Chapter 48: Ambers of the Long Night (4)
As the ship gradually moved away from the ruins, Tang Mobai began to understand the full picture of the situation. After discreetly signaling the “real world” for confirmation and receiving a positive response, he finally let out a breath of relief and asked, “You’re telling me all this—you don’t mind if the livestream audience leaks your plan?”
After all, there weren’t just these few “demons” from his group; there were other guilds, even other mercenary squads that had also captured Lost Paradise demons. If Emmanuel’s plan was truly feasible, then any other group holding a demon could pose a threat to the Super Brain as well.
Emmanuel answered calmly, “Oh, that won’t be a problem.”
“Huh? Why?”
Tang Mobai wanted to ask further, but Emmanuel changed the subject: “Look, we’re about to leave the borders of the Lost City.”
Hearing that, Tang Mobai turned his attention to the window, peering curiously outside.
A checkpoint stood beyond the ruins, surrounded by desert-like terrain. The ship slowly descended to the ground, and soon, a soldier dressed in a black uniform and wearing a mask entered through the boarding hatch. He began inspecting everyone’s identification.
“It’s fine, just show the back of your neck,” Emmanuel said smoothly, clearly familiar with the process. He gestured for Tang Mobai to relax and not make any sudden moves. “They’re Purgers—mechanical constructs that serve as Her Majesty the Queen’s personal guards. They’re stationed outside the Lost City to ensure we mercenaries don’t bring any potential bacteria or viruses back out.”
Mechanical constructs? Like Seth?
Tang Mobai sat obediently, watching as the Purger’s fingers morphed into a connector-like shape. When it touched the back of his neck, it paused briefly, then gestured for him to step aside.
Tang Mobai followed the instruction awkwardly—and then saw the Purger bring over… a child’s chair.
A child’s chair???
He sat down in silence, stiff and expressionless, while Emmanuel tried—and failed—to suppress a laugh.
“Sorry,” Emmanuel chuckled, “according to its scan, you’re technically still a child. Purgers only check the age stored in the chip. Unless something goes wrong, they won’t even activate the camera function.”
“But aren’t Yan Wuzhen and the others still in the underground prison? Doesn’t that mean you’re… imprisoning children?!”
“That’s not an issue,” Emmanuel said with a wave.
The Purger then turned toward him, extending its connector again, but this time, Emmanuel grasped its hand calmly—covering the interface with his palm.
The Purger didn’t notice anything unusual. After standing still for a few seconds, it turned and left the ship.
“I just modified its memory,” Emmanuel explained, retracting his hand. Tang Mobai caught a glimpse of a retractable port embedded in his palm. “Now it believes it’s already finished scanning everyone onboard.”
“Oh…” Tang Mobai didn’t fully grasp how significant that was. He didn’t understand the status of the Purgers in this world, so he didn’t realize just how impressive Emmanuel’s action had been.
Soon, the ship took off again. But a few minutes later, a loud explosion echoed from behind. Tang Mobai looked out the window and saw another ship at the Lost City’s exit—it had been stopped by the Purgers. A dispute had broken out, and before long, the Purgers attacked. The ship exploded midair.
Tang Mobai: “…”
He turned to look at the smiling Emmanuel.
“What? It wasn’t me. They were just unlucky—probably tried to smuggle out some kind of virus.” Emmanuel shook his head. “Truly unfortunate.”
[Bro is cold-blooded…]
[There goes the Spirit Music Guild. They’re done.]
[Look! The player count in the instance is dropping fast—]
[Good. Now no one can interfere with their plan.]
“By the way,” Emmanuel continued, “if you agree to our plan, I’ll need you to redeem a Demon Mall Contract. Let’s make a simple pact.” He smiled politely. “I do admire your character, but please understand—the Super Brain is extremely important to us.”
Tang Mobai could understand his caution, though he couldn’t help thinking—just how much does this guy know about demons? Not only the guilds, but even the Demon Mall and its items? How did the demons get so thoroughly exposed?
Muttering internally, Tang Mobai checked the stream chat—no objections from the “expert team.” So, he redeemed the contract and signed it with Emmanuel.
Contract terms:
Emmanuel must fully assist Tang Mobai in completing the main quest—seizing the Super Brain.
Once successful, Tang Mobai must, within five minutes of returning to Lost Paradise, transfer ownership of the Super Brain to Emmanuel free of charge.
In return, Tang Mobai must also help Emmanuel obtain Lost Paradise residency.
