I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 254
Chapter 254: 28256, 28257
In the cafe’s basement, a person wandered around various LED light tubes and floating display screens for a while. I saw Gabriel pulling Yin Xiamo down from upstairs.
“What’s going on here?”
After entering this “e-sports center” underground, Gabriel looked at Yin Xiamo as if she was about to interrogate her.
“Cars, buses, televisions, mobile phones, and now this place.”
“What’s the matter?”
Yin Xiamo looked somewhat helpless.
“It’s just as you see. This is the area where Nuo’er and I work, about to open. Originally, they planned to wait at least three months after the cafe started operating before trying to open it, combining with the hype of the new game ‘Age of Aquarius’ public beta. Now, because Nuo’er and I have attracted many customers, it’s about to operate ahead of schedule. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“No, I’m not asking about the operation here.”
Gabriel hesitated for a moment, “I’m asking about… this world.”
“This world?”
Yin Xiamo tilted her head, “What about this world?”
“You said this is a world with no magic at all, and the intelligent beings are only ordinary humans.”
Gabriel took a few steps towards the center of the basement, until she stood directly under the largest LCD screen at the bar, bathed in the beautiful breathing lights.
“Can such a rudimentary world really develop such a complex and diverse world?”
“Why not?”
Yin Xiamo smiled, “In fact, when I first came here, I had a similar feeling as you did, Fei Luo did too. At that time, I didn’t know that this was a world completely devoid of magic. I thought there were various magical creatures here, so I was cautious for a long time. It wasn’t until I was certain that there was indeed no concept of magical creatures or magic here, that they only exist in the imagination and fiction of the humans here.”
Gabriel asked seriously, “Are you sure it wasn’t you who guided them?”
“I am the grim reaper here, not an almighty god.”
Yin Xiamo shook her head, “I haven’t intervened in the activities of any country or group here.”
“That’s amazing.”
After confirming that the “civilizational development” of Earth’s humans had not been interfered with and was naturally occurring, Gabriel seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She raised her small hand and placed it on her chest, letting the surrounding atmosphere breathing lights fall on her, “This place… is even more beautiful than the Holy Heaven.”
Gabriel, unlike Fei Luo, was a child who tended to take things seriously…
I saw this scene from the side and couldn’t help but cover my mouth and quietly laugh to myself.
Fei Luo only took two or three days to adapt from traveling to Earth to learning the language and adjusting to work at the cafe.
Although part of the reason for this was that Xiao Mo directly used the “dreams” of the demon race to impart knowledge to her, just as Xiao Mo occasionally created dreams for me at night. However, if Fei Luo herself didn’t have a strong ability to accept, and if she didn’t have this optimistic and cheerful personality, she probably wouldn’t have adapted so quickly.
In fact, it’s not difficult to understand Gabriel’s suspicions when you put yourself in her shoes.
In this otherworldly realm, there exist things like “magic” and “special energy” that are different from Earth. Humans who practice magic are called mages, while those who cultivate special energy are warriors. Ordinary animals that practice magic or are contaminated by it are known as “magical beasts”.
Because of the existence of magic as an energy source, plants in this otherworldly realm aren’t limited to using photosynthesis and absorbing underground nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to produce energy like those on Earth.
If plants evolve organs capable of absorbing magic, they can survive in places without water or sunlight. Similarly, if animals in this otherworldly realm have similar organs, they can grow without eating.
On Earth, for animals to survive, they either eat plants or other animals because Earth lacks magic and can only obtain energy through these means. However, things are different in this otherworldly realm. They have “magic”, an anti-scientific concept.
Almost all organisms on Earth derive their energy from the “sun”, with a small number of communities relying on geothermal energy from volcanoes. However, in this otherworldly realm, there are many options; “magic” and “special energy” can also serve as “energy sources”, leading to several times more diverse flora and fauna than on Earth.
I suspect this is why this otherworldly realm has races like “elves”, “demons”, and “dragons”. Creatures like dragons wouldn’t have enough food to sustain themselves if they lived on Earth, and according to Earth’s physical standards, their large bodies would collapse under gravity without additional support. With such massive bodies, if they had Earth-like skeletal or organ systems, their internal organs would be crushed under their own weight, and their bones would easily break.
Similar to elves, I’ve heard in novels that elves in otherworldly realms rarely eat, and even when they do, it’s just a few fruits to satisfy their hunger. Such survival habits wouldn’t align with the laws of energy conversion on Earth, they can only be explained by saying “elves can absorb magic from the air”.
