though she hadn't actually tasted the lemonade, Su Rui acted as if she had, commenting on the lemonade in Saria's hand and instructing Saria:

"Oh, right, I'd like something to drink too. Could you order it for me later?"

"No problem... You can synchronize with my sense of taste?" Saria looked at Su Rui sitting in front of her with some surprise. "Is this a new ability, or have you always had it?"

"Of course it's always been available, but look at what you eat: coffee, sandwiches, sandwiches, coffee, and occasionally a hot dog... I'm not saying these things are bad, but you get tired of them after a while."

The only thing Su Rui was interested in trying was coffee. He tasted it, and found it bitter, sour, and astringent – an unpalatable flavor. So Su Rui never again shared her taste buds while Saria ate.

"I don't disagree with your attitude towards life, but how did you manage to drink that coffee? I wanted to spit it out before I even swallowed the first sip."

Su Rui made a face like an old man using a cell phone on the subway, and I'm not exaggerating, it's because that coffee really made him make that face.

"It's just to refresh myself, but since you put it that way, I'll try something different next time. We can take turns."

Saria spoke, she glanced at Su Rui in front of her and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like? I'll order more for you."

"Let's finish our lemonade first, and while we're at it, let's talk about your plans. What about Ifrit?"

"Ifrit is doing very well now, so let her grow up properly."

When Ifrit was mentioned, Saria's tone softened. "As for me, I'll stay on Rhodes Island and see what I can do... Actually, I'm a scholar too."

"Of course I know that, esteemed scholar. Your academic credentials were thoroughly investigated when I first came to your side; there was no fluff, only solid substance."

Saria looked at the image of Su Rui strangely, feeling something was off. "Was there some strange meaning behind what you just said?"

"Of course." Su Rui didn't try to hide it, leaning close to Saria and winking at her:

"I now suspect there's something wrong with your academic record. How could a scholar like you be working as a security guard? Let me check if your degree is legitimate!"

"... That's a strange way of putting it, but I understand. It's a pity you don't have a physical form right now."

Saria's expression was a little strange, but after thinking for a moment, she smiled and teased Su Rui, saying:

"If you want it, then come and get it yourself."

"Hmm, now we're back to the original question, so the materialization process will still take a little longer."

Su Rui didn't dwell on the matter any further, but urged, "Alright, you can try the lemonade again."

"You wanted to drink it yourself, didn't you?" Saria said, and still took a few sips of the lemonade as Su Rui had asked.

Then, she looked at Su Rui: "Would you like something else to drink?"

"I don't know. I want something simple, something tasty, the average kind. Please don't come up with anything unusual, like spicy soup or milk tea. I'd feel like killing someone if I did."

"How could there be such a thing?" Saria glanced strangely at the two things Su Rui had shown her, feeling from the beginning that they were not things that could be mixed up.

"But some people actually do that, so what?"

"Then let's try this caramel macchiato," Saria said, calling the waiter over again.

"Caffeinated drinks? I think you should switch your bitter coffee to these from now on. The one you're drinking... even livestock might not want to drink it."

After all, living things have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm. With such a terrible taste, I really don't know why the coffee that Saria drinks can keep selling.

Volume 4, Chapter 222: Both cups belong to Su Rui.

While Su Rui and Saria were resting in the bubble tea shop, Ifrit had also undergone a full set of examinations that day, and after confirming that there were no problems, she was released by the doctors.

Su Rui immediately contacted Ifrit, since Ifrit now had her own cell phone, making communication with Su Rui easier... that must be why, right?

Anyway, while Ifrit was wandering around Rhodes Island, Su Rui answered her phone and greeted her:

"Hey, Ifrit, got a minute? Want to come over and hang out with me and Saria?"

"Su Rui?!"

Ifrit burst into uncontrollable cheers, creating quite a commotion in the hallway. Realizing her mistake, the little girl immediately covered her mouth, then said in a voice still brimming with joy:

"Great! Where are you now? I'm coming to find you right now!"