Tang Mobai signed the document without hesitation, not even glancing at the fine print. His decisiveness made Emmanuel’s expression flicker—this time, he genuinely began to trust him.
Words were cheap—actions spoke louder. Though Emmanuel had overheard Tang Mobai’s earlier argument with Yan Wuzhen, he hadn’t been sure if Tang Mobai’s words were genuine. But now, after the contract… it seemed the man really did intend to help them.
Emmanuel’s tone softened. The false politeness faded from his face, replaced by genuine warmth. “Thank you for your cooperation.”
“It’s nothing,” Tang Mobai replied. “You’re helping me with the main quest too. Honestly, without you guys, I’d still be worrying about how to get an A-rank rating.”
Emmanuel’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. After a pause, he asked quietly, “Are there… many people like you in Lost Paradise?”
Tang Mobai didn’t catch it. “Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing,” Emmanuel shook his head and stood up. “The Lost City is far from the capital. The ship will be accelerating soon, so you should rest. Your room’s ready. You’re free to move around—go check on your teammates if you want. But I suggest you change clothes, take a shower, and grab something to eat.”
“Ment, show our guest to his quarters.”
A man in a tuxedo stepped in—it was the same secretary who had earlier explained the situation to Yan Wuzhen and the others in the underground prison. Ment nodded slightly and led Tang Mobai away.
*
“Is there any water?”
After half a day without a sip, Yan Wuzhen finally asked the guard outside the cell.
The guard—a crew-cut man—glanced at him and grunted, “No. The ship doesn’t have enough water.”
Not enough water? Not even a sip? Yan Wuzhen’s lips twitched.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the stairs. Tang Mobai came down, freshly showered and dressed, skin still damp with moisture. Yan Wuzhen’s gaze shifted immediately—to the same guard who had just spoken.
Not enough water, huh?
The guard averted his eyes.
Yan Wuzhen said nothing more, but his sharp gaze flicked to Ment, who stood beside Tang Mobai. He understood their tactic instantly: deliberate differential treatment—to remind them that cooperation was their only viable option, and perhaps to sow internal discord.
They must have overheard his earlier argument with Tang Mobai and decided he was the “difficult” one in the group. By favoring Tang Mobai, they could drive a wedge between them and make Tang Mobai more dependent on the locals.
Childish trick. Yan Wuzhen had seen this kind of manipulation since he was seven years old. It didn’t stir him in the slightest.
Tang Mobai, relieved to see Yan Wuzhen and Seth unharmed, turned to Ment. “Can I speak to them privately for a moment?”
Ment said nothing and gestured for the guards to leave temporarily.
Tang Mobai glanced around the cell.
“Don’t bother,” Yan Wuzhen said flatly. “There are definitely cameras. We’re on their turf—you can’t expect them to just let us conspire freely.”
Tang Mobai nodded. “Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine. They haven’t done anything to us,” Seth replied.
“That’s good.” Tang Mobai exhaled. “I’ve signed a contract with them. We don’t have another option right now.”
He touched the back of his neck, feeling the chip embedded there.
“I plan to cooperate. What about you two?”
Seth shrugged. “It’s inevitable anyway.”
Yan Wuzhen sneered. “What is this, Gladiator 2.0?”
Tang Mobai nodded. “Then let’s take it one step at a time. With their help, we can finish the quest and get that A-rank rating. Once you’ve signed the contract, I’ll talk to Emmanuel about getting you released.”
“Oh—here, something to eat. Looks like they didn’t give you food or water.”
He pulled out a bag of food from his inventory. He’d tested earlier—so long as he didn’t think about escaping, he could use his items freely.
Seth took the bag. Yan Wuzhen reached out too—but Tang Mobai sidestepped him.
…Huh?
“That’s it for now. I’ll go.” Without looking back, Tang Mobai nodded at Seth and left the cell.
Seth glanced at Yan Wuzhen.
Yan withdrew his hand and said expressionlessly, “Maybe they told him something to turn him against me.”
Seth thought for a moment. “Or maybe—and I’m just saying maybe—you two fought, and he’s waiting for you to apologize.”
“Hah? Me? Why should I apologize?”
Seth tapped his chest, projecting a recording:
“Someone like you could never survive in Lost Paradise.”
Yan Wuzhen lunged. “Delete that! When did you even record it?!”
Seth replied calmly, “My creator taught me to always save evidence during arguments, to prevent either side from twisting their words later.”
