The screen shifted, and Young Master Mu, along with Maid Xiao Suo, arrived at a place resembling a temple.

In front of them was a Hall of Deities, a room just large enough for a Statue of God. The entire structure could only accommodate the statue, with, at most, some space for candles, offerings, and magical treasures. It was very small and quaint.

"Shh." Young Master Mu gestured for Maid Xiao Suo to be quiet and then peered outside.

It seemed to be a small temple outside, with a few Halls of Deities emitting sparse wisps of smoke. Leaves covered the stone paths, suggesting that autumn was ending and winter was beginning.

There were also several stones tied with white ropes, located on the left and right sides of a torii gate marked with the 'Open' character.

A few plainly dressed elderly people stood before the Hall of Deities, their hands pressed together in prayer.

Ren Suo thought that this somewhat resembled the Shrines of Flourishing Sakura Country. Could it be that Yingzhou was actually a variation of Flourishing Sakura Country?

However, he couldn't directly use common sense to deduce this. He had never heard of an ancient era where the Six Major Factions existed, let alone one where those factions included a Sanctuary or a Skycraft Pavilion...

If he were to deduce based on the name Skycraft Pavilion, then the game's era should be the Prosperous Tang. But after Emperor Taizong of Tang ascended the throne, the Skycraft Pavilion was no longer part of the official structure... Still, this was just the history Ren Suo knew; it wasn't impossible for the Skycraft Pavilion to still exist within the game.

But the Sanctuary completely baffled Ren Suo. This led him to believe that this was either a game set in a parallel world, or the Mini-World Game Console was aiming for something big, forcefully inserting a period of Martial Arts history into the five thousand years of Mysterious Country.

In any case, this game was definitely set far from the modern era. The role of a Maid had vanished over a hundred years ago, yet Young Master Mu still had a devoted little Maid who followed him loyally. Even though this Maid seemed flat-chested and brainless, good only for cannon fodder... she was still a Maid!

Never mind warming his hands, feet, and bed. If the protagonist couldn't defeat a BOSS, sending the Maid to her death might trigger a plot device where the protagonist's Exploding Microcosm activated, causing his strength to leap forward. This would allow for a victorious counter-attack—a classic, staple storyline.

Of course, besides being stabbed to death by a boss, Maids had other uses, like blocking the pillars of the Demon-Suppressing Tower or being sacrificed for sword rituals. If there were Western fantasy storylines, their uses would be even more varied...

After a brief observation, Young Master Mu returned to the area behind the Hall of Deities and asked Maid Xiao Suo, "Do you speak the Yingzhou language?"

Maid Xiao Suo shook her head, "I never learned it."

Young Master Mu asked, "Aren't you well acquainted with Little Fire, the errand boy? I heard he's proficient in the Yingzhou language. Haven't you learned from him in your free time?"

Maid Xiao Suo continued to shake her head, "Little Fire is over twenty, yet he still enjoys pointless things like shadow puppets and clay figurines. His private life is also rather chaotic, so I seldom interact with him."

Young Master Mu said, "I see... Then I must teach you the Yingzhou language. There are hardly any People from the Central Plains in Yingzhou now, and most of those who are here can speak the local dialect. If we can't speak it, we'll surely draw unwanted attention. When we go out later, you are not to speak. Just follow behind me and do not reveal your identity as someone from the Central Plains."

Young Master Mu looked at Maid Xiao Suo and continued, "Although we've fled from the Central Plains to Yingzhou, the power of the Six Major Factions looms over the world; none within the Five Lakes and Four Seas dare to defy them. There's still a chance I could be exposed, but you, Xiao Suo, haven't yet come under their scrutiny. Besides, it's inconvenient for a vulnerable woman like you to be out in public, drawing attention. It would be better to disguise yourself somewhat. If, by some chance, an emergency arises, you could find a way to rescue me—though I would never allow such an embarrassing situation to occur, of course."

Maid Xiao Suo nodded repeatedly. She first took out a large hood from her Clothing, putting it on to cover her hair and bangs. Then, she produced a neck-collar-like accessory to hide her neck. Finally, she used a silk scarf to cover her mouth and asked, "Is this alright?"

Young Master Mu was very satisfied. He lowered his head to look at the map, pondering, 'Among the many Heavenly Calamities and man-made disasters that have befallen Edo Prefecture in Yingzhou this past month, which ones are the handiwork of the power Behind the Scenes?'

The map was a crudely drawn sketch with a few ink strokes, marked with over thirty '×'s. Heaven only knew how Young Master Mu managed to comprehend it.

