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Though Mu Jiashi is thinking again, that judging from his gifting some drinks to XĂź Beijin a few years ago and receiving boons in return, it would seem that this bookstore owner operates on a principle of equivalent exchange.
If he had the ambition, he could possibly use this to do some more trades, just like that time, and to even farm clues for other Nightmares potentially.
Though…
Mu Jiashi is feeling tired.
He doesn’t want to repeat what is bound to repeat that he has already experienced over the years anymore. He chooses to remain on the bottom floor for the simple reason that, he wants to stop. He is feeling burnt out——burnt out because of his failure, but, it wasn’t just a failure, it was more…
A defeat, because there is no longer a path forgeable forward.
So here, he ends up making small talk about their daily lives with XĂź Beijin, and about life in the Tower.
He is recounting his life on a higher floor in the Tower outside of the Nightmares, in a somewhat derisive tone.
Apparently, life in the upper floors is ever so slightly more comfortable than on the bottom floor, but the damp veil of dead atmosphere hangs even lower – the higher one goes, the more that is the case. The cause being, the increasing difficulty of the Nightmares the higher one goes, and the more hopeless the whole affair seems.
Missiontakers become increasingly convinced that leaving the Tower is impossible. They become less and less optimistic, and move ever closer to mentally collapsing. So if he has to comment, he’d say that the bottom floor is the more lively place to be.
At least, raves are still possible, however much they are not places to be notwithstanding, but you can still feel the liveliness of it.
“While higher floors…” Mu Jiashi says, “all the Missiontakers would ever do is to talk about the Nightmares, their Plans, and even the best configurations of utility cards to bring.”
XĂź Beijin continues to listen attentively.
Mu Jiashi bitterly chuckles, adding, “Carddealers are extinct, even,” he then sighs, and says with this complicated tone, “everyone is simply… a Missiontaker. Only, a Missiontaker, that moves in and out of Nightmares… They are nothing more.”
Xü Beijin’s expression changes slightly.
He suddenly recalls, when in the last Nightmare, as he was explaining the concept of the Carddealers and Tailors to the viewers, one of them posed this question jokingly, which received a joke of an answer from another fellow commentor.
“what do these missiontakers even do everyday anyway?”
“anything but actually going on missions”
Missiontakers on the bottom floor are devoid of work ethic, but Missiontakers on the higher floors have turned into workaholic automatons instead.
This stark contrast makes a smile emerge on Xü Beijin’s face. Not that he found it laughable, really, but because he also harbours so many bitter secrets he has to keep inside.
Though to Mu Jiashi, that smile only means one thing——Scorn.
Mu Jiashi “…”
He is a bit surprised. Why is the bookstore owner showing such an expression to what he just said?
The two of them are now looking at each other, nonplussed.
Xü Beijin doesn’t know why Mu Jiashi suddenly stopped speaking as well.
Mu Jiashi is quiet for a bit before tentatively asking, “have you ever come to learn about the higher floors of the Tower?”
XĂź Beijin shakes his head.
Mu Jiashi’s brows furrow ever so slightly. He can’t bring himself to believe it. That expression from Xü Beijin just now, plus his current answer, only makes Mu Jiashi feel like he is hiding something.
So instead, Mu Jiashi tells him, “before I returned to the bottom floor, there have been rumours circulating about the higher floors.”
Xü Beijin doesn’t understand how that topic came out of left field, because he doesn’t know how utterly observant and analytical Mu Jiashi gets, so that one micro-expression from him ends up fuelling Mu Jiashi’s ridiculous misunderstandings.
Mu Jiashi says, “it said…” and he intentionally lowers his speed of talking to scrutinise Xü Beijin’s face some more, “someone has successfully left the Tower.”
It is probably obvious he is trying to see how XĂź Beijin will react to that.
Xü Beijin’s eyes are widening reflexively. This expression is clearly that of being slightly surprised.
… Slightly?
Something seems fishy. If it were Missiontakers, regardless of the validity of the rumour, hearing that someone had left the Tower would definitely bring them astonishment, or even elation.
Xü Beijin’s reaction is far more peaceful in comparison.
Though Mu Jiashi is also wondering if he is overthinking things.
No matter what… This man here is a bookstore owner, who is an NPC in the game. What is he even doing expecting him to react the same way they players do?
Though Mu Jiashi is aware that some Tower residents share their sentiments in hate for this Tower. They might also enjoy the idea of leaving the Tower.
Mu Jiashi finds the thought amusing, but he doesn’t actually smile.
Ah… Tower residents. Game NPCs. A stream of data. Do they really comprehend concepts like freedom, escape, hope, and whatnot?
Even the Server NE, the AI itself, might not be able to understand such human concept. Not to mention NPCs who are even more definitionally a mere stream of data.
Mu Jiashi sighs inside, and wonders if he might have been led astray by all the unusual actions of XĂź Beijin.
Perhaps Xü Beijin appears much more normal than a normal Tower resident, but then, wouldn’t that ‘normalcy’ exactly be what is ‘abnormal’ about him?
It could be that… he just overthinks things too much.
Xü Beijin has no idea Mu Jiashi’s imagination is running all wild, instead, he is thinking about the serendipitous aspect of Mu Jiashi’s news.
So that was the rumour circulating about the Missiontakers. No wonder he felt there was an undercurrent throughout the bottom floor of the Tower.
This would be a satisfactory explanation for why even a Necessities Merchant like Ding Yi would decide to take the leap of faith to ascend to a higher floor.
Someone has successfully left the Tower…
… Successfully, huh.
Xü Beijin can’t help but sigh a little.
This will be the very last straw that the desperate Missiontakers clutch at, perhaps?
Or… even the desperate Actors, perhaps?
Though the Actors really didn’t have a good information network. Unlike the Missiontakers where the rumour is already spreading like wildfire, Xü Beijin only just learnt about it.
Regardless, this storm is sure to spread over to the Actors’ side.
Would it be a good thing? Or a bad thing?
XĂź Beijin falls into thought.
While the two of them both mull in silence, there is a knock on the door. XĂź Beijin pulls himself out of his thoughts, feeling confounded.
Oh, wait…
With an unspoken speechlessness, he walks over to open the door.
Yep, it’s Lin Qin.
He is feeling slightly amused inside.
Just like Mu Jiashi, Lin Qin brought drinks along as well. Much more than Mu Jiashi brought, even.
“I picked the ones you like, and this is part of it. There are some more too,” Lin Qin is speaking while walking inside like it’s the natural thing to do, saying, “I want to borrow a book…”
He suddenly stops, as Mu Jiashi, sitting by the counter, comes into view.
He gives Mu Jiashi a good, scrutinising examination.
Xü Beijin “…”
What an utterly awkward scene.