“And what’s that got to do with me apologizing? I was just stating facts—”
Yan noticed Seth’s disapproving look, pursed his lips, and looked away. “Tch. He probably didn’t even notice what those locals were doing. He just fell for their trick.”
“In that case,” Seth said simply, “why not apologize anyway? He can’t see through it—but you can. It’s just a few words. Doesn’t cost you anything, right?”
“…”
“Don’t tell me…” Seth tilted his head, “you don’t actually know how to apologize to a friend?”
Seth didn’t finish his sentence — because the glare coming from Yan Wuzhen was so sharp and menacing that he had a sudden, vivid sense that if he said one more word, he might be assassinated in his sleep tonight.
After a moment’s thought, Seth opened the bag Tang Mobai had left behind, took out a portion of machine oil and some bread, then handed Yan Wuzhen a bottle of water and a sandwich.
“What’s this for? I don’t want it.” Yan Wuzhen instinctively pushed Seth’s hand away.
“I can’t finish it,” Seth lifted the bag slightly — it was heavy. “There’s no way all this was meant just for me, right?”
There was a long silence. In the end, Yan Wuzhen still took the bread.
*
“So… should we call that a success or a failure?” After hearing his secretary’s report, Emmanuel rubbed his temples in mild frustration.
Unexpectedly, the bond between this little team was stronger than he’d anticipated. He’d thought their conflicting philosophies would make it easy to drive a wedge between them — but considering Tang Mobai’s personality, perhaps this outcome was only natural…
“Should we continue the plan?” the secretary asked.
Emmanuel came back to himself and shook his head. “Forget it. No need to target them further. Since we’ve already reached a cooperative agreement with Tang Mobai, let’s not risk overplaying our hand.”
The secretary hesitated. “But if their relationship gets too close, we might end up being excluded… like outsiders among a tight-knit clique.”
It was true — just like in any school group, once a small circle formed, they’d find ways to shut others out.
Technically speaking, the two sides were supposed to be natural enemies. Under normal circumstances, the rational move would be to use force to suppress and control the demons from Lost Paradise. But because of the anomaly named Tang Mobai, a collaboration had become possible for the first time.
Still, possibility was one thing — reality another. Their time together had been too short, the foundation of trust too weak. And the main force behind the “Seize the Super Brain” plan was clearly Tang Mobai’s team. Even with the binding power of a contract, the truth was—they didn’t really understand the full capabilities of Lost Paradise.
If those demons found a loophole, they’d all be branded as eternal sinners.
After all, the Super Brain was too important. They couldn’t afford even the smallest risk.
“Don’t worry,” Emmanuel said meaningfully, “we’re not the only ones in a hurry. That little troublemaker is too.”
The secretary looked puzzled for a moment—then remembered the other demon from Lost Paradise aboard the ship.
*
At that very moment, Tang Mobai was heading back to his quarters, his mind replaying the scene where he had brushed off Yan Wuzhen’s hand earlier.
Yes, that’s how it should be! He couldn’t just let Yan Wuzhen keep thinking he was some kind of temperless slime!
With old and new grudges mixed together, Tang Mobai resolved that this time, unless Yan Wuzhen personally apologized, he wouldn’t say another word to him.
Determined, he even walked with a bit of swagger. But just as he was about to swipe his keycard at the door, he felt someone watching him.
He turned his head — and saw a small figure peeking from around the corner. The moment their eyes met, the figure flinched back.
A few seconds later, the little one peeked out again, only to freeze in terror when Tang Mobai was still staring.
Tang Mobai couldn’t help thinking of that meme of a startled cat — and burst out laughing.
“Hey, kid,” he said, crouching down so his gaze was level with the child’s. “Where’d you come from? Your parents on this ship too?”
What kind of parent would bring a kid somewhere this dangerous?
“I don’t have parents,” the child finally spoke. “I’m like you. I came from Lost Paradise.”
Tang Mobai blinked. He’s one of the demons too? Seriously? Lost Paradise is hiring child labor now?
The kid looked about seven or eight years old at most… Wait. Why did he look… familiar?
Tang Mobai hesitated, then stepped closer. The nearer he looked, the stronger the sense of déjà vu. “What’s your name?”
The child wrinkled his nose and said after a pause, “You can call me Deville.”
“Oh… wait—”
Tang Mobai’s eyes widened. He stared carefully, scanning the kid from head to toe. The black hair, the red eyes, the similar features—
No way…
Is this Deville’s illegitimate son?!
Tang Mobai instantly whipped out his phone to take pictures, startling the child, who covered his face. “What are you doing?!”