A game prompt appeared: "The Demon Lord and Maid Xiao Suo have now embarked on a Journey of Retrospection."

"During the Journey of Retrospection, the Demon Lord can freely choose his actions for the day: either investigate a disaster site or rest with Maid Xiao Suo."

"A day is divided into two turns: daytime and nighttime. The Demon Lord can freely arrange his actions."

"Caution: People from the Six Major Factions might be observing the disaster sites. Visiting during the day could lead to discovery. Repeatedly visiting the same location significantly increases the chance of being discovered (regardless of day or night)."

"Caution: Some disaster sites only yield clues during the day, while others only at night. Current total clue progress: 0.1%."

"Caution: The Demon Lord must rest for at least one turn every three days. Maid Xiao Suo does not need to rest (but she cannot act alone). Each rest period will purify varying amounts of 'Filth and Resentment,' depending on the Demon Lord's mood that day."

"Caution: Resting with Maid Xiao Suo at night may trigger special scenarios (nighttime exclusive)."

"Caution: Resting with Maid Xiao Suo during the day may trigger special scenarios (daytime exclusive)."

"Warning: As time passes, more Heavenly Calamities and man-made disasters will occur. This will not only intensify the Six Major Factions' Desire to find the Demon Lord but will also cause the Demon Lord to accumulate more Power of Resentment from the Filth. Failure to prevent calamities in other areas will result in the Demon Lord shouldering even more Power of Resentment."

"Current sub-quest: Find a place to live as soon as possible. Having a residence will increase the Demon Lord's mood by +1 during rest. This quest might be completed incidentally during an investigation."

At this moment, text appeared in the top-right corner of the game screen: "Escape - Day 1・Daytime." The save and load options also appeared. Ren Suo quickly saved the game.

On the left side of the screen, three commands appeared: "Investigate," "Rest Well," and "Find Residence."

Since he had saved, Ren Suo naturally felt bolder. He directly chose 'Investigate' and then randomly selected one of the thirty-three investigation points.

After a cutscene showing a carriage speeding by, Young Master Mu and Xiao Suo arrived at investigation point '19'.

Investigation point 19 was in a dense residential area: a house burnt to ruins. Ren Suo controlled Young Master Mu to explore inside. As they passed a corner, a thought bubble popped up for Young Master Mu:

"I feel a resonance of Resentment here, but its primary source seems to have departed. Perhaps if I return at a different time, I can find some clues."

An option appeared on the left side of the screen: "End Investigation."

Ren Suo bit his nails. He knew he had wasted the daytime turn, but he wasn't in a hurry to reload. He chose 'End Investigation.'

The screen instantly switched from day to night, and the game presented three action options again. This time, Ren Suo clicked 'Rest Well.' The screen then faded to black, dimly revealing two figures huddled together under a bridge.

"Today was fruitless; even a place to live wasn't found. The Demon Lord is in a terrible mood while resting and is even being eroded by his Power of Resentment. Maid Xiao Suo's attempts to console him are futile, and no special scenario involving her was triggered. The Demon Lord's mood changed from 'Pleased' to 'Super Depressed.' Resentment purified this turn: 2,000."

Ren Suo rubbed his temples. Man, you have over 300,000 Power of Resentment, and you only purify 2,000 per turn? When the hell is this going to end...

Aren't you supposed to be incredibly powerful? How can your mood affect you so much? Are you that sentimental?!

But Ren Suo wasn't the protagonist, so complaining was useless. He could only return to the game's main menu.

Now Ren Suo had a rough idea of the correct way to play this game: don't waste any turns. Either investigate successfully or rest in an excellent mood.

He had to keep reloading saves to ensure every action Young Master Mu took was optimal. If even one turn yielded no results, Young Master Mu's mood would plummet.

Rest was essential. Young Master Mu could purify a large amount of Power of Resentment while resting, and he had to rest for one turn every three days.

In this regard, Ren Suo gained a new appreciation for Maid Xiao Suo—truly a Tool Person. She didn't even need Sleep! It was just a pity she couldn't act alone.

However, before reloading, Ren Suo opened "Xiao Suo's Secret Diary" to check for new content.

In the secret diary, the date "Escape - Day 1・Daytime" appeared. Below it was the dialogue between Maid Xiao Suo and Young Master Mu, with all the text in bold. Clicking on the words produced no change.

The content of the dialogue could pretty much be summarized as "Young Master you're so amazing, don't give up" and "Ah, I really want to give up."

