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

"How can that be the same? Your physiology isn't even like mine, and I really don't work out often. I'm the one who got squeezed dry all night, not you."

Complaining irritably, Su Rui slowly finished breakfast, pushed his tray aside, and flopped onto the table again.

He did not want to think about anything right now. He just wanted to get some proper sleep.

Ren Dong wore an undisguised smile. After clearing away the trays and placing them in the designated container, she picked Su Rui up in the envious gazes of the surrounding shrine maidens.

"Then I'll take Su Rui back."

Ren Dong then carried the already asleep Su Rui away, leaving behind Texas and the Fox Shrine Maiden, who had not finished eating.

"...Your divine child is being squeezed dry like that, and you have nothing to say about it?"

Texas looked at the Fox Shrine Maiden beside her.

"His Divine Child is merely complaining a little. In the end, this is simply a little flirtation between His Divine Child and his vessel. I may be envious, but I have no right to interfere."

The Fox Shrine Maiden did not take the bait. She merely looked helplessly in the direction Su Rui and Ren Dong had left, then sighed.

"If only I were His Divine Child's vessel."

Me too. Texas did not respond aloud and instead focused on the food before her.

The coming period should be fairly peaceful. By Texas's estimation, no matter how influential Mrs. Sicilian was, she could not send people into a shrine in the Eastern Kingdom.

So life from now on would probably be peaceful: playing games with Su Rui every day, occasionally carrying out a few missions, and chatting with Ren Dong.

That was what Texas had thought, until a white-haired Lupo woman appeared before her.

"Hello, last descendant of the Texas Lineage."

"..." Texas said nothing. She merely drew her weapon from her waist and watched the woman before her warily. Even though the woman was alone, Texas could not help feeling tense.

Why was Mrs. Sicilian here? And she seemed not to have brought any subordinates. Even so, did she dare provoke the shrine directly?

The shrine held no low status in the Eastern Kingdom... Did she have some kind of backing?

Sweat formed in Texas's palm as she gripped her weapon, but Mrs. Sicilian merely smiled at her.

"Don't be nervous. I came to make a deal with the person behind you."

Noticing Mrs. Sicilian's gaze, Texas cautiously stepped back, then looked behind her and discovered that Su Rui had somehow appeared there.

Perhaps because his nine tails absorbed sound so well, Su Rui made no noise at all while walking barefoot through the shrine.

"I'm very sleepy right now. You'd better keep it short."

Having just been squeezed dry by Ren Dong all night and then woken by the Upper System to handle business, Su Rui was in a foul mood. He had only slept for five hours.

If he had possessed any real combat ability, he would have loved to pin Mrs. Sicilian down and drive his elbow into her face.

"I have prepared a reception room. Please follow me."

The Fox Shrine Maiden, who had been paying close attention to Su Rui's movements, appeared before them and smilingly led them toward a room within the shrine.

Su Rui sat on a soft cushion and looked at the tea the Fox Shrine Maiden had set before him with confusion.

Tea to wake me up? I'm not drinking that. I still need to sleep later.

Su Rui instinctively wanted to put the tea down, but then reconsidered. In his current state, even if he really went to sleep later, he probably would not be able to fall asleep.

With that in mind, Su Rui still picked up the cup and took a sip. Since there was a guest in front of him, he did not reach for the pastries. Instead, he stared directly at Mrs. Sicilian across from him with scarlet eyes.

"So, what did you come here to talk to me about?"

"Of course, it concerns the Texas Lineage."

"You've already gotten what you wanted: the construction method for Mobile Cities and the chance to establish your authority. The Texas Lineage only has this last person remaining. Are you sure you want to create a conflict with me over her?"

Su Rui did not want to hear Mrs. Sicilian go on about complicated conditions, so he directly repeated the negotiating lines the Upper System had taught him.

He really was not good at scheming, but it was enough if someone else was.

"Of course. That is precisely what I wish to discuss."

Mrs. Sicilian showed no displeasure at Su Rui's somewhat hostile attitude and merely said with a smile.

"I can spare Texas. Syracuse will no longer pursue her afterward, either."

"So what are your terms?"

Su Rui looked somewhat surprised at Mrs. Sicilian, who had laid the result directly before him.

Then the two sides fell into a stalemate. Mrs. Sicilian merely smiled at Su Rui without saying anything.

"...Don't tell me you're interested in me? No, that won't do."

Su Rui glanced at Ren Dong sitting beside him. It was not that he was afraid of Ren Dong getting angry. Mainly, although Mrs. Sicilian still had her charms, Su Rui could not really accept someone who looked so much older than him.

"Of course that is not what I mean. I merely hope that, at certain times, you will extend a helping hand to Syracuse."

Seeing that Ren Dong beside Su Rui seemed displeased and had already placed her hand on her weapon, Mrs. Sicilian stopped joking around.

"No problem." Su Rui immediately nodded and accepted Mrs. Sicilian's deal.

Anyway, whether he would even still be around by then was another matter.

By the time he next met Mrs. Sicilian, he would probably have changed into a new body already... Probably?

Somewhat puzzled, Su Rui directly asked in the system channel, Old man, will my future missions still have the System Materialization Progress process?

[Every time, but there may be differences.]

So there would be one every time. As for the differences the Upper System mentioned... Su Rui could not do anything to that old man anyway, so he did not dwell on it.

"Very good. Then our deal is complete."

Mrs. Sicilian did not even ask Su Rui to sign a contract or provide some trustworthy guarantee. She considered the deal complete based on a verbal agreement alone.

Her calmness even left Su Rui somewhat baffled.

However, considering that when Mrs. Sicilian needed him, he might not actually be able to help, Su Rui did not try to make up for it. He merely nodded.

"In that case, do you have anything else to say? If not, this meeting is over."