"Saria and I are at a cafe, and no noise is allowed here~"

Su Rui stayed behind, sent the map to Ifrit, and told her to hold the phone in her hand so she could simply follow the route on the map.

"I'm coming right now. You're not allowed to run away this time, okay? You're not allowed to slip away halfway, you hear me?"

Ifrit spoke, she immediately started running down the corridor, as if worried that Su Rui would disappear if she was late.

Su Rui looked at Saria with some confusion, the smile from her conversation with Ifrit still lingering in her eyes, "You didn't teach Ifrit something strange, did you? She seems worried I might suddenly die."

Ifrit also knew about your sudden disappearance last time.

Saria didn't hide anything, and she thought it was normal, "You usually interact with Ifrit quite a bit, so she'll definitely notice if you suddenly disappear."

"... Okay, you have a point. Who knows why that old man from the Upper System would suddenly do this?"

Su Rui didn't dwell on the matter any further. Instead, she glanced around, remaining silent as if deep in thought.

When Ifrit arrived at the café full of excitement, she wasn't surprised to see Forest Travel sitting alone at a table.

The little girl thought Su Rui was the kind of person who was used to communicating with others online, so she sat down directly opposite Saria.

Su Rui was still thinking when Ifrit's image overlapped with his own in the night he had just slept.

"... Ifrit, please move over a bit, Su Rui is here."

Saria spoke, she reached out and patted Ifrit's head.

"Oh, is Su Rui here? I don't see her."

Ifrit obediently moved a little to the side, then realized she still couldn't see Su Rui.

Saria glanced at Su Rui, who was still deep in thought and unresponsive, and said to Ifrit:

"Alright, Su Rui is thinking, let's not disturb him. What would you like to drink? The menu is here, you can order yourself."

"Oh." Ifrit took the menu from Saria, glanced at the glass of lemonade and caramel macchiato on the table with a puzzled look, and muttered to herself in confusion:

"I thought one of them was for me."

"These two glasses are for Su Rui... I'll explain later."

Saria didn't elaborate further in the cafe, and Ifrit was also very well-behaved and patient. Seeing that Saria and Su Rui didn't seem to have anything to say for the time being, the little girl simply sat down and started playing on her phone.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Su Rui snapped out of her reverie, glanced at Ifrit was still playing games beside her, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Then, in front of Saria, she gently tapped Ifrit's phone.

Suddenly, the game screen froze. Ifrit was startled, and after touching her phone and finding no response, she immediately thought of Su Rui:

"Su Rui? Are you awake?"

"I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking about things," Su Rui retorted somewhat discontentedly, then explained:

"I just checked Rhodes Island's schedule, and then..."

"And then what did you discover?" Ifrit pressed on impatiently.

"Then I found nothing. Rhodes Island doesn't have a schedule at all. Its plans are specially formulated by the Doctor, Amiya, and Amiya Kal'tsit. They are not directly announced or stored in the computer. Notifications are only sent out when the time comes."

"Oh." Ifrit, puzzled. "So you didn't find anything, right?"

"Of course not. Although I couldn't find the information, I just asked the Doctor directly."

Su Rui tapped the table, but there was still no response. "The Doctor said Rhodes Island is planning a vacation for a while, to a city called Siesta. It's a seaside city... an artificial bay, basically a place with a lot of water."

"So, we need to prepare our swimsuits in advance?" Saria's lips curled into a smile. Did that mean she could see Su Rui's swimsuit?

But the thought of so many people in the resort city seeing Su Rui's swimsuit made Saria's smile fade.

Such a beautiful view of Hao is something she longs to possess all by herself, preferably without sharing it with anyone else... Ifrit could be shown this, though. Silence and the others are friends, so Saria doesn't need to worry about it.

But... well, Saria still couldn't think of a suitable reason to stop Su Rui from participating in this vacation, so she had no choice but to accept it.