But beneath each of Maid Xiao Suo's lines of dialogue, her inner thoughts were written:

"The Young Master dislikes running away, so I need to frame this as a strategic retreat."

"The Young Master is extremely vengeful; I need to ignite his fighting spirit by focusing on the idea of torturing his enemies."

"The Young Master cares a lot about how others see him. I should promise him a grand future where he can hold his head high and impress everyone."

These psychological insights, juxtaposed with the actual dialogue between Maid Xiao Suo and Young Master Mu, forced Ren Suo to see her in a new light: So, you're not just flat-chested and seemingly ditzy—you're actually quite the manipulator!

Does Krypton Gold really increase one's Wisdom?

And at the very bottom of the entry was a line in lighter ink: "The Young Master has nowhere to stay. He'll definitely be furious tonight; he hates being sweaty and smelly."

When Ren Suo clicked it, the text changed to: "Better find him a kennel quickly, and one where he can bathe."

Ren Suo blinked. He realized he had to complete the sub-quest of finding a residence quickly. Not only did lacking one lower the Demon Lord's mood during rest, but if Young Master Mu couldn't bathe because they had nowhere to stay overnight, his mood would likely plummet further.

This Young Master Mu is so fussy, like a pampered princess, with so many trivial concerns!

But Young Master Mu was the protagonist, so Ren Suo had no choice but to cater to his whims.

Thinking of this, Ren Suo suddenly missed the Rebels. Ignoring the fact that he himself was a Rebel, the in-game Rebels were quite fun to play with; he could manipulate them however he pleased.

Both were protagonists, yet their gameplay styles were completely different.

However, after reloading, Ren Suo reconsidered. He chose not to 'Find Residence' but to continue with 'Investigate.'

He meticulously noted down which locations needed to be investigated at night, which during the day, which required return visits after a few days, and which didn't need investigating at all. He also recorded the clue progress gained from each point, constantly reloading and retrying.

Although there was no explicit time limit in the game, Ren Suo knew from the hints that the sooner Young Master Mu found the mastermind Behind the Scenes and purified the Resentment he carried, the higher his chances of clearing the game and the better his final evaluation would be.

Therefore, not a single one of Young Master Mu's action turns could be wasted.

Ren Suo remembered the hint in the 'Find Residence' sub-quest: 'This quest might be completed incidentally during an investigation.'

To achieve a Perfect start in the early game, Ren Suo now needed to identify an 'investigation point' that would also allow him to find a residence, thus saving a turn.

A single turn shouldn't be underestimated. If he ended up just one turn short of clearing the game later, he'd have to restart, which would be a devastating waste of effort.

After investigating all thirty-three points, Ren Suo found that none of them triggered the 'Find Residence' sub-quest. However, he did discover nine points where clues could be obtained on the first day.

Ren Suo started thinking like a true Player: If a Perfect start existed, then the 'Find Residence' quest must be completable on the first day. Otherwise, a homeless Young Master Mu would inevitably become Super Depressed after a night on the streets.

Was it possible that the quest couldn't be completed incidentally on the first day, meaning there was no Perfect start?

Impossible. Young Master Mu was the protagonist.

And protagonists represented fortuitous coincidences and blessings in disguise!

However, after investigating all thirty-three points at night, Ren Suo realized he still hadn't triggered any special scenarios...

Ren Suo smacked his head. He used 'Struggle Warrior (Incomplete)' to summon a clone for thorough cleaning and to fetch him a packed meal from the cafeteria. Then, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat, he tried again!

He refused to believe there wasn't a Perfect start. Perhaps different combinations of daytime and nighttime investigation points triggered the special scenarios?

After dozens of attempts, Ren Suo had nearly memorized the details of all thirty-three investigation points. He played until his clone finished cleaning, emptied his basin of foot-washing water, and departed. Finally, Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo triggered a special scenario!

It was investigation point #26, at night!

But Ren Suo had already investigated this point three times at night! The previous daytime investigations leading to it were points #4, #8, and #31. This time, the daytime point was #30!

Finally, his persistence paid off! Ren Suo, burning with curiosity about how the special scenario was triggered, compared the details of the daytime investigation at point #30 with the previous ones that led to point #26 at night, but he spotted no obvious differences in the investigation content itself.

However, when he compared their locations on the map, he quickly noticed what made point #30 different this time—

Oh. My. God!

Investigation point #30... was the farthest from point #26!

So Ren Suo hurriedly tested his theory. He chose investigation point #5 during the day (which was roughly in the same distant area as point #30) and then investigated point #26 at night... Sure enough, it triggered the special scenario again!

