Ark Simulator: Don't I Have No Physical Form?

It was quite a spread. Su Rui clearly wanted the two of them to get some proper rest, though their meals had always been lavish anyway.

Texas could not help but marvel that they could still prepare and eat such an extravagant dinner out in the wilderness.

At the same time, while cooking offline, she kept glancing toward Ren Dong, hoping to catch sight of Su Rui's movements.

Volume One: A Small Joke

As Texas stood beside a pile of corpses that were still bleeding, preparing dinner at the stove and occasionally looking toward Ren Dong, Su Rui's voice suddenly sounded from her pocket:

"What are you looking at? Interested in the loot we collected?"

Startled by Su Rui's sudden voice, Texas nearly threw the cooking utensil in her hand.

After taking a small breath, Texas quietly replied to Su Rui.

"Just taking a look."

Of course, she really wanted to know how Su Rui was doing. Still, having someone to talk to was nice.

Thinking that, Texas asked, "What were you talking about with Ren Dong?"

"I wasn't talking to her about anything right now. We were gathering supplies. I just noticed you and thought I'd chat with you."

Su Rui spoke casually as he began introducing the loot that he and Ren Dong had gathered.

"By the way, the people chasing you sure had a wide range of hobbies. They brought not only food and drinking water, but all kinds of snacks too... Were they on vacation?"

"..." Texas glanced at the stove she was working at and the abundant fresh ingredients, feeling that Su Rui was hardly in any position to say that about those people.

"By the way, can these ingredients stay fresh where you are? Did you specifically prepare a refrigerator?"

Yet they did not feel especially cold to the touch, merely a little cooler than room temperature.

"A refrigerator? No. It's just that the place where I store things seems to have no concept of time passing, so food doesn't change."

Su Rui said it casually. Texas's eyes flickered, but she said nothing more and merely nodded silently.

"Oh, look what I found. They actually brought magazines."

Su Rui's voice once again drew the attention of Texas, who was still cooking. She asked while continuing her work.

"What kind of magazines?"

"Let me take a look..."

Then Su Rui fell silent. When Texas grew puzzled and called out to him, "Su Rui?"

"Ahem, it's nothing. We also found all kinds of explosive crossbow bolts and explosives. If we get chased again, we can use their own things against them."

Su Rui was deliberately avoiding the question about the magazine.

Texas could tell, but that only made her want to know what it was. Or rather, she had already guessed, but wanted to see how Su Rui would react.

A smile curled across her lips as Texas continued asking.

"So, what kind of magazine did you see?"

"...It's the kind those people used to kill time. Honestly, in a place with no privacy like a vehicle, is it really okay to read that sort of magazine? Wouldn't it be even more awkward if someone caught you?"

Su Rui could not quite understand it, but Texas still wanted to hear him say it plainly.

"So what exactly was in it?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. As a Siracusan, you definitely know what kind of content it is, right?"

Su Rui scolded Texas irritably, but still explained with considerable displeasure, "It had all sorts of articles about buying things, but at the same time, there were all kinds of women's..."

"I understand. Thank you. It seems magazines like that really do exist."

Texas interrupted Su Rui with a smile and a light cough, then continued preparing that night's meal.

Meanwhile, with Su Rui's help, Ren Dong quickly finished gathering the supplies and returned. She greeted Texas.

"Su Rui and I have collected everything we need. Tomorrow, we can just drive off."

"I understand."

Texas glanced at the phone placed beside her. The list on it described every supply Su Rui and Ren Dong had collected, including the Originium used to power the engine.

"Dinner's ready. Let's eat and get some rest quickly."

After scanning the list Su Rui had provided, Texas greeted them with a smile.

Su Rui truly trusted her. He had directly listed every single supply they had.

Only after Texas carefully examined the collected supplies list out of curiosity did she realize something.

"You put those vehicles away too?"

"Yeah. The place I have is practically infinitely large. Other than being boring, it can hold anything. But it seems I can't hide people in there."

Su Rui's voice came from the phone. Texas nodded. In a space where time had stopped, perhaps only a special being like Su Rui could move around inside?

Ren Dong merely curiously glanced at the conversation between Su Rui and Texas without commenting. After dinner, she and Texas each climbed into their sleeping bags to rest.

Su Rui.

Ren Dong quietly spoke in her heart.

"Mm? What is it?"

Su Rui's voice rang out in Ren Dong's mind.

When will we reach the Eastern Kingdom?

"Probably in a few more days. My scans show no pursuers for the moment. Mrs. Sicilian's people have probably all been wiped out for now."

Su Rui paused before displaying their route map in Ren Dong's vision.

"However, our route is still pretty obvious. Since it seems there won't be any problems once we reach the Eastern Kingdom, Mrs. Sicilian may send people there to obstruct us."

So we may still need to deal with an ambush by Siracusans, right?

"What are you thinking? If anyone's setting an ambush, it'll be us ambushing them."

Su Rui analyzed the situation for Ren Dong with some irritation.

"Look, Mrs. Sicilian's people are slower than you, and information takes time to spread. By the time the people she sends to the Eastern Kingdom set out to find you, you might already have established yourself there. No—with me here, you definitely will have established yourself there."

Mm, I understand.

A relieved smile appeared on Ren Dong's lips as she nodded inwardly. Good night. You should get some proper rest too.

"I know."

After that, Ren Dong turned over inside her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

Texas had also closed her eyes by then.

Although she could not hear the conversation in Su Rui and Ren Dong's minds, after spending so much time together, Texas somehow felt that Ren Dong had just been talking to Su Rui.

