Chapter 120: Parent-child Paradise
“Of course.”
The staff member in a tortoiseshell cat outfit bent down and politely replied.
Emerging from behind the counter, they reached out and took Wen Jianyan’s hand, leading him toward the room.
Wen Ya and Yun Bilan stood by the counter, watching the two figures move away. Soon, the big and small figures disappeared from their sight.
“Is it really okay to let him go in alone like this?” Yun Bilan worriedly furrowed her brows.
“You don’t really think of him as a child, do you?” Wen Ya responded, “He must be confident to do this. Don’t worry.”
Although she said this, Wen Ya’s gaze remained fixed in the direction the two had disappeared, looking particularly alert.
Time passed, second by second.
Just as both of them were growing anxious, footsteps echoed again.
A young boy with slender legs came bouncing into view. He was carrying a Mr. Ribbit plush toy in his arms. The green cartoon frog wasn’t big and seemed to match his size perfectly.
Seeing Wen Jianyan safely reappear, both of them let out a subtle sigh of relief.
Although they knew that in terms of mental age, he might be more mature than anyone else, watching such an eleven or twelve-year-old child go on an adventure still made them feel quite nervous.
“Did you get it?” Wen Ya’s inquisitive gaze paused for a moment on the Mr. Ribbit plush toy in Wen Jianyan’s arms.
“Yeah.”
Wen Jianyan rejoined the group with quick steps and calmly answered.
He held the plush toy in one arm and turned his head, bending his pair of amber round eyes toward the tortoiseshell cat who had brought him in. His voice was soft and sweet, just like a real twelve-year-old boy’s:
“Thank you, big brother. Goodbye, big brother.”
The cat staff member blinked, instinctively raised a hand, and waved at him.
The “Integrity First” live broadcast room had exploded once when Wen Jianyan had just transformed into a child, and now it exploded again:
[!!! Who can handle this? Who can handle this!]
[Darn it, this dog liar is way too skilled at pretending to be a child!]
[I know he’s faking that obedient and sweet look, but I still!! Can’t resist!! Getting hooked!! (50 reward points)]
[Sob sob sob, I can easily ‘rua’ (tickle) ten of these small dog liars!]
A deeper smile tugged at the corner of Wen Jianyan’s lips. He turned around and walked toward the exit of the shop.
Soon, the group left the gift shop and met up with Elise and Blond waiting outside.
Elise still maintained her original form, while Blond had also transformed into an eleven or twelve-year-old, just like Wen Jianyan.
He had a head of fluffy blonde hair, resembling a baby chick’s feathers, and his face was pouting. However, no matter what, he couldn’t escape Elise’s pinching and head-rubbing magic claws.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm, spare me…”
Blond looked at his teammates with a pleading expression.
“Ahem,” realizing that the others had returned, Elise let go with an innocent look on her face, “Did it go smoothly?”
“Of course,” Yun Bilan nodded.
With teary eyes, Blond rubbed his reddened cheeks that had been pinched and quickly moved closer to Wen Jianyan, seeking protection.
Wen Jianyan paid him no attention.
He merely lowered his gaze, looking thoroughly at the Mr. Ribbit plush toy frog in his hands.
Due to the significant change in their sizes this time, the adult-sized clothing from before was completely unusable. So, this time, the two of them exchanged for children’s clothing from the system’s lifestyle store, which fit them reasonably well.
The previously cute and obedient expression had vanished from his face as if it had never appeared, leaving only an age-inappropriate depth.
The Mr. Ribbit plush toy he had obtained was just as he had imagined.
It was a humanoid green frog with droopy arms and legs and a silly cartoon head bearing a goofy smile.
He unfolded the invoice, revealing the familiar blank space on it.
The biggest reason he had swallowed his nausea and spent points in the food section, knowing the syrup’s ingredients, was because of this plush toy.