“Sorry, sorry—you just look exactly like someone I know, even your name’s similar. I just wanted a photo for the record.”
And he was so small! It was like seeing Deville’s childhood version — amazing!
Deville frowned, his face stiff with visible irritation.
Hold it together, a slightly older voice echoed inside his head. Tang Mobai has Emmanuel’s trust. That makes him our best lead to the Super Brain. We need to build a good rapport.
I know, Deville replied sourly. He had just calmed down when Tang Mobai tucked his phone away again.
“Sorry. If you don’t like cameras, I can delete it.”
“N-no need. I just don’t like leaving photos behind…”
“Oh, okay. Still, I’ll delete it anyway.” Tang Mobai sighed but kept his word. “So, kiddo, what did you want from me?”
He still couldn’t bring himself to call him “Deville.” The name just didn’t fit the tiny version standing before him.
“Uh, I, um…” Deville had been told to “get closer” to Tang Mobai, but he had no idea how. His mind went blank. Seeing Tang Mobai turn toward his room, he panicked and blurted out:
“I can’t sleep alone… Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Tang Mobai froze.
Deville froze. The voice in his head froze too.
What the hell?! Who says that out loud?! the other voice groaned. There’s no way he’ll agree!
“Hmm… sure,” Tang Mobai said after a thoughtful pause.
What?? Deville was stunned. He actually agreed?!
Tang Mobai unlocked the door and looked back. “Aren’t you coming?”
In a daze, Deville followed him in, watching as Tang Mobai laid out a clean blanket and pillow.
He’s really letting me stay? Deville’s mind screamed in silent protest.
This is perfect, the voice in his head urged. When people sleep, their guard is lowest. Keep this up, and he’ll start trusting you completely. It’ll help with our plan to seize the Super Brain.
But I hate having someone next to me when I sleep, Deville muttered.
Then endure it. Habits can be changed. Think of the mission.
Deville took a deep breath, obediently washed up, changed into pajamas, and climbed into bed. He even managed to smile sweetly and say, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Tang Mobai said, slightly amused.
Just as he reached out to turn off the light, Deville, too busy trying to suppress his discomfort, failed to notice the faintly mischievous glint in Tang Mobai’s eyes.
The bed. The room. They were both deeply private, guarded spaces — and he hadn’t expected to breach them so easily. Or maybe Tang Mobai just didn’t have any defenses against kids?
Lucky! Fate was practically spoon-feeding him the opportunity.
“Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?”
“No! I’m a big kid!” Deville huffed, turning his face away. Following the mental coaching from the other voice, he’d already crafted his fake persona. Since Tang Mobai seemed to drop his guard around children, he’d play the role to perfection — an innocent kid who needed protection.
Even though Emmanuel already knew his secret, that scheming blond wouldn’t expose him. On the contrary, he’d probably be pleased to see Deville getting close to Tang Mobai — another layer of surveillance.
Among this entire group, Tang Mobai was clearly the easiest mark — naive, soft-hearted, and trusting. As long as Deville kept up the act, Tang Mobai would always see him as a harmless child. And at the crucial moment, that could prove invaluable.
So what was a little insomnia compared to that?
Five minutes later, Deville was fast asleep.
Meanwhile, Tang Mobai — the one Deville had mentally labeled “innocent and sweet” — opened his eyes in the dark, staring at the boy with an eerie look.
The name had just reminded him before, but now, the hair, the eyes, the face… and the “sleeping together” part…
Oh, I see how it is, huh? You’re gonna act your way through this, little guy?
Fine. Time to send a message to the expert team.
*
The next morning, Deville shot up from bed, wide-eyed.
When did I fall asleep?
And he’d slept so well! Straight through till morning without a single dream.
The voice in his head woke up sluggishly too, equally dumbfounded.
Wait, WHAT? How did you just—fall asleep? We were supposed to eavesdrop on his sleep talk! What if he revealed something important in his dreams?!
I must’ve been too tired from arguing with that blond manipulator earlier, Deville reasoned. That’s all.
“Awake already?” Tang Mobai’s voice came from the bathroom. He stepped out, towel in hand. “Did I wake you up?”
Deville shook his head blankly. When Tang Mobai handed him a fresh towel, the child panicked — not wanting to be treated like a real kid — and immediately snatched it, scampering off toward the bathroom. “I can wash up by myself!”
Tang Mobai scratched his head, amused. While Deville was in the bathroom, he changed clothes, opened his livestream, and greeted the viewers with a bright smile.
