Chapter 405 - Partner (1/2)

“Why… Why?”

This question passed through Mu Wanqiu’s mind. Her cheeks grew slightly hot.

“I… I don’t know, I’m just asking. I don’t mean anything else. Don’t think too much about it, haha.”

“Wanqiu, if I promise not to be too deeply bonded with the NPC girls in the game and to focus on real life—as a friend, would you be happy with this promise?” Li Dong suddenly tossed this question out in a very calm voice. In other words, he threw her a curveball.

“Uh…”

Silence.

There were more than ten seconds of silence.

Li Dong was about to type, “I’m sorry, I asked a strange question. Don’t worry about it,” and then blow the topic off by laughing.

“I think that a game is just a game, after all,” Mu Wanqiu said. “Isn’t it kind of weird to find a partner in the game, get married, and put most of one’s time into the game? What do you think, Commander?” She added a grin at the end.

“…Well, it’s a bit strange.” Li Dong typed, nodding. “A game is just a game. It can’t replace real life.”

In theory, a wife from Galaxy Era had a realism level of over 99%, and there was also a certain possibility of extracting the character from the game into reality. This would completely solve the problem of too many single males. In terms of the law and ethics, it was possible that such a thing could be legalized as long as there was a sufficient number of people calling for it to be approved. This was no possibility to pass up… All players had hopes of finding their ideal partner.

Therefore, for most players, the game was more than just a game. It was truly possible for it to replace reality.

But…

Li Dong still gave Mu Wanqiu a reply that was quite reassuring.

“Ok, Commander, our views on this point are the same. Thank you for being understanding.”

“You’re welcome.”

The conversation stopped here.

…

Eastern Jupiter.

Li Dong logged into the game and returned to the familiar classroom.

He scanned his environment and looked at the students in the classroom. Then, he turned his head and looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window.

Within a short time, he sank into a state of melancholy and worry.

Reality. Virtual reality.

He was an ordinary person occupying the bottom rungs of society, who experienced the pinnacle of life in a game that was infinitesimally close to reality.

These two different life experiences produced basically the same reactions in the brain’s cranial nerves.

What was more, it was possible, in theory, for a “wife” in the game to be “extracted” into reality.

Therefore, generally speaking, many ordinary people chose the latter.

Even Li Dong, who was considered an ordinary person, wavered in his heart. He did consider experiencing a perfect romance in the game.

“Reality is always so cruel. There are only a handful of people who have a rich and fulfilling life in reality. And despite that, it is common even among them to experience separation, hurt, and helplessness due to various reasons and conflicts… Trying to attain perfect happiness in the real world is just futile. It’s way too hard.

“This is the only place where, no matter how difficult a challenge is, it will always be a piece of cake to resolve.

“The difficulty of attaining happiness here is only 1%, or even 0.01%, of the difficulty level in reality. It feels like you can obtain happiness by simply raising your hand. You don’t even have to bend over to pick it up.

“In our dorm, Qinghai, Yichen, and Xukai all have a ‘wife’ in the game. Recently, they seem to have become completely different people. They are more cheerful, lively, and confident. They have cast off their past persona of a useless homebody. It is surprising.”

And… he felt a tiny bit of yearning and envy.

That was it. Li Dong, who had never been in a romantic relationship, was indeed highly envious. His heart was starting to get restless.

He looked at the current situation again.

There was no need to say anything more about delicate, gentle, and cute Denen Satoshi. She loved him with all her heart. In their relationship, she had such a favorable impression of him—about 90 points out of a perfect impression of 100—that she would definitely agree if he asked her to sleep with him.