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

Honestly, ever since she'd allowed Su Rui to borrow her body to eat, he'd borrowed it for nearly every meal. Sometimes, he'd even greedily finish everything himself, leaving Talulah with nothing but a sense of fullness when it was her turn.

Talulah herself didn't resent it much, because at such times, she seemed to faintly see Su Rui's figure.

He looked like a young man whose Drak traits hadn't progressed toward materialization. If he weren't impossible to touch, Talulah would have found his defenseless appearance terribly tempting.

But why wasn't Su Rui coming out to eat today?

Talulah's question only received a simple answer. "Nothing. I'm busy with something on the network right now. You eat. Missing one meal won't hurt me."

Oh. Talulah nodded, though she didn't entirely believe Su Rui. He'd clearly hated missing almost every meal before.

However, after tasting the food Alina had made, Talulah roughly understood why.

It wasn't that Alina's cooking was bad. At the very least, it counted as normal food. It just wasn't particularly delicious due to the lack of ingredients and seasonings.

No wonder Su Rui hadn't come out. Talulah silently ate her breakfast. He was quite picky, though the way he avoided food made him seem more like a willful child.

An idea naturally arose in Talulah's mind, and she tentatively spoke up. Alina's breakfast is pretty good. Want to try some?

"You think I'd believe that? I forgot to get up this morning, so Alina used her own ingredients and seasonings. Honestly... I don't mean to look down on it, but even compared to my past life, it's way too plain... Well, isn't that basically me looking down on it?"

Su Rui sounded somewhat resigned. Still, as someone who considered himself a modern person, eating food that had clearly been mixed with things like wood shavings during preparation was indeed a bit challenging for him.

Just as nobody who could eat normal food would want to eat cockroaches or scorpions, Su Rui was somewhat resistant.

Besides, even though it was Talulah's body, Su Rui was worried the food might scratch its mouth.

Talulah didn't think there was anything wrong with it. At least Su Rui knew he shouldn't disparage someone else's cooking.

However, she didn't give up on her idea and continued trying to sell him on it.

At least try it, okay? You probably haven't tasted something like this before, right? Alina's breakfast looks pretty good too.

"Normal people wouldn't want to try that... kind of flavor either."

Su Rui mumbled an unclear word, as though he deliberately didn't want Talulah to hear it. But that didn't matter, because he'd decided to give it a try.

"Fine, I'll try it. But let's be clear, just one bite. If it tastes bad, I'm out."

No problem.

Talulah nodded. Then Su Rui took control of the body, silently scooped up a bite of breakfast, chewed with a blank expression, and swallowed.

How is it? Talulah asked curiously.

It doesn't really have much flavor, but it's pretty chewy.

As Su Rui spoke, he didn't switch back with Talulah and continued eating breakfast. Still, he asked, Do you want to switch back?

No. If you like it, eat some more.

Oh.

Alina naturally couldn't hear Talulah and Su Rui's conversation in their minds, but she possessed Originium memories related to the mind, so she could still sense that something was different.

The Talulah from before had changed halfway through the meal, becoming someone else who controlled her body.

So the person before her was Su Rui now, right?

Alina immediately watched the "Talulah" before her with some nervousness, occasionally sneaking glances at her.

What would Mr. Su Rui think of my cooking? Alina subconsciously clasped her hands nervously. She wanted to say something, but was too embarrassed to speak.

Breakfast passed in a somewhat stifling atmosphere.

Having regained control of her body, Talulah looked at Alina.

"You should have everything ready, right? We should leave."

"Yes, I'm ready."

Alina's expression turned serious as she took out a bundle. "We can leave everything else for Old Father and Old Mother."

Volume 2: There's Not Enough Room Here for So Many People

"Do you want me to put your bundle away for you? Carrying things while traveling must take a lot of energy, right?"

Su Rui's voice came from Talulah's phone, making Alina freeze for a moment.

Then the little deer revealed a gentle smile and handed the bundle toward Talulah. "Thank you. Then I'll leave it to Mr. Su Rui."

"Sure. Piece of cake."

As Su Rui spoke, Alina's bundle vanished from her hands. Feeling the weight in her hands suddenly disappear, Alina blinked in confusion, seemingly still unsure what had happened.

"Huh?"

Talulah glanced at the surprised Alina and explained with the air of someone experienced.

"Don't worry. Su Rui just put your bundle somewhere we can't see. He can give it back whenever you need it."

"I see."

Alina nodded, clasping her hands before her chest and tilting her head with a smile. "Mr. Su Rui really is amazing~"

"Of course! There's so much I can do!"

Su Rui sounded delighted by Alina's praise, but Talulah glanced at the system's materialization progress. It was still at two percent.

It seemed happiness brought by others couldn't increase Su Rui's system materialization progress.

In the end, it still had to be her own doing.

Silently confirming her deduction, Talulah lightly coughed and looked at Alina.

"Let's leave quickly. If we move fast, we should be able to return to my territory today."

"Um... Talulah, are you a lord?"

Seeing Talulah openly reveal her identity without any attempt to hide it, Alina took the chance to ask curiously.

"Yes, I am..."

Before Talulah could finish, Su Rui's voice interrupted her.

"Standing before you is a descendant of the Drak, a noble-blooded Duke of Ursus, the Undying Black Snake, the Empire's hope, the Eternal Roar, the Wrathful King, and..."

"Is that so? That's amazing."

Alina wore an expression of not understanding but feeling impressed as she blankly stared at Talulah. Though she didn't understand the terms Su Rui had used, she could already sense how extraordinary Talulah's status was from that long string of titles.