Based on previous experience, all the plush toys in the gift section had corresponding effects. And since Mr. Ribbit, as a “frog” figure, was the core of the entire instance, even if obtaining it had such stringent conditions and might even be dangerous, Wen Jianyan felt he must get his hands on one.
After all, opportunity always coexists with risk.
Curiously, Yun Bilan asked, “How much does it cost?”
Wen Jianyan replied, “10 coupons.”
—Which was the same as the prices of other plush toys before the price hike.
“So… have you figured out any clues?” The other party continued to inquire.
“Not yet,” Wen Jianyan replied.
Wen Jianyan shook his head.
He tucked the plush toy into his bag. “Based on past experiences, we’ll only know its use when the time comes.”
“Now we can go to the Kid’s zone.”
This was the second reason he had chosen to spend points in the food section.
Since this instance had a kid’s zone and a stimulating park with height restrictions, along with the setting of the anchors’ ages being reduced, it was logical to deduce that there might be an activity specifically for kids in there. This could potentially be the key to the entire instance.
However, to avoid misjudgment, Wen Jianyan took precautions.
Putting all your eggs in one basket was unwise, so the team couldn’t be entirely composed of children or entirely of adults.
For the sake of caution, despite Blond’s nearly negligible combat strength and his ineffective protests, the group forcefully administered syrup to him, transforming him into a child.
Furthermore, apart from the syrup used to save Lilith, Wen Jianyan filled another bottle to use in case the advantage of child-sized forms was lost.
“Let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan raised his head and said seriously, “We need to check out the kid’s zone before the festooned vehicle parade arrives.”
The young boy lifted his furry head. In the sunlight, his slim arms and legs were so pale in his short-sleeved shirt and shorts that they seemed to gleam. His amber eyes drooped slightly, and the soft cheeks on both sides of his face were plump. Even though his expression was calm and composed, he still…
Seemed excessively pinchable.
Yun Bilan couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching his cheek.
“…” Wen Jianyan’s face remained expressionless. “You do know I’m not really twelve, right?”
Yun Bilan sheepishly retracted her hand, cleared her throat, and shifted her gaze. “Well, it’s mainly because you’re really cute.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Aaaaaah, let him go, let me pinch him!! (50 reward points)]
[Aaaaaaah, indeed indeed indeed!!]
[Hey, no cutting in line ahead! I was here first!! (100 reward points)]
Wen Jianyan was not easy to provoke, but Blond was much easier.
Having been beaten up before, Blond had already learned that the woman in front of him was tough to deal with. He could only endure with tears in his eyes as she flattened and rounded his cheeks.
After a brief pause, the group walked quickly toward the direction marked as the Kid’s Paradise on the map.
The Kid’s Zone was on the west side of the entire Fantasy amusement park. Perhaps due to the leisure area’s vast size, the journey to the kid’s zone was slightly longer than the other two areas.
Soon, the words “Kid’s Zone” appeared before their eyes.
The style of this area was completely different from the other two areas. It was more colorful and dreamy, with various fairy-tale characters painted everywhere. Staff members dressed in fluffy outfits walked around to cheerful music.
The anchors who could still maintain their adult form at this point were either exceptionally skilled and difficult to provoke or had an aggressive attack style. Either way, it wasn’t a good idea to provoke them.
Unlike the other two areas, there were no signs with rules posted outside the kid’s zone.
The group exchanged surprised glances and stepped into the area.
There weren’t many people in here, and one could even consider it sparsely populated. Obviously, after such a long “playtime,” there weren’t many anchors left alive. Moreover, they had all experienced some degree of age reduction. This made Yun Bilan, Elise, and Wen Ya, who hadn’t reduced in size, particularly conspicuous.
Subtle, scrutinizing gazes came from all directions.
Wen Jianyan turned his head to look at the sky, estimating the time.
Since this was the final stop of the parade, the procession should arrive in no more than twenty minutes.
He retracted his gaze, surveying the entire area.
