After the wound on her arm healed, Gu Jiu didn’t rush to leave Boundless City.
Currently, they were in the Star Zone 98 of Boundless City. The time in the Star Zone 98 coincided with Gu Jiu’s real world, and it happened to be night. The streetlights stretched on endlessly, enveloping the entire zone.
For this reason, Gu Jiu always chose to enter Boundless City from the Star Zone 98.
Gu Jiu asked, “Ah Ji, do you know where I can buy items in Boundless City?”
“What kind of items are you looking for?” Lu Ji inquired, explaining the types of items players could purchase within Boundless City.
“There are many places selling items here, but most are just basic trinkets with limited use. Those rare and highly functional items are usually held by certain powerful players in Boundless City, and they’re rarely offered for sale.”
In Boundless City, items are categorized into two types.
One type is generated by the game world’s rules. These items are not only rare but also highly practical, suitable for players to take into the game world for use. The other type consists of items crafted by players using their own awakened abilities, such as the paper objects created by Lu Ji’s paper manipulation ability. The strength of these items varies, depending on the skill of the player who made them.
Items generated by the game world’s rules are expensive, usually sold in the game’s marketplace, or occasionally resold by players who find them redundant.
Such items aren’t easily found in shops around Boundless City; without specific connections, they’re challenging to acquire.
On the other hand, items made by players are plentiful in Boundless City’s shops, with a wide variety to choose from, though most have limited practical value. The more powerful items have already been picked up by discerning players.
Gu Jiu said, “I’m looking for protective charms.”
Lu Ji’s heart skipped a beat. “You want them for friends or family in the real world?”
“Yes.”
Gu Jiu smiled and candidly shared a brief summary of the situation she was facing in the real world with Lu Ji.
Although they hadn’t known each other long, they had built a certain level of trust after going through four games together. Gu Jiu trusted Lu Ji, a trust that came from an instinctive sense players seemed to share. She didn’t know if other players experienced this, but for her, it was real.
Beyond trusting Lu Ji, Gu Jiu had also realized that she and Lu Ji came from different realities.
Non-high-level players couldn’t easily cross into other worlds, so she didn’t worry about revealing details of her reality to Lu Ji.
Learning that the Chen family also had a player, and that they’d entered the Multiverse Game World a year before her, Gu Jiu showed no outward reaction, though inwardly, she was on guard.
She was wary of the Chen family making moves against the Gu family, and equally cautious of the Chen family’s player using their abilities to threaten her family.
So, she aimed to ensure her family’s safety instead of relying on the Chen family player’s goodwill to spare her family.
Earlier, with insufficient points, she hadn’t had many options, simply keeping a close watch on her world and her family. Now, with nearly three thousand points, she could finally buy some protective charms for her family.
This was also why she hadn’t hastily bought other items before.
Understanding Gu Jiu’s intention, Lu Ji said, “It doesn’t have to be so complicated.”
“Hm?” Gu Jiu looked at her, puzzled.
“If you’re looking for protective charms, my paper creations can do the job,” Lu Ji explained. After a pause, she continued, “I’m a Class C player now, so my paper creations are quite versatile and can function in the real world. I can make several small paper figures for you; you can hide them around the Gu family estate or on your family members themselves. These little paper figures will protect them for you.”
Gu Jiu was pleasantly surprised but didn’t immediately accept.
“Would that be too much trouble for you? Does making these paper figures drain a lot of your energy?”
“No, it’s just a matter of folding a few little figures.”
Lu Ji found it no trouble at all and was eager for Gu Jiu to agree. The chance to do something for her filled him with happiness—well, extreme happiness.
“Then let me buy them from you,” Gu Jiu said with a smile. “Didn’t you plan to sell your paper creations in Boundless City to save up points to buy a house? I’ll buy them at your regular price.”
Lu Ji hesitated. “…That could work.”
Though he wanted to give them to Gu Jiu as a gift, he realized it might be inappropriate, so he mentioned a low figure—200 points for a whole set of paper creations.
Gu Jiu: “….”
Even if she didn’t know the usual price of player-made items in Boundless City, she knew that Lu Ji was giving her a bargain.
She felt deeply touched, thinking Lu Ji truly was a sweet, thoughtful little angel. Knowing that Gu Jiu was short on points, she was basically giving her a massive discount on these protective charms.
Stepping forward, Gu Jiu hugged the girl’s slender frame, saying warmly, “Ah Ji, thank you.”
She silently vowed to repay Lu Ji one day, once she was in a position to do so.
As he felt Gu Jiu’s gentle embrace, every spot where their bodies touched felt as if it were set aflame. Lu Ji’s face flushed red, his heart pounding to the point he felt it might explode. He wondered if this was what humans called “heart disease.”
“N-No need to thank me. Aren’t we friends?”
Gu Jiu hugged her tightly, nodding. “Yes, we’re friends.”
While Lu Ji felt a surge of joy at Gu Jiu acknowledging him as a friend, there was also a faint sense of loss. Somehow, being just friends didn’t seem to be what he truly wanted…
Returning to the dark palace, Lu Ji shed his disguise as a girl, reverting to his true male form.
Seated on the shadowed throne, he stared blankly into the void beyond the palace walls, his gaze distant.
He thought back to the days after meeting Gu Jiu. The monotony of his dark world had finally shifted, introducing color and excitement. For the first time, he realized that humans could be fascinating. It was as if his once-shadowed world had suddenly burst with vivid hues, changing everything, infusing his life with new meaning. Even when he entered those oppressive game worlds that often drove him to the brink of destruction, he no longer felt the same overwhelming despair.
