"See you tomorrow," Qing Yue chuckled and clicked to exit the game.
Bored, Xing Yuan couldn't find romance and naturally wanted to stir up trouble. She intended to continue searching for NPCs who had awakened their consciousness, and then truly make them the masters of this game world.
Perhaps it was luck, but as Xing Yuan walked down the road, she actually encountered one who had awakened.
It was a flower-selling girl, her face red from the cold but still not abandoning her post. Under Xing Yuan's same line of questioning, she successfully became the owner of a flower shop in the city.
She was different from Ran Yue. Ran Yue, after all, had some foundation and was quite cultured. But this girl only knew how to sell flowers. However, an NPC with awakened consciousness was, in Xing Yuan's eyes, as rare as a giant panda. Of course, she had to take good care of her, so she let her have her own flower shop as she wished.
Time always passed slowly when one was alone. At night, Xing Yuan climbed a mountain by herself to stargaze, and unexpectedly encountered another couple.
There were many couples, but very few were formed by a player and an NPC. Especially since that player was quite famous; his name was: Sha Wu She.
After all, he had snatched her first place, so Xing Yuan remembered him vividly. Perhaps out of boredom, Xing Yuan actually secretly followed the two.
The man carried a sword on his back, silently following the young maiden who seemed to be full of scholarly grace.
The maiden appeared very excited, pointing at the stars in the sky from time to time and curiously asking questions. The man answered each one, his gaze towards the maiden incredibly gentle.
It was genuine.
Xing Yuan took out a bag of sunflower seeds and cracked them open, her eyes shining with excitement.
But perhaps it was because the sound of her cracking seeds was too loud, the player suddenly turned his head to look in her direction, and then vigilantly drew the sword on his back, "Who's there?"
Since she had already been discovered, it would be impolite to hide any longer.
Xing Yuan simply stepped out, waving her hand to indicate she meant no harm, "I was just passing by."
"NPC?" The man's brows furrowed, and he asked with some caution.
"A'She, it's okay, don't be so tense," the maiden gently tugged at the player's sleeve.
Yin She's expression softened. He looked at the maiden gently and said to Xing Yuan, "You can go!"
Xing Yuan shook her head, staring curiously at the maiden. She hadn't noticed it before, but now she sensed that the maiden's consciousness was also awakening. She couldn't just leave so easily.
"Meeting is fate. How about we become friends? What's your name?" Xing Yuan asked with great enthusiasm.
Yin She's face was full of vigilance, and he said coldly, "We don't need to."
The maiden said softly, "A'She, don't be like that."
"My name is Xia Nian, and yours?" The maiden smiled and revealed it without any reservations.
She naturally felt a sense of closeness to the maiden before her, and thus felt that Yin She was being overly cautious.
This was the core of the game, the role of the goddess.
"Xing Yuan."
"Do you want to come with me?" Xing Yuan habitually tried to poach someone.
Yin She's expression became even more displeased. Indeed, no one would be happy when someone was openly trying to steal their partner.
Xia Nian smiled gently, "A'She, what do you think? Should I go with her?"
"No!" Yin She gritted his teeth and said fiercely.
"Hmph! Whether you should or not is not for you to say," Xing Yuan smirked maliciously. She had been indifferent before, but this time, she genuinely wanted to poach her.
As if remembering something, Yin She suddenly exclaimed, "You've awakened your self-awareness?"
Xing Yuan was taken aback. Did this person have a special identity? Otherwise, how would he know that the NPCs in the game were starting to awaken their self-awareness?
"How do you know?" Xing Yuan's eyes held a murderous glint, ready to silence him.
"She's really awakened her consciousness, how is that possible? Did it succeed?" Yin She muttered to himself, his expression filled with disbelief.
Yin She excitedly shook Xia Nian, "Nian Nian, what about you? Do you know who you are?"
"What?" Xia Nian blinked in confusion. Was A'She sick? Why was he suddenly saying such strange things?
"How about we find another place? We can talk properly," Xing Yuan said earnestly.
She had finally encountered someone who seemed to know the inside story, so she naturally had to cherish the opportunity.
Yin She, however, flatly refused, "I don't need to tell you much, and besides, you can't help me."
Xing Yuan sneered and said proudly, "I can't help you, but I can help the person next to you. I have a way to make her completely awaken her self-awareness like me."
"What? You have a way?" Yin She was excited but still somewhat skeptical of Xing Yuan's words.
Xing Yuan snorted, "How about this! You tell me what you know, and I'll help her awaken her consciousness. At least I can make her realize what kind of world this is."
"Okay." Without much hesitation, Yin She nodded immediately.
He had come for her anyway. If she could really help, it would be a happy outcome for everyone.
Xing Yuan walked forward a few steps, pretended to say a few words, and then placed her fingertip on Xia Nian's forehead, using her divine sense to clear her jumbled thoughts.
When Xia Nian opened her eyes again, there was a newfound clarity in them. She looked around her surroundings in confusion, then, seeing a familiar person, she anxiously threw herself into Yin She's arms.
After her emotions had slightly calmed down, she asked, "A'She, where is this? Am I dead?"
"Thank you!" Yin She said solemnly.
Xing Yuan waved her hand impatiently and said unceremoniously, "No need. Just tell me what you know. Besides being a game world, what else is different about this place?"
"You've awakened your self-awareness, but you haven't remembered who you truly are yet?" Yin She asked in surprise.
"Speak directly, don't beat around the bush," Xing Yuan said unhappily.
"This place wasn't a game world before. It was just a healing space, but later, someone transformed it into its current state," Yin She said slowly.
"Healing?" Xing Yuan fell into thought. "Meaning, I should be in reality right now, as a consciousness?"
"That's right!" Yin She nodded. "In this era, technology has developed rapidly, but accidents are still unavoidable."
"My father was a medical expert. He developed this space to treat people whose bodies had lost consciousness, commonly known as: vegetative state patients."
"Through research, it was discovered that a person's consciousness, after leaving the body, quickly falls into a deep sleep and loses its vitality. Therefore, the longer the time, the harder it is for that person to wake up."
"And this space can keep their consciousness relatively clear. But later, my father had an accident, and the space where he preserved patients' consciousness was accidentally stolen by someone as a research secret."