When angels like Gabriel are accustomed to the magic and creatures of otherworldly realms, once they think of a place similar to Earth where there is no magic, no special energy, and no intelligent large creatures, only ordinary humans, their first reaction is probably—desolate and boring.
Earth’s science should be applicable in otherworldly realms, but no one there would focus on that direction, so they can’t imagine how far “science” could develop. It’s like the first person who invented the “wheel” couldn’t imagine how much it would propel human civilization forward.
“You don’t need to be too surprised right now.”
Seeing Gabriel completely captivated by the basement’s lights, Yin Xiamo leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. “When night falls and we finish dinner, we’ll take you around the city. By then, you’ll be even more surprised.”
“I’m starting to understand why you didn’t want to go back, Momo.”
Gabriel walked up to a “desk lamp” with cat ear headphones emitting light. While examining the device, she said, “This place is simply… it’s like the perfect paradise in my mind.”
The cat ear headphones Gabriel was looking at were a relatively simple rechargeable ambient lamp or “night light”.
Its principle is very simple. A horizontal lighting area is designed in the middle of the lamp base, and then a translucent board with pre-printed patterns and fluorescent effects is placed on it. The light from the center of the lamp base will transmit to this semi-transparent board, giving the patterns in the middle a sparkling feeling. Only two sides can see the patterns on the lamp board.
These kinds of ambient lamps, the better ones, will even have a “breathing” effect, constantly changing colors. Like the cat ear headphones ambient lamp on the negative one floor of the cafe, it comes with a seven-color gradient mode. It gradually brightens from darkness, then dims again, changes to another color and gradually brightens, and dims again.
In recent years, similar designs and ambient lamps are quite common. You can easily find them on any online shopping platform by searching for keywords like “cyberpunk ambient lamp”. They cost around twenty or thirty yuan but can greatly enhance the atmosphere of a room, fooling naive “children” like Gabriel.
“Hey, Miss Angel, please get it clear. I’m not staying because the lights here are pretty.”
Facing Gabriel’s “speculation,” Yin Xiamo responded somewhat discontentedly, “Even if this place is full of gloom, without the sun, without hope, even if there’s nothing here, as long as…”
“As long as he’s here, you’ll come, right?”
Gabriel interrupted Yin Xiamo’s words, “Momo, I also value this about you the most… A demon who values affection and loyalty, enduring hardships for thousands of years for the sake of your beloved…”
“Alright, then, you two go ahead and catch up.”
Seeing the two of them starting their daily “reminiscence,” I headed towards the exit of the basement, “I’ll go entertain those two friends who came from the group.”
“……”
Yin Xiamo didn’t say anything more, just nodded, and watched me leave the basement amidst the flashing lights.
Gabriel waved at me as I left.
“I think she’d be perfect as the group leader.”
“Yeah, totally! She’s naturally that lively and cute little girl type. She’d look adorable in that outfit.”
Climbing up the stairs from the basement, I found that the cafe outside had entered its lunchtime peak. Downstairs, a large group of customers were either eating or playing with cats. Because I was dressed casually today and quite short, resembling a child accompanying their parents for a meal, no one paid much attention to me.
So, I made my way back to the second floor’s tea and dessert area without any trouble, and found Cai Jingtong and Zhou Lulu chatting near where Gabriel had been sitting earlier.
“After the group leader’s book ended, hasn’t she started a new one? I heard she hasn’t updated it lately.”
“Well, nowadays, Nuo’er’s income doesn’t mainly come from writing books, right? She’s super popular online, and they say the salaries here at the cafe are high too.”
“Huh? Haven’t you checked the group? Nuo’er is still writing, but she’s switched to writing female lead novels, a yuri story.”
“Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me, Tongtong!”
On the second floor, Cai Jingtong and Zhou Lulu were sitting side by side, sharing a cup of couple’s milk tea with two straws in the same “Tongmeng Cup” milk tea cup, sipping their tea and chatting away.
On the small stool next to them was a set of cosplay outfits said to be from a certain mobile game, featuring a loli character, also known as the cosplay attire of the gods of grass and wisdom in the game.
I’ve actually experienced similar situations many times before.
Because I’m relatively short and have long hair, some people thought I could cosplay Kasumizawa Miyu from “Blue Archive”.
Because I have a slender figure with a slightly chubby face and legs, some people thought I could wear a sailor suit to cosplay as Hibiki from “Kantai Collection.”.
From being an Uncle author before to now a maid in the cafe, the world is still the same.