Soon, Wen Jianyan’s gaze landed on a particular attraction, and involuntarily, he paused.
This attraction was located within a tall building, and the sign depicted a huge smiling face with colorful lights beside it. The words “Parent-Child Paradise” were written in vibrant colors.
The others followed Wen Jianyan’s gaze and also hesitated.
“Wait, isn’t this the smiling face drawn on the map?” Yun Bilan widened her eyes slightly. “Could it be that the director’s office is inside?”
“Maybe.”
Wen Jianyan nodded. “Let’s go check it out.”
The team headed in the direction of “Parent-Child Paradise.”
Unexpectedly, there were no rule signs even outside this attraction. The sign next to it only had a sentence written on it: “This attraction is open to parents and children only. One child can bring in two adults.”
So that’s how it was.
The group displayed looks of realization.
Fortunately, Wen Jianyan had predicted this beforehand; otherwise, they might not even be able to enter this attraction now.
Although they had long witnessed how capable the other party’s mind was, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect.
This foresight was truly impressive!
Wen Jianyan lowered his gaze in contemplation for a while before speaking, “I suggest we split into teams.”
“Blond’s team can stay here to wait for the parade, and my team will enter the attraction to search for the director’s office.” He looked up, his eyes shining brightly. “You can decide for yourselves.”
“I’ve already completed four attractions. This is my last one.”
After Wen Jianyan finished speaking, he fell silent, leaving room for everyone in front of him to think.
Splitting into teams was necessary.
If everyone entered the “Parent-Child Paradise,” they might miss the parade in case of unforeseeable circumstances inside, and rescuing Lilith would become nearly impossible.
Blond had to be on the team outside because only he had the ability to spot Lilith in the crowd.
From the situations since entering the fantasy amusement park, it was clear that Wen Jianyan had significantly increased the team’s survival rate. Following him, danger and safety coexisted, giving people a sense of security of relying on a big shot.
If the other party completed this attraction, left the park, and time gradually approached closing hours, the difficulty would only increase, and the survival rate of those left behind would greatly diminish.
So, the options before them now were:
Who was willing to waste one of their attraction attempts waiting here for the parade to arrive?
Yun Bilan surveyed her surroundings and was the first to speak, “I and Elise will stay.”
Wen Ya was startled and turned to look.
“Have you only completed three attractions?” Yun Bilan looked at Wen Ya with clear eyes. “I and Elise have already completed four, leaving only the last one. Lilith has completed even fewer attractions. If we take over this project, your chances of survival will significantly decrease. So, you better seize this opportunity to complete the mission and save your resources for later survival.”
“Thank you.”
Wen Ya took a deep breath and shook her head. “But there’s no need.”
Everyone was taken aback.
“If I go in, the gap in the number of completed attractions between me and Lilith will widen further. She’s alone and might not make it,” Wen Ya said calmly, “You guys are not related to her by blood or anything, yet you’ve accompanied me all the way here to save her. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this during my time in the Nightmare, and I’m really grateful for it. But it’s impossible for me to delay your progress just because of this.”
“Furthermore—”
Amusement gleamed in Wen Ya’s eyes as she turned to look at Wen Jianyan, the strange trickster who completed three instances and achieved Platinum achievements three times, who deceived her and saved her again and again.
She said, “Sometimes, unconditionally trusting others isn’t a bad feeling.”
The main line task of the instance wasn’t mandatory.
If the hidden main line of the instance was cleared, the instance would immediately close, even if the anchors within hadn’t completed their task, and they would still clear the instance.
If it were the usual, Wen Ya would never hold such faint fantasies.
She never believed in miracles.
But for some reason, she had a premonition.
This seemingly harmless little boy in front of her…
Perhaps, he could really change the situation.
The author has something to say:
Before—
Wen Ya: “You dog liar, go die!”
Later—
Wen Ya: “Are you from the Victim’s Association? I’ll pay double the fee!” (Generous)
Chapter 120: Parent-child Paradise
“Of course.”
