"Son, do you still need your computer?"
Late at night, his mother called to ask such a question, putting Ren Suo on high alert instantly. "Which cousin has taken a liking to my computer? Please don't give it away; there's very important data on it."
Although Ren Suo had a desktop PC and a laptop in Lianjiang City, he always took good care of the old computer at ho. At the very least, it allowed him to play a few rounds of fighting gas with his sister whenever he visited.
Not to ntion, the old computer held many treasures: old-style RPG ga saves, photos from middle and high school, and most importantly, an assortnt of textual, pictorial, and audiovisual dia Ren Suo had collected since puberty, including unlocalized foreign gas.
Losing the computer wasn't a big deal, but what if his relatives discovered those treasures? Corrupting his cousins wouldn't be a major issue, but what if word got out?
Purely for the sake of his cousins, Ren Suo felt he had to persuade his mom not to dispose of his computer carelessly!
"It's not for giving away," Ren's mother said. "Listening to you, do you think I'm the kind of person who would sacrifice her son's property to please relatives?"
"That's good to know." Ren Suo breathed a sigh of relief. "So why are you asking then?"
"I was thinking of burning it. It looks worthless."
"Why on earth would you burn it when it's perfectly fine?" Ren Suo was stunned. "That's a graphics card, not a gas stove!"
"What gas stove?" Ren's mother retorted. "If you have no use for it, then I'll just burn your computer for your grandparents. Buying a new one would be too expensive, and you barely use that one more than a few tis a year... When you co back, can't you just use a computer at an internet cafe?"
"Wait, wait, wait—" Ren Suo exclaid. "You're burning my computer to give to my grandparents?"
Ren Suo's paternal grandparents had passed away before he was even born. His impression of them consisted mainly of their nas on the Shinto Priest's spirit tablets and their aged black-and-white photos.
His family had never been superstitious; they would only go to burn incense and worship their ancestors during the Qingming Festival. Since starting college, Ren Suo had even shelved that activity—traveling back and forth between Lianjiang City and his hotown, Baiyun City, cost a fair bit of money and energy!
With that kind of ti and vacation, wouldn't it be better to stay in the dorm and play gas? When Ren Suo played gas, he would genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, thank the Ren family ancestors, much like he'd thank Qu Yuan.
Besides, when Ren Suo usually visited ho, he would also greet his grandparents and light an incense stick as a token of respect, which was considerate enough.
Why would Mom suddenly want to burn a computer for his grandparents? Even if they were to burn offerings, they should be paper replicas, not actual items, right?
Ren's mother said, "Oh, son, don't you go online? Do you know Ren Naiser? The one who posts Supernatural videos online—he released a new movie! Tsk, tsk, tsk, you can watch it online; no need to go to the cinema. Don't you think he's a bit touched in the head, not making money when he could?"
Ren Suo mumbled, "…I know Ren Naiser, and I've seen his movie. So, what does this have to do with my computer…"
"It's all the rage online now! His movie proves that this world has ghosts!
"Dead people, as long as we burn incense for them daily, might still be 'alive'!
"And the houses, money, and cars we burn for them—they can receive them too!"
Ren's mother continued, "Didn't you see at the end of the movie? Those people were also burning things to bless their living family mbers. If burning things is useful for the living, then it's useful for the dead too! Besides, burning stuff doesn't cost much, and we should let them enjoy a flavorful and spicy life down below."
"Our residential complex has been burning things from early morning until now; the smoke hasn't even cleared outside. Everyone's eager to burn things for their ancestors, hoping their ancestors will protect them in return. Rember Aunt Wang who lives upstairs from us?"
"I don't rember." Ren Suo spent barely a few months at ho each year; how could he rember all those gossipy won.
"The one whose son scored fifty points higher than you in the college entrance exams."
That jogged Ren Suo's mory. She was the boastful auntie he had dreaded seeing the most after his college entrance exams. "Oh, that particularly arrogant one… What about her?"
"Her son just had a granddaughter, and she's been burning the most impressive things in the whole building! She doesn't burn paper models; they're all clay models—cars, amusent parks, cinemas, stadiums.
"I heard her father-in-law used to love listening to crosstalk. Her son even bought a life-size wax figure of a crosstalk perforr to burn. Moreover, she said her father-in-law might feel lonely watching crosstalk by himself, and since he used to enjoy writing, her son also bought several dozen mannequins to burn, to serve as an audience and friends for him.
"We really had our eyes opened today; those mannequins looked so realistic."