However, as long as she stays by Su Rui's side, or if Ifrit temporarily stays with Su Rui, there shouldn't be any problems, right? Once the research begins, there might indeed be a lot of things to deal with, so Saria will have to prepare early.

To avoid letting Su Rui notice the subtle negative emotions she was experiencing, Saria Su Rui and changed the subject:

"By the way, Su Rui, do you need me to prepare a swimsuit for you?"

At this moment, Saria hoped that Su Rui would impatiently wave her hand and say that she didn't like swimsuits and swimming, but she also couldn't bear to see Su Rui looking like that in a swimsuit, so she was conflicted.

However, no matter how much Saria struggled with the decision, she couldn't change Su Rui's mind.

After thinking for a moment, Su Rui grinned mischievously at Saria and said, "It's not just swimwear; I don't have any clothes after I materialize, so I'll need your help to prepare other clothes as well."

"Okay, then I'll buy you some looser clothes first, and we'll find the most suitable ones after you materialize." Saria nodded.

Then, upon hearing Su Rui recite some data, he was momentarily stunned.

"What? These are my body measurements. Anyway, although my racial characteristics will change because of Sue, my appearance and body haven't actually changed."

Volume 4, Chapter 223: Ifrit's Little Plan

Saria couldn't help but take a few more glances at Su Rui in front of her, figuring out that his build was roughly like this, and then nodded:

"I understand. So, that means you look like this after you materialize, right?"

"Yeah, if you see what I look like beforehand, won't the surprise be ruined?"

"No." Saria shook her head, unable to suppress the smile on her lips. "I've already received my surprise."

"Really? Then it's settled. To be honest, I'm quite interested in this kind of environment too. It would be nice to go there for a stroll once in a while."

Su Rui nodded and looked at Ifrit: "So, does Ifrit have any plans?"

"I'm not really interested in shopping, but I'm planning to make some money!"

At this point, Ifrit couldn't help but puff out her little chest proudly and said smugly:

"I recently learned some grilling techniques in the kitchen, so I can open a small stall in Siesta and earn some extra money!"

Su Rui couldn't resist reaching out to pinch Ifrit's cheek, but saw her hand pass right through Ifrit's face, and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You're so young and you're already thinking about making money? There must be something you want to buy, right?"

As soon as Su Rui finished speaking, Ifrit looked embarrassed. "I've recently taken a liking to a game console and want to buy it."

"Even if we actually buy it, can you play with it? Will Silence really agree?"

"Of course, as long as I finish my homework properly, Silence will let me play games! And... Silence definitely won't confiscate the game console I worked so hard to earn money to buy."

Ifrit trusts Silence very much, and although she can be a bit strict at times, Silence is very gentle.

Su Rui nodded, not pressing the matter further, but turned to look at Saria with a touch of melancholy:

"I've thought about doing something similar before, but I've never actually come up with an idea like Ifrit."

"Really? What did you want to buy before?" Saria couldn't help but become curious, and Ifrit listened to Su Rui's voice with great interest, wanting to hear Su Rui tell her about his story.

"It's just a paid item in a certain online game, something that just looks nice. Looking back now, I was such an idiot for not understanding it back then. It's just an online game; playing with other players all day would be exhausting. I'm not suited for that kind of game."

Su Rui pondered for a moment, "Compared to that, I'm more suited to custom games. You might not understand, but I mean single-player games. I really have no interest in playing with other players, and even if I win by cheating, it's not fun."

Su Rui looked a little melancholy. "Well, that's pretty much it for my past."

"No, no, this is just about the game, right? And you've only said a few words. Tell me more about your past, I want to hear it~"

Ifrit seized on the loophole in Su Rui's words and couldn't help but press for more information, even using Su Rui charm to try and hear something else.

Although Saria didn't say it outright, she secretly approved of Ifrit's words and looked at Su Rui with curiosity.