After all, Su Rui and Ren Dong had not particularly concealed their exchanges. The changes in Ren Dong's expression and her body language were things that sometimes only appeared when she was speaking with someone.

Although she understood that Ren Dong and Su Rui were indeed much closer than she was to him, Texas still could not help feeling a little uncomfortable.

Volume One: No Threat

After driving for a while without being harassed by pursuers, Texas and Ren Dong soon drove into the Eastern Kingdom's territory and quickly arrived at the city Su Rui had indicated.

They drove onto the Mobile City and parked the vehicle. Amid a city blending technology with ancient styles, the two outsiders, Ren Dong and Texas, seemed somewhat out of place.

However, they paid no attention to the looks around them and instead followed the route Su Rui had provided to a certain place.

A shrine. Ren Dong instinctively thought of the increasingly clear image in Su Rui's projection—a nine-tailed Wolper member of God's People. After taking a look, she discovered that the image had indeed become clearer.

For some reason, the System's fourth enhancement progress had already reached seventy percent.

Was it because of the previous battle? Or had their journey over this period increased Su Rui's fondness for her?

Ren Dong was a little confused, but she still entered the shrine with Texas.

"Greetings, guests from afar. Have you come here to pay respects to the god we worship?"

A Wolper woman dressed in shrine maiden robes approached Ren Dong and Texas. With a polite smile on her face, she looked the two of them over.

[This is not something you get to decide, ￥*%＆.]

Su Rui marked a strange phrase in Ren Dong's vision. Though confused, Ren Dong pronounced the words according to the phonetic guide he had provided.

The shrine maiden's expression immediately changed. Looking somewhat panicked, she bowed to them, then turned and headed toward the back of the shrine.

"What did you just say?"

Texas looked at Ren Dong in confusion. She could not understand what Ren Dong had just said.

"I don't know either. Su Rui, do you know?"

"Simply put, it's a rather famous line from the scriptures here."

Su Rui's voice sounded from the pockets of both Ren Dong and Texas. They instinctively looked around warily.

"Don't worry. I checked. No one is watching you. I'll keep it under control."

Su Rui spoke casually. Then the shrine maiden from before returned with a woman dressed in much more ornate clothing.

"This person should be the head of this shrine? Or the shrine priestess? I'm not sure. This stuff is too complicated, and I'm too lazy to study it."

So he had no interest in things like this? Ren Dong nodded to herself, then looked at the woman before them. The woman smiled at Ren Dong and Texas before making an inviting gesture.

"I am the manager here. You may call me Shrine Priestess Kotoba."

Soon, Texas and Ren Dong were seated in a private meeting room, with the Wolper shrine priestess sitting across from them.

"Now then, could you tell me why you know that line from the scripture? It is a secret preserved solely by our shrine. It is not something just anyone can know."

As those words were spoken, Ren Dong and Texas both grew tense. As assassins, they had keen instincts. This person was not saying those words with friendly intentions.

Yet just as the atmosphere grew tense from Ren Dong and Texas's wariness and the Fox Shrine Maiden's false smile, Su Rui's voice directly sounded from the phone.

"The reason is simple, but you don't need to know that much."

"Is that you? I never expected the god's prophecy to be true! You really have appeared!"

At Su Rui's words, the Fox Shrine Maiden's eyes lit up. Supporting herself on the table before her, she rose and looked toward Ren Dong and Texas, her gaze wandering between them.

"Where are you now? I will immediately..."

"I have no physical form. Didn't you know?"

Su Rui's puzzled voice sounded. Then he complained in Ren Dong's mind, What's with this Fox Shrine Maiden? The Upper System never mentioned this.

"Ahem, that isn't important. First, tell us about the problem you're facing. We can discuss that afterward."

Ren Dong interrupted the Fox Shrine Maiden before she could continue. She was probably going to mention Su Rui gaining a physical form, right? It would be better if only Ren Dong herself knew about that.

With that thought, Ren Dong looked at the Fox Shrine Maiden before her. "This is also Su Rui's wish."

"Is that so? You are the vessel through which the divine child exists in this world? I understand. I will immediately tell Lord Su Rui about the shrine's problem."

Seeing how meticulous and respectful the shrine priestess appeared, Ren Dong could not help feeling somewhat displeased.

Su Rui was hers alone. What exactly did this woman want with that look in her eyes and those thoughts?

Though unhappy, Ren Dong still patiently listened as the Fox Shrine Maiden finished speaking.

Simply put, there were still many conflicts between factions within the Eastern Kingdom.

Although the war had ended and those people had reined themselves in somewhat, they were still making moves in secret.

There were even reckless people who dared to try threatening the shrine, demanding that the shrine's forces join their conflict.

After briefly explaining the shrine's situation and the current state of the Eastern Kingdom, the Fox Shrine Maiden stared intensely at Ren Dong.

"Please help us resolve this matter, divine child."

"Su Rui, Texas, and I will resolve this matter."

Ren Dong replied expressionlessly, while Su Rui also began making arrangements.

"In that case, you can prepare accommodations for Ren Dong and Texas. Once we return, I'll leave the arrangements to you, Fox Shrine Maiden."

"Hm? Yes, Divine Child! I'll make sure everything is properly prepared!"

She was briefly confused by Su Rui's form of address, but the Fox Shrine Maiden quickly recovered and looked at Ren Dong with reverent enthusiasm.

But Ren Dong was very unhappy, because she could tell that what this woman was looking at was Su Rui. Moreover, she seemed overly enthusiastic about him.