Ren's mother clicked her tongue in amazent. "Her family is spending so much just hoping their ancestors will bless her granddaughter, son, and daughter-in-law to casually awaken so power. Of course, making a fortune on the side and ensuring the whole family is immune to all diseases wouldn't be bad either…"
"Wow, she's trying to strong-arm her ancestors in the underworld," Ren Suo comnted. "So, you guys burning my computer… the purpose is…"
"Hey, your dad and I aren't like that," Ren's mother said. "It's just that everyone else was paying tribute to their ancestors. Normally, we'd worry about the smoke from burning offerings affecting the neighbors, but since everyone's doing it now, we don't have to worry. So, we just burned a few things casually."
"Then you should have bought paper ones to burn…"
"We have paper ones too, including the latest MacBook model. Your computer is just a backup, in case the elderly aren't used to foreign goods," Ren's mother explained.
Ren Suo couldn't be bothered to correct her that Microsoft's operating system was also a foreign product. "Well, you didn't have to go so overboard with the burning then. Didn't you say you didn't have any particular requests?"
"Although I said that, if our ancestors want to look after their descendants a bit—say, help your dad and get a raise and better benefits, bless your sister with academic progress, slow down our aging process a little, and boost our immune systems—that would be absolutely wonderful…"
"You actually have quite a few demands," Ren Suo noted. "You think burning a few things will get blessings for the whole family?"
Ren's mother corrected him, "What whole family? You're clearly not included in that."
"..." Ren Suo was speechless. "Judging by my age, was I a 'prize' that ca with a PHS phone or a pager?"
"What are you saying? Of course, you're my biological son," Ren's mother said. "I was just learning from Aunt Wang."
Ren Suo fud, "Aunt Wang asks the ancestors to bless her son's *entire* family! Look at other people's mothers!"
"You said it yourself: Aunt Wang asks the ancestors to bless *her son's* whole family," Ren's mother said leisurely. "You're my son. So, where's *your* family?"
"..." Ren Suo felt a slight sense of unease.
"Where's my daughter-in-law? Where are my grandchildren?" Ren's mother said, her voice filled with anguish. "Right now, your sister is at the sa university as you. You're at a suitable age. Why don't you ask your sister to help you find a girl among the students who is… blind… I an, suitable for you?"
"I'm not worried about your sister. It's you who worries your father and . The ancestors must be worried about you too. Why would they be willing to bless you…"
"My hair's dry. It's very late. I'm going to bed. We'll talk next ti." Ren Suo decisively hung up the phone.
He hadn't spoken to her in a while, and he didn't expect his mom to have gotten smarter—this thod of pushing for marriage could even leverage current hot topics!
And she was so sure he couldn't find soone on his own rits! Ren Suo refused to accept that. With his charm, wouldn't anyone throw themselves at him and confess?
Returning from the balcony to the living room, Zhao Huo, who was packing items, turned his head and looked at him. "So late, what's up? If there's anything, just tell your brother."
"It's nothing, just a nuisance call."
Zhao Huo put down the newly packaged fantasy items, walked over, and hugged Ren Suo tightly, as if trying to absorb him into his own body—
"Brother, I freaking love you!"
With a look of utter despair, Ren Suo pushed Zhao Huo away. "Dude, cut the lodrama. Just treat to a al… or better yet, give so Spirit Stones."
Zhao Huo wasn't even his bonding partner, and Ren Suo had given him many things, so he didn't feel the need to be polite. Normally, Ren Suo would ask for a al in return, but lately, he found the food outside unsatisfactory and preferred cash instead.
"There are several items here I couldn't bring myself to buy before!" Zhao Huo deftly dodged the topic of Spirit Stones, exclaiming excitedly, "And you didn't even damage the original boxes! After repackaging, they look brand new, as if they've never been opened. That's what gives them real collector's value!"
Ren Suo, not being an Ani Fan like Zhao Huo, didn't understand that 'original, unopened' was almost as important to them as 'virginity.' He waved his hand dismissively. "As long as you like them. Hurry up and take them away."
Ren Suo had, of course, unboxed many of the fantasy items he'd bought for "High Energy Ahead," but he hadn't thrown away the boxes.
He picked out so of the particularly space-consuming items to give to Zhao Huo, not expecting Zhao Huo to also help him deal with the boxes by bringing his own tools to repackage everything.
After Zhao Huo left, Ren Suo noticed it was still early, so he went online to check the news.
Previously, he had always used the internal network, where discussions had an entry barrier; at least nationally recognized researchers could speak, so the topics were naturally sowhat lofty, mostly centered on fundantal issues.