“Morning, everyone~”
[Morning, streamer! You’re up early!]
[Whoa, you look so refreshed—slept like a baby, huh? Unlike that poor Jade Society crew, bet they didn’t sleep a wink.]
[I can’t even watch them anymore, it’s too tragic lmao]
[Streamer, who was that little kid who just got out of your bed??]
“Oh, him? His name’s Deville. He’s also from Lost Paradise. Can you believe they actually employ child labor now?”
Tang Mobai feigned righteous indignation while subtly watching the chat’s reaction.
As expected — no one showed any unusual response to the kid’s name or face.
[He really does look young though. How’d he even pass the beginner’s trial?]
[That’s rare. I tried searching for his livestream room, but couldn’t find it—it seems he hasn’t opened it.]
Official demons have the right to open or close their livestream rooms at any time. There are cases where one keeps it permanently closed to avoid intelligence leaks, but since livestreams bring in both fame and points—and those points can be exchanged in the Demon Mall—very few would willingly give up that profit.
The expert panel behind the screen looked thoughtful. Not opening the stream… was it because the stream itself might reveal critical information?
[Streamer, you’d better be careful. After suffering such a heavy loss, the Jade Society probably won’t just let this go.]
Among the flood of useless comments, Tang Mobai accurately caught one that clearly carried a warning tone.
[Not sure if you still have that dangerous weapon, but since you’ve been captured by the locals, they definitely won’t let you use it. If I were the Jade Society, I’d snipe you before you could even leave the dungeon world—no matter the cost.]
[Yeah, right, streamer, this whole incident’s blown up. A perfectly good reward world turned into a disaster. Not just the Jade Society—other guilds lost big too. Be careful, streamer…]
[Now that the game room’s blown up and all the new demons know what really happened, they’ll probably come after you for revenge.]
“I know. Thanks for the reminder.”
Tang Mobai smiled his businesslike smile and interacted briefly with the chat. After confirming that the national ID hadn’t issued any specific orders regarding Deville, he concluded that everything remained as it was—for now.
“Alright, that’s it for now. I’m off to have breakfast—can’t come back yet. See you later, everyone~ and my dear~”
[The streamer called me dear! (blushing)]
[He was talking to the big boss, lol]
[Big boss, are you here? Give us another one of those bombs!]
When Deville came out after washing up, he caught Tang Mobai’s last words. He understood what a livestream was, but—dear?
A lover? Or a sponsor?
He thought of the endless sugar-daddy rumors in Lost Paradise—mostly involving demons of the Lust path—and his gaze toward Tang Mobai turned suspicious. Was this man a Lust demon? Didn’t seem like it. Did Lust demons not have to compete anymore?
Tang Mobai turned around, a faint blush still on his ears, and noticed Deville’s strange look.
“What’s wrong? Hungry? Let’s go out.”
“Okay, Brother Mobai,” Deville replied sweetly.
Then he saw Tang Mobai’s face twist up. “You—you, say that again?”
“Brother Mobai?”
“Say it again!” Tang Mobai pulled out his phone, trying to record it.
Deville, unimpressed by his gleeful grin, shut his mouth and silently walked toward the door.
“Hey, just one more time, come on~”
The pair walked into the spaceship cafeteria. As they approached, Tang Mobai quickened his pace—he didn’t even notice the corners of his mouth lifting. “Seth, you’re out already?”
Inside sat Yan Wuzhen and Seth. They seemed to have temporarily shed their prisoner status. Yan Wuzhen nodded at Tang Mobai, then looked toward the small figure beside him.
Tang Mobai sat in the empty seat left for him. “How was last night?”
“If sleeping on a cold metal floor counts as ‘good,’ then sure, it was fine,” Yan Wuzhen replied dryly. “Unlike someone who signed a cooperation deal ahead of time—must’ve slept nice and warm in a bed, huh?”
Seth glanced sideways, puzzled by the jab, but Yan Wuzhen ignored him. He knew exactly what he was doing. Since Tang Mobai hadn’t looked his way once since entering the cafeteria, this attitude of being ignored made it hard to initiate conversation directly—so he resorted to sarcasm. If Tang Mobai snapped back, Yan Wuzhen could use their miserable night to gain sympathy and bring up their earlier argument, taking back his hasty words.
But Tang Mobai didn’t even look at him. Instead, he patted Deville’s shoulder. “Oh right, let me introduce—this is Deville, also a demon from Lost Paradise. He’s still young, so I’ll be looking after him for now.”