During the Uncle author period, many readers joined groups or directly added my personal QQ to send private messages, saying my writing style is similar to certain books or light novels, and hoping I could write something related to those books or continue those light novels.
Sometimes, I haven’t even watched or read the novels, anime, or movies mentioned by those readers, but I couldn’t just coldly reject them because of it.
Anyway, the fact that everyone is willing to read their own book and support me because of it is my greatest honor.
“Sorry, I had to attend to something with a friend just now.”
Returning to Cai Jingtong and Zhou Lulu’s side, I offered an apologetic smile. “Aren’t you two supposed to have classes today?”
“Neither of us has classes today.”
Cai Jingtong, dressed in casual attire, looked like a typical college girl. She immediately handed me the clothes from the table.
“Let’s continue our conversation from earlier, Nuo’er, this outfit is for you.”
“Well…”
I took the outfit, which had a small transparent window in the middle revealing the green and white attire inside, and was packaged very delicately.
“But this… you said it was a prize from the anime club…”
“It’s a prize from the anime club, but neither Lulu nor I can wear it. Since we only know you, a girl who’s under five feet tall, we decided to give it to you.”
Cai Jingtong said with an tone that left no room for refusal.
“Consider it as a reward for all the books you’ve written. Actually, I’ll let you in on a secret: Lulu reads your books on my phone.”
I was momentarily taken aback. “Huh?”
“Basically, I subscribed to your novels. Lulu wanted to read them, so she read them again on my phone. Then, we joined your group together. She actually hasn’t subscribed to your books herself.”
Cai Jingtong looked a bit embarrassed.
“I suppose most people in that group are your loyal readers, right? Over the past few months, I’ve seen a lot of people giving tips and voting for you. Lulu and I rarely read on honeydew, we don’t tip or vote, and we’re too lazy to even like posts. Consider this our way of tipping you, otherwise we’d feel guilty.”
Was this kind of operation even possible?
However, although that was what they said, those few in the group weren’t really “loyal readers” either.
Those guys just read the books… After they saw the chapter announcing the book group in the book, they joined the book group, play games and chat every day in there, and never bother to follow up with the books again. Sometimes when I casually mention something related to the novel in the group, they have no idea what I’m talking about.
“Speaking of which, Nuo’er, I really think you’re suited for the Dendro Archon role.”
Seeing me remain silent for a moment, Cai Jingtong seemed to misunderstand my meaning, stood up, and came over.
“I don’t know how to describe it, but you really have that elven agility about you, combined with your lively and cute personality, it’s just… perfect!”
Hmm… that’s because there are indeed elven genes in my body, as Yin Xiamo said.
“It must be very expensive, right?”
I held the clothes in my hands and looked through the semi-transparent window at the attire inside.
Generally speaking, if the quality of cosplay uniforms is good, the price is very high, especially those that have been very popular recently, highly accurate, and come with complete accessories.
And the cosplay costume in my hands obviously belongs to the “well-crafted” category, even the packaging box is custom-made.
Based on the weight of this clothing and the delicacy of the packaging box… I feel like this outfit would cost at least five to six hundred, maybe even more.
“It’s not considered expensive, right? Just a few hundred bucks. The real expensive one is the first prize, a Violet Evergarden electric scooter, which costs over three thousand.”
Cai Jingtong leaned in close to my ear, lowering her voice. “The new president of the anime club is a big spender. He owns three houses in the Honor District, who knows why he decided to come to Shenzhen Academy. Three houses in the Honor District? Well… not everyone in the Honor District is rich, there are also areas like Jiang Wei’s.”
“But such a valuable gift, I still feel…”
“How about this?”
Seeing that I still seemed hesitant, Cai Jingtong took out her phone. “Nuo’er, you’re not working today, right? Let’s say I have an additional request for a photo with you, but let’s upgrade it to a video recording, and then you follow my instructions to move. We’ll consider using this outfit as payment, rounding up to cover it, okay?”
Hey, the main thing is, what do I need this cosplay outfit for? There isn’t a convention in Shenzhen City these days… Oh wait, is there?
I recalled the discussion in the QQ group a couple of days ago about the “Shenzhen Tongmeng Anime Expo”.
June 8th, a particularly auspicious date. Shenzhen will be hosting an anime expo near Shenzhen Lake in the largest tourism district, Dadong District, at the Museum of Science and Technology. The organizer is none other than Tongmeng, a website I’m very familiar with.
But… just because there’s a convention, doesn’t mean I have to dress up like this to go, right?