"Of course."

"I have prepared lunch for everyone. Would Mrs. Sicilian like to stay as well?"

The Fox Shrine Maiden politely extended the invitation, but it was politely declined.

Mrs. Sicilian gave Su Rui a meaningful look. Only when Ren Dong could no longer endure it and stepped in to block her line of sight did Mrs. Sicilian smile and turn to leave the shrine.

"That riddler... Could she really have some kind of backing?"

Leaning against Ren Dong, Su Rui watched Mrs. Sicilian's departing figure with confusion.

"You don't need to worry. I'll protect you."

"I know. Right now... I can fight pretty well too."

Su Rui shook his head, brushing away Ren Dong's hand as she rubbed his head, and spoke with some dissatisfaction.

His body might not be as strong as that of a killer like Ren Dong, who trained to the extreme, but Su Rui now had a Terran body at least.

Well, his endurance was definitely not a problem. With his Scanning Vision, taking on ten people should not be an issue either.

Thinking that, Su Rui turned toward the room he shared with Ren Dong.

"All right, if there's nothing else, I'm going back to play games. The shrine festival is tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, Your Divine Child. You only need to wear the clothes we have prepared and offer blessings to the people. It will not be troublesome."

Having already understood Su Rui's personality, the Fox Shrine Maiden directly addressed what concerned him most.

"That's good."

Su Rui nodded, then turned and returned to his room.

Ren Dong and Texas exchanged a glance, both puzzled by the information surrounding Mrs. Sicilian.

But since they did not know the exact reason, they could only set those thoughts aside for the moment.

As for Mrs. Sicilian... after leaving the shrine and returning to her car, she closed her eyes, leaned against the front passenger seat, and sank into thought.

I hope that mysterious being will truly provide me with assistance as promised.

[I will, of course, honor our agreement. Su Rui's appearance may differ from how it is now, but his face will not change. Only his racial traits will be different, so you will be able to find him easily.]

I understand. Thank you for your generosity.

Nodding inwardly, Mrs. Sicilian looked at her driver. "All right, it's time to return."

Su Rui did not know what that old man, the Upper System, was trying to accomplish, but he had a feeling that the old man would not harm him. So he really did play games in his room and stopped thinking about it.

After returning to the room, Ren Dong sat on the soft bed with a book in hand, but found the books she usually used to pass the time dull and impossible to focus on.

Every now and then, Ren Dong's gaze drifted toward Su Rui, who was playing games while the nine large white tails behind him swayed back and forth.

So Ren Dong moved beside Su Rui, placed her lower leg in his lap, and gently nudged him.

"What?"

Su Rui glanced at Ren Dong in confusion, then continued focusing on his game. He merely used his tail to cover her foot, preventing her from moving around.

A smile curled across Ren Dong's lips as she continued teasing Su Rui.

(Su Rui was actually quite strong. With his Scanning Vision and spellcasting ability, as long as he was given a staff, he would be a terrifying existence far surpassing every caster in Terra. After all, Terra's Arts were, in a sense, mathematical problems, and Su Rui's brain was capable of calculations beyond even a supercomputer.)

[By the way, Su Rui's System Materialization Progress is actually affection level. Some people may not have noticed, so I'll mention it now. Ren Dong's materialization progress with Su Rui has already overflowed, so there will not be any other issues. In the future, other characters' materialization progress may fluctuate.

For example, in the next one, due to certain reasons, the materialization progress may fluctuate from the start. It is not zero.]

I posted two extra chapters. Please vote~

[Watching You]

Unable to endure Ren Dong's pestering any longer, Su Rui turned to look at the troublemaking Ren Dong.

"I'm still playing games. If you want to play, go turn on a computer yourself."

"What I want isn't playing games~"

As Ren Dong spoke, she began using her lower legs to trap Su Rui's fluffy tails, trying to distract him.

I know you don't want to play games, but I'm playing a game right now. Please stop bothering me.

Su Rui rolled his eyes irritably, paused the game through his own means, then stood up and walked toward Ren Dong.

"Let's play a game, then?!"

"Sure. What game does Su Rui want to play?"

A smile curled over Ren Dong's lips as she looked at Su Rui with curiosity and interest.

"This time, I want to be more forceful. You're not allowed to resist, and I'm going to tie you up with rope."

Su Rui spoke casually, a trace of mischief flashing through his ruby-like eyes.

"Sure, no problem."

Su Rui often made outrageous suggestions, but with Ren Dong's restraint, none of them had ever been carried out before. This caused Ren Dong to misjudge Su Rui's personality.

As a result, Ren Dong actually believed Su Rui and obediently allowed him to tie her up with rope.

Then Ren Dong, bound tightly in thick rope, was gagged and tossed onto the bed like a caterpillar. She could only struggle with muffled whimpers as she watched Su Rui play games with his back to her.

Of course, Su Rui was not that cruel. Although he had rendered Ren Dong unable to move,

he still gave her access to browse the internet within her field of vision. Ren Dong could use her thoughts to browse whatever she wanted.

However, Ren Dong cared more about Su Rui. Watching him tie her up, toss her aside, and start playing games, red light appeared in her eyes. Yet Su Rui, focused on his game, did not notice.

Or rather, Su Rui could guess how Ren Dong felt, but he did not want to turn around and look.

Once I break free of these ropes, I'll teach you a harsh lesson!

Ren Dong had already made up her mind. Considering that Su Rui needed to appear at the shrine festival tomorrow, she would spare him tonight for now. Once the festival was over, Su Rui would not get to rest for an entire day.

Having made her decision, Ren Dong silently committed the matter to memory, then looked at the browsing interface before her and began browsing online content.

Since she could not interfere with Su Rui right now, she could only entertain herself this way.