Chapter 46: Original World
The lively atmosphere of the marketplace continued without pause.
Vendors enthusiastically called out from both sides of the street while countless pedestrians came and went, creating a constant wave of chatter that filled the air.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege seemed to have completely forgotten everything that had happened at the Xie Residence.
With candied hawthorn still in one hand, she happily wandered from one stall to another. Before long, her arms were already filled with all sorts of little trinkets she found interesting.
"This is cute!" She picked up a tiny rabbit-shaped wooden carving before immediately turning around. "Husband, look!"
Without waiting for an answer, she had already placed it back onto the stall and skipped toward another vendor.
"Oh!"
"This one is even prettier!"
Behind her, Xie Rong merely walked at an unhurried pace. His gaze quietly followed the cheerful figure weaving through the bustling crowd, making sure she never drifted too far from his sight.
Every now and then, Wang Gege would suddenly turn around to call him over, only to run off again before he could even respond.
Even he himself did not understand but the corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward ever so slightly.
At that exact moment...
[DING!]
A familiar mechanical voice echoed within his mind.
The faint smile upon Xie Rong’s lips gradually disappeared.
"What is it?"
[TARGET FAVORABILITY HAS REACHED 25.]
[LEVEL 2 FUNCTION UNLOCKED.]
[TIME.]
Xie Rong frowned slightly. "Time?"
[CORRECT.]
"Explain." His gaze remained fixed upon Wang Gege, who was still happily browsing the stalls not far away.
[HOST MAY OBTAIN TIME THROUGH FAVORABILITY.]
"What does that mean?"
[EVERY 5 FAVORABILITY = 1 MINUTE.]
"What can Time be used for?"
[TIME MAY BE USED TO ALTER A MOMENT.]
His brows furrowed, "Which moment?"
[HOST AUTHORITY INSUFFICIENT.]
A brief silence followed before Xie Rong bobbed his head lightly, "Will obtaining Time reduce the favorability?"
[NEGATIVE.]
"Then where does the Time come from?"
[EVERY FAVORABILITY MILESTONE MAY ONLY BE CLAIMED ONCE.]
"Explain it in a way humans can understand."
Several breaths passed.
[HOST’S COMPREHENSION ABILITY IS BELOW EXPECTATION.]
Even Xie Rong’s expression stiffened for the briefest moment.
The mechanical voice continued as though nothing unusual had happened.
[EXAMPLE.]
[CURRENT FAVORABILITY: 25.]
[TIME: 5 MINUTES.]
[IF CURRENT FAVORABILITY REACHES 30.]
[TIME: 6 MINUTES.]
[CLAIMED TIME CANNOT BE CLAIMED AGAIN.]
After reading the explanation twice, Xie Rong finally understood. "So... The favorability itself isn’t consumed."
[CORRECT.]
"You could have explained it that way from the beginning."
[HOST DID NOT ASK THE CORRECT QUESTION.]
Xie Rong fell silent. That answer sounded exactly like something the system would say.
After a brief pause, he continued asking, "If the favorability decreases naturally... can the Time be claimed again after it rises back to the same value?"
[NEGATIVE.]
[EACH FAVORABILITY MILESTONE MAY ONLY BE CLAIMED ONCE.]
His brows relaxed, "I see."
In other words, whether the favorability rose or fell in the future, reaching the same milestone again would never grant additional Time.
Only a higher milestone would. He thought for another moment before asking, "Can Time be accumulated without limit?"
[YES.]
His eyes flickered ever so slightly, "And... Can it be used whenever I wish?"
[YES.]
He started to show a bit of excitement as he asked more, "Even years from now?"
[YES.]
Xie Rong lowered his gaze, "I understand." His fingers unconsciously tightened beneath his sleeve, "Can it be used in this world?"
[YES.]
A brief silence followed. His voice became noticeably quieter when he asked the next question, "Can it be used... in my original world?"
Before the mechanical voice could answer, a small tug suddenly came from the corner of his sleeve.
Xie Rong lowered his head, standing beside him was a little girl no older than six or seven. Her hair was tied into two tiny buns, and she was looking up at him with wide, sparkling eyes.
"Mister..." The little girl blinked innocently. "Were you talking to yourself?"
The bustling marketplace suddenly seemed much louder than before.
Xie Rong blinked once before finally realizing that, without noticing, every question he had intended to ask inwardly had slipped out through his lips instead.
Not far away, Wang Gege finally noticed he had stopped walking. Hugging several paper bags against her chest, she quickly turned around and jogged back toward him.
"Husband?" She tilted her head in confusion. "Why are you standing here? Is something wrong?"
Only then did she notice the little girl beside him.
Wang Gege immediately crouched down with a smile. "Little Sister, did this Mister accidentally bump into you?"
The little girl quickly shook her head, "No. Sister, this Mister was talking to—"
"Sister?" Xie Rong suddenly interrupted.
His brows knitted together ever so slightly. "Why is she ’Sister’... while I am ’Mister’?"
Wang Gege looked up at him in surprise.
Then, as though finally realizing what he had just asked, the corners of her lips began to twitch uncontrollably.
She quickly pressed her lips together, desperately trying to suppress the laughter threatening to escape.
"Pfft..." A muffled sound still slipped out.
Xie Rong slightly frowned. "Is my question amusing?"
Wang Gege stood up immediately and shook her head.
"No... no..." She took a deep breath before forcing herself to look serious again. "I just didn’t know..." Another pause followed as she bit the inside of her cheek. "That Young Master Xie could be so... petty."
The moment those words left her lips, the surrounding air fell strangely quiet.
Even the little girl blinked in confusion as her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them.
Xie Rong furrowed, "This Young Master merely asked a question."
Wang Gege nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes. A very important question."
She could no longer hold it in when finally a soft laugh escaped her lips.
Xie Rong fell silent as a trace of awkwardness quietly appeared on his usually composed face.
He gave a light cough before turning his face away, "Let’s continue."
Wang Gege stared at him for a moment before the corners of her lips curled upward again.
’He really was embarrassed...’
She had never imagined that the usually cold and indifferent Xie Rong would concern himself over something as trivial as how a child addressed him.
Unable to stop herself, she chuckled softly before crouching back down in front of the little girl. "What were you saying just now?"
The little girl blinked before pointing at Xie Rong. "Sister... Is that your husband?"
Wang Gege’s eyes curved into crescents as she nodded. "That’s right."
The little girl smiled brightly, "He’s very handsome."
Wang Gege could not help smiling even wider. "I know."
The little girl tilted her head again, "Is your husband from another place?"
Wang Gege blinked. "Another place? What do you mean?"
The little girl innocently pointed at Xie Rong once more. "I heard Mister talking to himself... He was saying something about his original world."
The smile on Wang Gege’s face froze. Her brows slowly knitted together, "Original world?"