Ren Suo, completely dumbfounded, felt like banging his head on the desk.

He had discovered another hidden rule in the game:

Although the game stated that Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo acted during 'daytime' and 'nighttime,' it never specified the exact *time* of these actions.

Investigating at 9 PM was 'nighttime,' and investigating at 4 AM was *also* 'nighttime'!

This meant their daytime activities directly influenced the *actual time* of their nighttime investigations.

Because point #30 was so far from point #26, after investigating #30 during the day, it took the pair a long time to travel to #26. Consequently, they arrived at point #26 very late at night, and *that* was what triggered the special scenario!

Having figured this out, Ren Suo thought that if he always aimed for the optimal action each turn, considering travel time, the 20-day gameplay limit might genuinely not be enough...

In the end, Ren Suo naturally chose to load the save from the point #30 (daytime) -> point #26 (nighttime) sequence, especially since investigating point #30 during the day had increased the total clue progress by 0.8%.

After loading the save, Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo arrived outside investigation point #26, a place that resembled a warehouse.

Before they could enter the warehouse, two figures appeared on the road, clearly a man and a woman.

The man strolled leisurely. The woman, clad in a gorgeous robe and quite beautiful, was desperately trying to flee. However, she ran slowly, her face flushed, gasping for breath every few steps, her legs seemingly weak and trembling.

"You can't escape!" the man declared arrogantly. "You've been hit by my poison gas! You must mate with me and absorb my male essence to counteract the poison!"

Sure enough, as she ran, the girl collapsed. Spotting Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo, she let out a soft, alluring cry, like a kitten. A dialogue box appeared: "Save... save me..."

Upon seeing Young Master Mu and Xiao Suo, the man's face instantly twisted into a ferocious snarl. Black flames erupted around him as he charged, bellowing, "Anyone who obstructs me from mating with beautiful girls must die!"

The game immediately entered battle mode. Ren Suo blinked, had Young Master Mu casually unleash a few Skills, and quickly dispatched the man.

So weak.

After all, as a Demon Lord capable of contending with the Six Major Factions, taking down such a worthless mook was a breeze.

After the battle, Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo walked over to the girl.

Young Master Mu asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

Maid Xiao Suo added, "Wake up! You'll catch a cold sleeping on the street... Huh?!"

The girl, seemingly delirious, clung to Maid Xiao Suo like a snake. Her voice was so seductive it made Ren Suo instinctively glance towards his room door—Hmm, Little Jiu isn't home from school yet.

Young Master Mu said to Maid Xiao Suo, "It seems that man was cultivating some Evil Technique. He released a poison gas that women find irresistible, which confuses their minds. They must then mate with a man to be cured. I think, perhaps..."

Maid Xiao Suo hastily interjected, "How could such a bizarre poison exist! That pervert must have been spouting nonsense. Why not just... lend her a hand to relieve it?"

Young Master Mu patted Maid Xiao Suo's shoulder. "Better safe than sorry. The Martial World is filled with countless unorthodox and strange techniques. What if merely 'lending a hand' only makes the poison flare up and harms her? I think, perhaps..."

Maid Xiao Suo quickly grabbed Young Master Mu's hand. "Don't worry! I have special Healing techniques that can cure this kind of poison! Mating isn't necessary for detoxification!"

Young Master Mu narrowed his eyes. "Really? I still feel the traditional Healing method might be better..."

Maid Xiao Suo insisted, "Really! It's absolutely effective."

At this point, two options appeared in the game: "Choose the traditional Healing method." or "Choose the Healing method provided by Xiao Suo."

Ren Suo blinked and chose the first option: 'Choose the traditional Healing method.'

The next second, a game prompt immediately appeared: "For special reasons, Young Master Mu's mood has changed to 'Super Depressed.'"

Ren Suo quickly reloaded his save and chose the second option: 'Choose the Healing method provided by Xiao Suo.'

This time, there was no mood-drop prompt. However, Ren Suo was puzzled: Why would offering the protagonist such a "perk" actually lower his mood?

Wasn't he more inclined towards the 'traditional Healing method'? Why say one thing and feel another? His words were eager, but his feelings were clearly not!

And what was with this Maid? Normally, shouldn't the man step up and offer his "sword" to help the poor girl suffering from the poison?!

Why are *you* so proficient in detoxifying Healing techniques!

Aren't you supposed to be diligently serving Young Master Mu? Won't you annoy him by interfering like this?

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