"I hope you haven't let playing around distract you from your goals, Mr. Klein."
"Of course not. In fact, I've almost fully digested my Potion." Klein's hands moved nonstop with a rapid clatter.
"I've also more or less mastered those little Elemental Power tricks."
On the television screen, a character rolled aside, dodging a sword-wielding dragon's sweeping slash.
"Those guys have come out of seclusion. Everyone's planning to get together. What about you?"
"Of course."
Klein operated the controller, hit pause, and selected save from the game menu.
"You could've just messaged me privately in the Chat Group, or given me a call. Why make a special trip to tell me?"
Klein stretched, a smile on his face.
"I'm flattered."
Su Lin fell silent for a few seconds.
"Maybe you should check the chat logs and the missed calls on your phone."
"..."
Su Lin pushed open a door in Klein's room. The wind outside made the curtains rustle.
With everyone's help, the battered sect's core had been repaired somewhat. Su Lin had connected one of the doors in Klein's room to Water Mirror Peak's teleportation gate, making it convenient for him to travel directly from his rented apartment to Water Mirror Peak.
"I think you need some exercise after this gathering."
Klein nodded at that. He really had been indulging himself a little too much these past few days.
When Klein had tidied himself up a little and arrived at Water Mirror Peak, the air was thick with a spicy, mouthwatering aroma.
"Hot pot?"
The scent seemed to have something else mixed into it as well. Simply smelling it made him feel wonderfully at ease.
"Isn't winter the perfect time for hot pot?" Su Lin said from the side. "The meat of demon beasts and ferocious beasts is incredibly nourishing once it's properly prepared."
"And with the hot pot base Yao Lao mixed up, to put it in Sichuan dialect, it tastes absolutely fantastic."
"Unfortunately, Ye Fan and Xiao Yan don't have much stock left, while Han Li usually only collects materials."
"If you dawdle any longer, you'll only get to eat the hot pot base." Su Lin spoke leisurely.
"Why aren't you in a hurry?" Klein's spirituality surged as a guess came to him. "Could it be that you..."
Before he could finish, Su Lin's figure blurred and dissipated into the air, leaving behind only one sentence.
"The beef tripe's about to be gone."
Klein no longer cared about keeping up appearances. He took off running, even using Flaming Jump along the way.
When he arrived, he realized he had been tricked.
Not everyone had arrived yet. Five enormous pots sat on the table, while Straw Hat Kid Luffy emerged from a teleportation gate carrying a gigantic Sea King.
Su Lin walked out from behind a tree with a beaming smile.
The now-familiar group chatted about the interesting tales and legends of their respective worlds.
Everyone sighed at the source of the Dark Turmoil in Ye Fan's world.
A group of people who had once been the foremost prodigies of their eras, former Great Emperors, had pursued the chance to become immortals. Unable to outlast the passage of time, they chose to unleash Dark Turmoil, harvesting lives to prolong their own existence.
The many strange tales of the Dou Qi Continent were equally astonishing: Heaven-and-Earth Flames with bizarre effects and peerless power, medicinal pills that could develop intelligence and become almost human.
Yet the world that most evoked the weight of the ages and placed everyone under immense pressure was Klein's. The Apocalypse was approaching. Outer Deities watched that tiny planet, while The Seven raised their Divine Kingdoms to patch the cracks in the planet's barrier. Humanity was like lambs living in a pen, struggling to survive and forced to embark on inhuman paths in pursuit of power.
In the Type-Moon World, factors capable of destroying the world appeared at every turn. Based on the settings this sister and brother had dug up online over the past few days, humanity in that world had it rough too.
Teyvat was slightly better. No one knew what the future held, but at least the current situation was relatively peaceful. Technological development was uneven, but people could at least still get by.
On the Earth of the Dragon Raja World, the world was prophesied to suffer destruction, and there also seemed to be a force capable of Restart. Other than that, things were all right. At the very least, many matters had nothing to do with ordinary people.
"Come to think of it," Ye Fan changed the subject, "even Han Li's world hides the law of the strong preying on the weak. From what we can see so far, only Su Lin's world can be considered relatively peaceful."
"Even the disturbances there were caused by him." Xiao Yan picked up a slice of boiled mutton, dipped it in sesame paste, and stuffed it into his mouth. "I thought this world had Armor Heroes before."
"What, thinking of getting yourself a set of Flame Dragon Armor?" Ye Fan teased. "But Old Su, you really are young at heart. You even came up with Li Xiaoyao. Is this your dream of being a xianxia hero?"
Heh heh.
Su Lin calmly took a sip of his soda.
These two seemingly straightforward guys had finally been unable to resist probing into his background.
"Perhaps Brother Su merely wishes to add a touch of amusement to this ordinary world." Han Li smiled as he raised his cup and took a sip of the spiritual wine he had stored at Water Mirror Peak for some time.
"I heard from Brother Zhou that Brother Su often visits hospitals in various cities to treat patients and strengthen ordinary people's physiques. Hospitals in several cities are now usually quite empty. For an ordinary world without supernatural powers, Brother Su's actions..."
Even this honest-looking fellow is in league with them?
Then again, although the Chat Group's restrictions meant they did not need to worry about members harming one another, Su Lin's current situation was that he understood nearly everything about every one of them.
Meanwhile, their information on Su Lin was basically limited to what they had gradually uncovered through ordinary interactions.
After confirming that this was an ordinary world, everyone had mostly put their minds at ease about Su Lin himself. But to say they were not curious, or did not want to pry some details out of him, would have been a lie.
It was usually inconvenient to ask him directly, and asking would not have achieved much anyway.
Today's occasion and atmosphere were the perfect opportunity.
All that's left is for someone to break the ice.
That person can't be me! Ye Fan, Han Li, and Xiao Yan thought simultaneously.
Klein—Zhou Mingrui—glanced at them, picked up a spiritual fruit from the table, and took a bite. During this period, he had discovered that although his cultivation faced obstacles, eating these things could increase the upper limit of his spirituality.
In gaming terms, it increased his mana bar.
Feeling his spirituality grow, Klein inwardly praised:
Brilliant!
"Gulp. An ordinary world?" Lu Mingfei swallowed the food in his mouth whole and asked in confusion, "Isn't this sect Big Brother Su Lin's? How could an ordinary world have something like this?"
There it is! X3
Beautifully done, Lu Mingfei!
Brother, we've been waiting for you!
Later, I'll teach you the Nine-Character Secret. Since you're so good at talking, talk more!
Su Lin set down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, and gave Lu Mingfei a kindly smile.