I’ll just wear a casual summer dress and go to the expo to see the girls, okay? Come to think of it… didn’t Xiao Mo mention wanting to go out with me on the day of the expo before? June 8th happens to be the last day Xiao Mo and I took off together.
“Follow your instructions… to pose?”
Even though I was thinking about the expo, I instinctively asked Cai Jingtong, “What do you mean?”
“It means Nuo’er follows my instructions to pose, and I’ll be recording the video on the side.” Cai Jingtong pulled Zhou Lulu into her arms.
“A simple photo is no longer enough for our Lulu. You don’t know, after she goes home, she takes out the photos we took in the store every day, shouting how cute the cats are, how cute Nuo’er is, saying she’s melting…”
“Jingtong!” Zhou Lulu gave her a glare.
“Nuo’er, don’t listen to her nonsense, I don’t do that.”
“So this time, I plan to record a video to show her when she goes back.” Cai Jingtong looked unbothered.
“But it seems like you guys don’t have any regulations on recording fees here. So, I’ll take the liberty to decide. One set of clothes, what do you think?”
I chuckled, “What pose do you want me to strike?”
“Just this one.”
Cai Jingtong took out her phone. “This outfit is related to it. It’s the normal attack pose of the Dendro Archon. Take a look.”
I took the phone and opened the video.
Hands clenched into fists, facing forward, both feet hopping, hopping, jumping, then turning around, hopping, stepping with one foot, striking a pose, half-opening one eye to act cute.
Hmm… This… why does it look a bit like a hopscotch pose? Although it’s indeed full of childlike fun.
After watching the so-called “Dendro Archon’s” normal attack pose on Cai Jingtong’s phone, my first reaction was—this is a cute-selling god, right? I’m very familiar with this attack pose, it’s a modified version of hopscotch, or a girl’s version of hopscotch, but in the animation, the actions of this hopscotch set seem to have the center of gravity facing forward.
In reality, hopscotch is usually played with two people holding the rope, and the person in the middle jumps. The person in the middle’s gaze usually hits to the left or right, but in the video, the Dendro Archon “Nahida” keeps her attention forward throughout the attack magic, not even turning her gaze when turning around.
Don’t ask me why I know hopscotch so well, because when I was in the welfare home… maybe because I looked relatively pretty, I often played this with the girls in the yard. Not only do I remember the poses, I remember the movements, and even the hopscotch rhymes are clear in my mind—
“Two-eight, two-five-six, five-eight, two-five-seven, two-eight, two-nine, thirty-one…”
“Huh?”
Hearing me inadvertently sing out loud, Cai Jingtong was surprised.
“What are you talking about, Nuo’er?”
“Oh? Ah… nothing.”
Feeling like I couldn’t avoid this “hopscotch to win clothes” activity today, I took Cai Jingtong’s phone. “Let me see the specific movements again, is there a slow-motion option?”
“Yes, the slow-motion is here, you can slow down up to 0.5 times.”
“Okay.” I slowed it down and watched the specific movements again a few times.
The first and second moves both involve facing forward with slightly clenched fists, acting cute. First, step with the left foot, then with the right foot, turn around with your back to the camera, lift the right foot, land with the left foot, step once, then turn back to face the camera, keeping the rhythm of the rotation, hands behind the body, blink, act cute.
That’s right, this is a modified version of hopscotch. Two-eight, two-five-six, five-eight, two-five-seven. It follows this melody, but this “attack action” set cuts out the first four jumps and turns it into two jumps followed by a turn. But the basic melody and rhythm won’t change.
The core of this movement lies in whether you can grasp the overall rhythm, it feels like playing a music game, combining the rhythm of hopscotch with the cuteness of a little girl, showing a kind of innocent and cheerful childhood flavor.
“I… I’ll give it a try…”
Putting the clothes on the table, I walked to the empty space on the side, recalling the scene I had just seen.
“I’ve never tried jumping a similar movement before, and I don’t have any dance background. Don’t laugh at me if I don’t do it well…”
“Mm-hmm.” Cai Jingtong and Zhou Lulu obediently sat down on the chairs, took out their phones, and aimed them in this direction.
“Go for it, Nuo’er!”
Hmm… Glancing around at the customers on the second floor who came up to drink milk tea, I took a deep breath in place, adjusted my skirt… and jumped.
Left, right, turn, jump with one foot, then turn again and step with both feet together, finally lifting one foot slightly with the inertia of the turn, hands behind the body, blink, act cute.