The staff member in a tortoiseshell cat outfit bent down and politely replied.
Emerging from behind the counter, they reached out and took Wen Jianyan’s hand, leading him toward the room.
Wen Ya and Yun Bilan stood by the counter, watching the two figures move away. Soon, the big and small figures disappeared from their sight.
“Is it really okay to let him go in alone like this?” Yun Bilan worriedly furrowed her brows.
“You don’t really think of him as a child, do you?” Wen Ya responded, “He must be confident to do this. Don’t worry.”
Although she said this, Wen Ya’s gaze remained fixed in the direction the two had disappeared, looking particularly alert.
Time passed, second by second.
Just as both of them were growing anxious, footsteps echoed again.
A young boy with slender legs came bouncing into view. He was carrying a Mr. Ribbit plush toy in his arms. The green cartoon frog wasn’t big and seemed to match his size perfectly.
Seeing Wen Jianyan safely reappear, both of them let out a subtle sigh of relief.
Although they knew that in terms of mental age, he might be more mature than anyone else, watching such an eleven or twelve-year-old child go on an adventure still made them feel quite nervous.
“Did you get it?” Wen Ya’s inquisitive gaze paused for a moment on the Mr. Ribbit plush toy in Wen Jianyan’s arms.
“Yeah.”
Wen Jianyan rejoined the group with quick steps and calmly answered.
He held the plush toy in one arm and turned his head, bending his pair of amber round eyes toward the tortoiseshell cat who had brought him in. His voice was soft and sweet, just like a real twelve-year-old boy’s:
“Thank you, big brother. Goodbye, big brother.”
The cat staff member blinked, instinctively raised a hand, and waved at him.
The “Integrity First” live broadcast room had exploded once when Wen Jianyan had just transformed into a child, and now it exploded again:
[!!! Who can handle this? Who can handle this!]
[Darn it, this dog liar is way too skilled at pretending to be a child!]
[I know he’s faking that obedient and sweet look, but I still!! Can’t resist!! Getting hooked!! (50 reward points)]
[Sob sob sob, I can easily ‘rua’ (tickle) ten of these small dog liars!]
A deeper smile tugged at the corner of Wen Jianyan’s lips. He turned around and walked toward the exit of the shop.
Soon, the group left the gift shop and met up with Elise and Blond waiting outside.
Elise still maintained her original form, while Blond had also transformed into an eleven or twelve-year-old, just like Wen Jianyan.
He had a head of fluffy blonde hair, resembling a baby chick’s feathers, and his face was pouting. However, no matter what, he couldn’t escape Elise’s pinching and head-rubbing magic claws.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm, spare me…”
Blond looked at his teammates with a pleading expression.
“Ahem,” realizing that the others had returned, Elise let go with an innocent look on her face, “Did it go smoothly?”
“Of course,” Yun Bilan nodded.
With teary eyes, Blond rubbed his reddened cheeks that had been pinched and quickly moved closer to Wen Jianyan, seeking protection.
Wen Jianyan paid him no attention.
He merely lowered his gaze, looking thoroughly at the Mr. Ribbit plush toy frog in his hands.
Due to the significant change in their sizes this time, the adult-sized clothing from before was completely unusable. So, this time, the two of them exchanged for children’s clothing from the system’s lifestyle store, which fit them reasonably well.
The previously cute and obedient expression had vanished from his face as if it had never appeared, leaving only an age-inappropriate depth.
The Mr. Ribbit plush toy he had obtained was just as he had imagined.
It was a humanoid green frog with droopy arms and legs and a silly cartoon head bearing a goofy smile.
He unfolded the invoice, revealing the familiar blank space on it.
The biggest reason he had swallowed his nausea and spent points in the food section, knowing the syrup’s ingredients, was because of this plush toy.