However, under Alina's gaze, Talulah somewhat awkwardly looked away.

"It's not that exaggerated. I'm indeed a Duke of Ursus, but Su Rui made up all those other titles on the spot."

"That's true... Though it would've been even better if someone had replied, 'There's not enough room here for so many people.'"

Neither Talulah nor Alina could understand Su Rui's sense of humor, and both gave him puzzled looks. Then they shook their heads in unspoken agreement, ignored Su Rui's words, and continued their journey.

After going through quite some effort to return to Talulah's ducal territory, Alina finally understood what kind of existence the "duke" Talulah had mentioned truly was when Talulah led her to her residence.

At the very least, seeing the house before her gave Alina a preliminary understanding of Talulah's status.

Looking at the magnificent building before her, the lavish corridors, and floors polished so brightly they could serve as mirrors, the girl couldn't help whispering.

"This house is even bigger than the village I lived in."

"That's normal. This is Ursus, after all... Though Terra is pretty much the same everywhere. There doesn't seem to be much difference."

Su Rui spoke casually and marked a location in Talulah's field of vision.

"How about arranging Alina's room next to yours? It'll make communication easier. Oh, and it'd be best to get Alina a pair of headphones, preferably something discreet. That way, I can talk to her more easily."

Talulah nodded and left the matter to the maids. Then she returned to her room with Su Rui and heavily collapsed onto the soft bed.

Without changing clothes or washing up, Talulah finally relaxed after returning to her "safe house" following several exhausting days. She closed her eyes and wanted to rest.

"How about some sleep-inducing music?"

Noticing that Talulah seemed unable to sleep, Su Rui casually played a gentle melody in her mind and lowered the volume.

This sort of meaningful yet indistinct sound was somewhat helpful for sleep. At least, that's how Su Rui remembered it.

Talulah quickly fell asleep under the influence of the music, without even pulling up the blanket.

But Su Rui had no physical form, so naturally, he couldn't help cover her with it.

...Alina's headphones should be ready by now.

Through Scanning Vision, Su Rui saw Alina after the maids had arranged her room, delivered some basic necessities, and brought the headphones Su Rui had requested.

The girl sat on the soft bed, trying somewhat incredulously to adjust to her circumstances. Having suddenly gone from her shabby little house to an environment like this felt like a dream to Alina.

Her fingers brushed over the blanket, which seemed even smoother than skin, and Alina's gaze became somewhat melancholy.

However, the girl didn't dwell on it for long and soon turned her attention to the headphones.

Aside from the ordinary daily necessities, which gave her nothing to think about, only the headphones seemed worth examining.

Alina opened the headphone case and discovered that they were wireless earbuds, meant to be taken out and placed directly in her ears.

The case seemed to have some other function as well. When Alina removed the earbuds, she saw a number light up on a small electronic screen on the case.

However, the girl didn't dwell on it for now. Instead, she put the earbuds in her ears and waited for them to work.

Then she heard Su Rui's voice.

"Pretty smart. At least you know how to use headphones."

"Mr. Su Rui?"

Alina sounded pleasantly surprised. Su Rui didn't mind and greeted her. "I put your bundle on the bed."

As he spoke, Alina's bundle appeared on the bed. Feeling the mattress sink beside her, Alina looked over, picked up her bundle, and stuffed it into the wardrobe.

Then Su Rui explained how the headphones worked. "These headphones have two functions: charging and use. You can..."

With Su Rui's explanation, Alina quickly understood how the headphones worked. She put both earbuds in her ears and waited for Su Rui's instructions.

"So, Mr. Su Rui, what should I do next?"

Alina hadn't forgotten that she had come here to work.

"Of course, there happens to be something I need your help with right now."

Volume 2: Alina: Hungry

As soon as Su Rui finished speaking, Alina blinked. Then, following Su Rui's instructions, she pushed open her door and went to Talulah's room next door.

Talulah hadn't locked her door after returning to her room. After all, with her scales and the Inner Guard ensuring her safety, no one would dare make a move against her.

In a certain sense, Talulah was even safer than the Emperor of Ursus.

Following Su Rui's instructions, Alina gently pushed open Talulah's door and saw Talulah lying diagonally across the bed.

"She fell asleep a little too hastily. Let's cover her with the blanket."

As Su Rui spoke, Alina asked in confusion.

"Should I straighten Miss Talulah's position? And she's lying on the blanket. Should I find another one?"

"No." Su Rui stopped Alina. "Talulah is a Drak. Anyway, even without a blanket, she won't catch cold. Just fold over the part of the blanket she's pinning down and cover Talulah with it."

"...All right."

Alina nodded and softly replied, then carefully covered Talulah with the blanket.

Then Su Rui's voice sounded again.

"Next comes the psychological counseling. Mm, place your hands on both sides of Talulah's temples."

Alina did as instructed, moving as gently as possible so as not to wake Talulah.

In truth, Talulah had noticed Alina's little movements. However, just as she was about to wake up warily, she heard Su Rui's voice.

"Don't be nervous. It's ordinary psychological counseling. Talulah just needs to rest properly."

Thus, Talulah's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and she quietly sank back into slumber.

Under Su Rui's guidance, Alina also began her work.

"Basically, think of pleasant things and share those emotions with Talulah. They don't need to be too intense, or they might have the opposite effect."

Simply put, Talulah had seen too many negative things in the Undying Black Snake's memories and needed to see something happy to balance them out.