Seth and Deville exchanged polite glances while Yan Wuzhen’s smile froze. Seth sighed softly; Deville, on the other hand, was thrilled. He’d been worried about not fitting into Tang Mobai’s tight-knit group—but wasn’t this the perfect chance?
Feeling delighted, Deville flashed a bright grin. “Hello, brothers! I’m Deville!”
Seth looked at the boy with gentle, almost indulgent eyes… perhaps a bit too indulgent. Yan Wuzhen, meanwhile, ignored the kid entirely, feeling increasingly irritable.
“So—what’s for breakfast?” Tang Mobai asked, looking around. When he couldn’t find any food, Seth raised the nutritional drink in his hand.
“This? For breakfast?!”
“To be precise, it’s for all meals here,” Seth replied, taking a sip. “A very simple and efficient energy supplement.”
“I thought I got that yesterday just because it wasn’t mealtime and the kitchen was closed,” Tang Mobai muttered in disbelief.
(For the record, the bread Seth and Yan Wuzhen ate last night had come from Tang Mobai’s emergency supply.)
He glanced around. Everyone else in the cafeteria—staff and guards alike—was also drinking similar nutrition packs, only the labels differed, probably different flavors. Tang Mobai couldn’t help but click his tongue. “This world’s taste in food is tragic… Wait, Deville, don’t drink that.”
He pulled a white bread roll from his inventory, intending to swap it for Deville’s nutrition pack—but the boy’s reaction was explosive. Like a startled hedgehog, Deville’s eyes went feral as he protectively clutched the pack, glaring and swatting Tang Mobai’s hand away.
Tang Mobai froze, then slowly withdrew his hand. He wasn’t angry—in fact, it felt oddly familiar.
“S-sorry,” Deville stammered, realizing what he’d done. His eyes welled with tears. “I didn’t mean to, I just spaced out…”
“It’s fine.” Tang Mobai simply placed the bread in front of him.
Yan Wuzhen and Seth both took note of the scene. For the first time, Yan Wuzhen looked at the child properly, curiosity in his eyes.
A Gluttony-path demon? Or maybe someone who’d suffered food scarcity before—so much that he instinctively guarded his food?
Either way, it wasn’t unusual in the Hunger Hell. Prolonged deprivation made anyone irritable and defensive. It didn’t stir an ounce of sympathy in Yan Wuzhen.
But the fact that this kid came in with Tang Mobai—that was more interesting. He didn’t doubt Tang Mobai’s sincerity, but… didn’t his mysterious backer warn him? There were no innocent children in Lost Paradise. Was Tang Mobai keeping him close for another reason?
“Ugh, this nutrient drink tastes terrible!” Tang Mobai grimaced after bravely taking a sip, hoping that maybe future nutrition drinks had gotten tastier—only to be gravely disappointed.
Yan Wuzhen abandoned his conspiracy theories right there. Alright, this idiot’s just genuinely naïve.
The drink wasn’t actually that bad—it refilled the stomach efficiently—but its sterile, mechanical taste made Tang Mobai feel like livestock being fed, not someone enjoying food. No dopamine rush at all, just calories and vitamins.
“I thought the more advanced a civilization, the better its cuisine would be…”
“That’s because traditional eating takes too much time,” a calm voice answered from behind. “Cooking also destroys many nutrients. From any standpoint, traditional food preparation is inefficient. Society moved past it long ago.”
It was Emmanuel—the blond man—entering the cafeteria and stopping by their table. “The cafeteria itself is an outdated concept. The ship’s designer just happened to like retro aesthetics, so it was included.”
He wasn’t wrong. Around them, people weren’t really “having breakfast”—they were watching Tang Mobai and his group.
Tang Mobai couldn’t accept this sterile way of life. “But food’s the cheapest way to get dopamine! Don’t you people have any fun in your lives?”
“Entertainment?” Emmanuel raised an eyebrow. “Of course we do—healthier ones. Mountain climbing, swimming, watching educational films that expand knowledge or improve physical health.”
Tang Mobai’s face twisted. “You call that relaxing? Can’t you people just play for the sake of playing?”
“In theory, yes,” Emmanuel said with a faint, mocking smile. “But in practice, few do. It’s not written anywhere, but excessive indulgence in unproductive entertainment affects your Superintelligence Rating. For instance, if you spend too much time gaming, the AI will lower your citizen rank.”
“And a rank drop,” he added softly, “is a price no citizen can afford.”
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