Based on previous experience, all the plush toys in the gift section had corresponding effects. And since Mr. Ribbit, as a “frog” figure, was the core of the entire instance, even if obtaining it had such stringent conditions and might even be dangerous, Wen Jianyan felt he must get his hands on one.
After all, opportunity always coexists with risk.
Curiously, Yun Bilan asked, “How much does it cost?”
Wen Jianyan replied, “10 coupons.”
—Which was the same as the prices of other plush toys before the price hike.
“So… have you figured out any clues?” The other party continued to inquire.
“Not yet,” Wen Jianyan replied.
Wen Jianyan shook his head.
He tucked the plush toy into his bag. “Based on past experiences, we’ll only know its use when the time comes.”
“Now we can go to the Kid’s zone.”
This was the second reason he had chosen to spend points in the food section.
Since this instance had a kid’s zone and a stimulating park with height restrictions, along with the setting of the anchors’ ages being reduced, it was logical to deduce that there might be an activity specifically for kids in there. This could potentially be the key to the entire instance.
However, to avoid misjudgment, Wen Jianyan took precautions.
Putting all your eggs in one basket was unwise, so the team couldn’t be entirely composed of children or entirely of adults.
For the sake of caution, despite Blond’s nearly negligible combat strength and his ineffective protests, the group forcefully administered syrup to him, transforming him into a child.
Furthermore, apart from the syrup used to save Lilith, Wen Jianyan filled another bottle to use in case the advantage of child-sized forms was lost.
“Let’s go.”
Wen Jianyan raised his head and said seriously, “We need to check out the kid’s zone before the festooned vehicle parade arrives.”
The young boy lifted his furry head. In the sunlight, his slim arms and legs were so pale in his short-sleeved shirt and shorts that they seemed to gleam. His amber eyes drooped slightly, and the soft cheeks on both sides of his face were plump. Even though his expression was calm and composed, he still…
Seemed excessively pinchable.
Yun Bilan couldn’t resist reaching out and pinching his cheek.
“…” Wen Jianyan’s face remained expressionless. “You do know I’m not really twelve, right?”
Yun Bilan sheepishly retracted her hand, cleared her throat, and shifted her gaze. “Well, it’s mainly because you’re really cute.”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Aaaaaah, let him go, let me pinch him!! (50 reward points)]
[Aaaaaaah, indeed indeed indeed!!]
[Hey, no cutting in line ahead! I was here first!! (100 reward points)]
Wen Jianyan was not easy to provoke, but Blond was much easier.
Having been beaten up before, Blond had already learned that the woman in front of him was tough to deal with. He could only endure with tears in his eyes as she flattened and rounded his cheeks.
After a brief pause, the group walked quickly toward the direction marked as the Kid’s Paradise on the map.
The Kid’s Zone was on the west side of the entire Fantasy amusement park. Perhaps due to the leisure area’s vast size, the journey to the kid’s zone was slightly longer than the other two areas.
Soon, the words “Kid’s Zone” appeared before their eyes.
The style of this area was completely different from the other two areas. It was more colorful and dreamy, with various fairy-tale characters painted everywhere. Staff members dressed in fluffy outfits walked around to cheerful music.
The anchors who could still maintain their adult form at this point were either exceptionally skilled and difficult to provoke or had an aggressive attack style. Either way, it wasn’t a good idea to provoke them.
Unlike the other two areas, there were no signs with rules posted outside the kid’s zone.
The group exchanged surprised glances and stepped into the area.
There weren’t many people in here, and one could even consider it sparsely populated. Obviously, after such a long “playtime,” there weren’t many anchors left alive. Moreover, they had all experienced some degree of age reduction. This made Yun Bilan, Elise, and Wen Ya, who hadn’t reduced in size, particularly conspicuous.
Subtle, scrutinizing gazes came from all directions.
Wen Jianyan turned his head to look at the sky, estimating the time.
Since this was the final stop of the parade, the procession should arrive in no more than twenty minutes.
He retracted his gaze, surveying the entire area.