Done! Is it supposed to be like this? It felt the same as when I used to play hopscotch as a child…
“Wow!” At the moment of my last move, Cai Jingtong stood up directly from her seat.
“Nuo’er, have you been practicing this move for a long time? You’re just like Nahida herself!”
“Really?”
I felt a little embarrassed. “I… it’s my first time jumping.”
” Nuo’er, what are you doing?”
At this moment, Yin Xiamo also walked up from downstairs.
She glanced at Cai Jingtong and Zhou Lulu first, then her gaze fell on the green and white dress on the chair.
“Do you like this outfit?”
“N-no.” I quickly shook my head.
“Didn’t you say… there’s a comic exhibition in Dadong District tomorrow? I thought you wanted to go.”
“You thought I wanted to go, so you thought of exchanging a piece of clothing to accompany me?” Yin Xiamo showed an interested expression.
“Little kitty, you’re really cute.”
“What’s wrong with that!” I protested.
“They are my readers. They rewarded me with a dress. Is that not allowed?”
Yin Xiamo smiled. “Of course, it’s allowed.”
I noticed that Gabriel didn’t come up with us and couldn’t help but ask, “What about the little angel?”
“She’s downstairs trying to use the computer. I just finished explaining some of its functions to her.”
Yin Xiamo walked up to me.
“Nuo’er, after dinner tonight, I might have to go back there for a while. I’ll only be back tomorrow morning. If you like that outfit, I can help bring it over and have the elves make a similar one with materials from there. Then I’ll go to the Holy Heaven to find Gabriel’s chief archangel.”
I was surprised. “Can you bring things back?”
“Of course, but if you bring too much, the transit time will be longer. A set of clothes shouldn’t be a problem.”
Yin Xiamo said in a voice only we could hear, “And tonight, you and Fei Luo take Gabriel to the city center to familiarize her with the environment. If you encounter any problems or dangers, just listen to Fei Luo.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
I was worried. “Xiao Mo, you’re a demon, going to a place like the Holy Heaven…”
“I’m not just a pure demon or an undead. Why can’t I go to heaven? Besides, I’m a hero of that era over there, on the same level as the Dragon King and Archangel.”
Yin Xiamo looked at me as if I were a fool.
“By the way, I’ll briefly explain the situation here to the Elf Queen and them. Both you and I have elven blood. The Elven Forest is also considered half of our home. If possible, I plan to bring the seeds of the Tree of Life and plant them on Moon Orchid Island.”
“The seed of the Tree of Life?!”
I was a little dumbfounded. “Um… What’s the use of that?”
“I’ll explain when I come back. Anyway, Gabriel is in your hands tonight, along with Fei Luo. Fei Luo has only been here for a few days, so you have to keep an eye on them both tonight.”
With that, Yin Xiamo turned to Cai Jingtong and Zhou Lulu. “Hello.”
“Ah, hello, hello.” Cai Jingtong said, leaning towards Zhou Lulu.
“Nuo’er looks like she’s under strict control. She seems to obey Xiao Mo’s words.”
“I heard that!”
I said with my hands on my hips, displeased. “Someone is openly talking bad about me!”
“Where, where, I… uh, it’s not derogatory.” Cai Jingtong hurriedly explained.
“I just feel that Nuo’er is very obedient. Yes, that’s what I meant.”
Being obedient and very obedient isn’t derogatory?! That’s practically the same as describing someone as a silly loli!
“Manager!”
“Sister Ouyang, you’re back?”
Immediately after, with a wave of greetings from the customers downstairs, Ouyang Xue rushed up the stairs in one breath. She glanced at me, then at Xiao Mo, and gasped for breath.
“Wh-where’s… the angel?”
“Oh, we’ve settled everything,”
Yin Xiamo said calmly. “Manager Ouyang, there’s no need to be so anxious.”
“Settled everything?”
Ouyang Xue was taken aback. “What were her terms? How much salary does she want?”
“She doesn’t want a salary.”
“What?”
Ouyang Xue was surprised. “I mean, what are her conditions if she doesn’t want a salary?”
“I said, she doesn’t want a salary. But if you want to give her one, you can.”
Xiao Mo walked towards Ouyang Xue.
“Her only condition is that she hopes we’ll take her in, and she can play games in the basement every day. As for salary and benefits, she doesn’t care.”
“……”
……
Comments for chapter "Chapter 254"
MANGA DISCUSSION
Support Fan’s Translations
Note: Individual translators usually have their own ko-fi buttons.