What kind of relationship did he want with her, anyway?
Friend? Partner? Or… lover?
The last word brought a faint blush to his pale, sickly face, and a dark ripple flickered in his shadowed eyes.
Just then, a small paper frog leapt from the void, landing in front of him.
At the moment, the man wasn’t in the mood to deal with the paper frog. He waved it aside, letting it perch quietly, while he continued to ponder his feelings.
In his contemplation, a rather serious question suddenly came to mind.
“Does she like women… or men?”
He mulled over this dilemma while pulling out a sheet of blue paper and starting to fold another creation.
Unfortunately, even after an assortment of paper creatures had piled up around his feet, he hadn’t arrived at a clear answer.
—
The next morning, when Gu Jiu got up, she took out the paper figures.
Lu Ji had given her so many paper creations that it looked like a bundle of about thirty. The Gu family wasn’t large, so each person could have several of these protective charms nearby.
Looking at the bundle of little paper figures, Gu Jiu couldn’t help but chuckle.
In the end, she took out twenty of them.
Though these figures were made of light paper, when she placed them on the table, they stood steadily, bowing politely in her direction with a charming, respectful demeanor.
These paper figures were blue, unlike the usual white ones that Lu Ji used. She wondered when he had folded them—perhaps he had put special care into this batch for her.
On the backs of fourteen paper figures, Gu Jiu wrote the names of her family members.
There were eight members of the Gu family, excluding herself. Each person would have two of these paper figures by their side for protection.
“You are to follow them. If there is any danger, make sure to keep them safe.”
The fourteen little paper figures bowed again and nimbly leapt off the table, joining hands as they climbed out the window.
The remaining six paper figures, Gu Jiu placed around the Gu family villa to guard the home.
With that done, Gu Jiu stretched lazily, opened her door, and headed out.
It was a weekday, so most of her family members had gone to work, school, or to meet friends. Only Gu Jiu and the housekeeper remained at home.
After breakfast, Gu Jiu excused herself to her room to study, locking the door behind her before entering Boundless City.
Having just finished a Class C game, she had ten days to rest if she didn’t want to enter another game world.
Although Gu Jiu felt fine, she knew her physique and combat skills still had room for improvement. Rather than pushing herself too hard, she decided to spend this rest period in the training grounds.
She had noticed the significant benefits of training in Boundless City’s arena. Her physical strength and combat skills had improved rapidly. With her current abilities, she could easily take on dozens of strong men in the real world.
When she arrived at the training grounds in the Star Zone 98, she found Lu Ji already waiting there.
“Ah Ji, you’re here early!” Gu Jiu greeted her with a bright smile.
“I just got here,” Lu Ji replied.
Gu Jiu was used to her friend’s quiet nature. While she herself wasn’t one to ramble, she had a natural ability to keep conversations flowing when building relationships, making people feel comfortable and captivated by her gentle voice.
Today, however, Gu Jiu noticed that something was off with Lu Ji. She seemed distracted and lost in thought several times.
“Ah Ji, is something wrong?”
Lu Ji lowered his gaze, still struggling internally. He wanted to ask if Gu Jiu preferred men or women, but he knew he had no grounds to ask such a question now—it would only raise her suspicions.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiu noticed Lu Ji’s choice of attire today: the same pure white dress with a sweet, feminine style. She recalled something she had mentioned earlier and beamed. “Let’s go shopping for clothes together this afternoon. I’ll make sure you look stunning. Our Ah Ji is already so pretty; a little styling, and you’ll be the cutest girl around.”
Lu Ji: “…”
For a moment, he regretted appearing before her in a female form.
At noon, Gu Jiu went home to have lunch with her grandmother, then hurried back to Boundless City and whisked Lu Ji off for a shopping spree.
Boundless City was filled with skyscrapers and shopping centers that rivaled the malls in the real world. If not for the eternally starry sky above, one could easily mistake it for an ordinary city.
Once inside the shopping complex, Gu Jiu pulled Lu Ji straight to the clothing section.
The variety of clothes here was astounding, with styles spanning ancient, modern, and foreign fashions, as well as outfits from fantasy novels, comics, anime, and even futuristic designs. It was dizzying to take in.
And the prices were exceptionally low. Even real-world designer brands only cost a single point, with the highest items priced at ten points.
Points served as the universal currency in Boundless City and could be used for almost anything.
With her impeccable taste and keen eye for style, Gu Jiu quickly picked out pieces that suited Lu Ji, piling a collection of cute, feminine outfits into her arms. “Ah Ji, try these on. I know you’ll look amazing!”
Lu Ji: “…”
Seeing her bright, gentle smile, Lu Ji couldn’t bear to disappoint her and reluctantly headed off to try on the clothes.
He didn’t particularly mind wearing men’s or women’s clothing; he had chosen to disguise himself as female because, in the game world, a female identity often attracted less attention, allowing him to blend in more easily with other players. In fact, he found some feminine outfits quite pleasant, and playing the role of a girl came naturally to him without any mental discomfort.
However, now that he’d realized he had a strong interest in Gu Jiu and wanted to be close to her—perhaps even as close as a romantic couple—he began to hesitate.
It wasn’t that he had any particular problem with presenting as either gender, but without knowing her preference, he didn’t want to commit himself to one identity. If she preferred men, he would want her to know that he could be the kind of man she desired.
And if she liked women, then he could stay in this female form.
In the end, it didn’t matter which gender she liked—he could be either for her.