Soon, Wen Jianyan’s gaze landed on a particular attraction, and involuntarily, he paused.
This attraction was located within a tall building, and the sign depicted a huge smiling face with colorful lights beside it. The words “Parent-Child Paradise” were written in vibrant colors.
The others followed Wen Jianyan’s gaze and also hesitated.
“Wait, isn’t this the smiling face drawn on the map?” Yun Bilan widened her eyes slightly. “Could it be that the director’s office is inside?”
“Maybe.”
Wen Jianyan nodded. “Let’s go check it out.”
The team headed in the direction of “Parent-Child Paradise.”
Unexpectedly, there were no rule signs even outside this attraction. The sign next to it only had a sentence written on it: “This attraction is open to parents and children only. One child can bring in two adults.”
So that’s how it was.
The group displayed looks of realization.
Fortunately, Wen Jianyan had predicted this beforehand; otherwise, they might not even be able to enter this attraction now.
Although they had long witnessed how capable the other party’s mind was, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect.
This foresight was truly impressive!
Wen Jianyan lowered his gaze in contemplation for a while before speaking, “I suggest we split into teams.”
“Blond’s team can stay here to wait for the parade, and my team will enter the attraction to search for the director’s office.” He looked up, his eyes shining brightly. “You can decide for yourselves.”
“I’ve already completed four attractions. This is my last one.”
After Wen Jianyan finished speaking, he fell silent, leaving room for everyone in front of him to think.
Splitting into teams was necessary.
If everyone entered the “Parent-Child Paradise,” they might miss the parade in case of unforeseeable circumstances inside, and rescuing Lilith would become nearly impossible.
Blond had to be on the team outside because only he had the ability to spot Lilith in the crowd.
From the situations since entering the fantasy amusement park, it was clear that Wen Jianyan had significantly increased the team’s survival rate. Following him, danger and safety coexisted, giving people a sense of security of relying on a big shot.
If the other party completed this attraction, left the park, and time gradually approached closing hours, the difficulty would only increase, and the survival rate of those left behind would greatly diminish.
So, the options before them now were:
Who was willing to waste one of their attraction attempts waiting here for the parade to arrive?
Yun Bilan surveyed her surroundings and was the first to speak, “I and Elise will stay.”
Wen Ya was startled and turned to look.
“Have you only completed three attractions?” Yun Bilan looked at Wen Ya with clear eyes. “I and Elise have already completed four, leaving only the last one. Lilith has completed even fewer attractions. If we take over this project, your chances of survival will significantly decrease. So, you better seize this opportunity to complete the mission and save your resources for later survival.”
“Thank you.”
Wen Ya took a deep breath and shook her head. “But there’s no need.”
Everyone was taken aback.
“If I go in, the gap in the number of completed attractions between me and Lilith will widen further. She’s alone and might not make it,” Wen Ya said calmly, “You guys are not related to her by blood or anything, yet you’ve accompanied me all the way here to save her. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this during my time in the Nightmare, and I’m really grateful for it. But it’s impossible for me to delay your progress just because of this.”
“Furthermore—”
Amusement gleamed in Wen Ya’s eyes as she turned to look at Wen Jianyan, the strange trickster who completed three instances and achieved Platinum achievements three times, who deceived her and saved her again and again.
She said, “Sometimes, unconditionally trusting others isn’t a bad feeling.”
The main line task of the instance wasn’t mandatory.
If the hidden main line of the instance was cleared, the instance would immediately close, even if the anchors within hadn’t completed their task, and they would still clear the instance.
If it were the usual, Wen Ya would never hold such faint fantasies.
She never believed in miracles.
But for some reason, she had a premonition.
This seemingly harmless little boy in front of her…
Perhaps, he could really change the situation.
The author has something to say:
Before—
Wen Ya: “You dog liar, go die!”
Later—
Wen Ya: “Are you from the Victim’s Association? I’ll pay double the fee!” (Generous)