Now, looking at the public news, Ren Suo realized the world had truly started to go wild—
"Tycoon Spends Thirty Million to Buy Out Entire Model Museum"
"Lianjiang City Urban Managent Bureau Notice: Open Fla Ancestral Worship Strictly Prohibited Within City Limits"
"Shocking! Wife Actually Burned Her Husband…"
Ren Suo, a man now admittedly detached from highbrow tastes, clicked on the most sensational-sounding headline. It turned out to be clickbait, of course. The wife had rely seized the opportunity presented by the ancestor worship craze to burn her husband's treasured Magic: The Gathering card collection and lt the Runes on his League of Legends account…
Hopefully, her father-in-law could find card-playing buddies and gaming pals in the afterlife.
Ren Suo had sowhat anticipated this kind of situation, just not the sheer madness of it.
This was just the dostic situation. Who knew how foreigners might misinterpret the Qingming custom of burning offerings? Big news was probably just a few days away.
But Ren Suo had no interest in this. While playing gas, he'd always had a vague feeling that those villagers existed for so specific reason.
Not everyone could just kick the bucket and go off to enjoy life in Peach Blossom Village.
Therefore, he treated these news stories as re jokes. As the clock ticked from 23:59 to 00:00, he imdiately opened his Mini-World Ga Console!
The monthly free ga slot refreshed!
"You have used the White Dew seasonal promotion to perform a draw."
"A 3-star incomplete ga has been added to your free gas column."
"Incomplete gas cannot have their star-levels increased."
"As compensation, incomplete gas will grant a minimum rit Points reward. (Naiser Company reserves all rights of final interpretation for all Minor World ga promotional activities.)"
Ren Suo was slightly taken aback to see a 3-star ga appear in the free gas column:
"Battle Girl"
"This ga is incomplete. Help the girl fight and defeat all the lecherous individuals with ulterior motives! This ga includes in-app purchase options. Exclusive Reward: Unknown. Minimum rit Points Reward: 100. Ga Difficulty: 3-star."
After several months, Ren Suo had actually drawn another incomplete ga!
But this ti was different from the last. Back then, Ren Suo had played an incomplete ga out of curiosity, wanting to try sothing new.
Now he knew what to expect from incomplete gas, and with this one also being 3-star, he was naturally unenthusiastic.
Although it was a wasted draw, Ren Suo wasn't too dejected—he still had two more chances!
He used the Autumn Equinox promotion to draw again!
"Non-Human Loli"
"This ga is incomplete. Help the loli complete her final transformation! This ga includes in-app purchase options. Exclusive Reward: Unknown. Minimum rit Points Reward: 120. Ga Difficulty: 3-star."
"Next up will probably be 'Invincible Auntie,' right…" Ren Suo muttered, his voice filled with endless resentnt.
Two incomplete gas in a row? Has this month been cursed by an Astrologer, predicting a massive increase in the production of incomplete gas?
Ren Suo had one last chance—the Mid-Autumn promotion.
But now he was in a bind. If he drew another incomplete ga, it would be an absolute, blood-vomiting loss.
Generally, the Mid-Autumn promotion was definitely more potent than ordinary seasonal solar term promotions. While not comparable to a "free" draw, it was still within Ren Suo's acceptable range.
Just as Ren Suo hesitated, a system prompt appeared:
"Do you wish to consu the 'Mid-Autumn Festival Promotion' to draw this month's free ga?"
"Note: The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional historical festival. Consuming its promotion will activate a special effect—Reunion."
"Reunion (Exclusive effect for the free gas column): All candidate gas will undergo a fusion (including ga chanics, missions, protagonists, and rewards). After fusion, the ga's star-level will be at least 4-star.
"When multiple gas fuse, the protagonist will be randomly assigned.
"The fused ga's exclusive rewards and rit Points are related to the gas that were fused.
"Because fused gas are not rigorously designed, there will be no character ratings or mission evaluations. Clearing the ga will grant all rewards (though the total rewards will inevitably be lower).
"Because fused gas are not rigorously designed, gaplay will include clear-through prompts. Following these prompts will guarantee ga completion (though total rewards may be lower).
"Naiser Company reserves all rights of final interpretation for fused gas."
After reading the description of the "Reunion" effect, Ren Suo slled a strong whiff of conspiracy.
Although it listed several drawbacks of fused gas, the advantages were undeniable—the system would continuously provide prompts, guaranteeing he could clear the ga!
Could this really be a Mid-Autumn Festival super gift package?
Or would it require him to spend a lot of money?
Despite his hesitation, the system's guarantee that the fused ga would be at least 4-star was the biggest draw—his Clearspring Resonant Ring was practically crying out for it.
Moreover, he wanted to quickly reach Level 5 Player status and summon the Collector to cook for him. At this point, clearing any high-star ga was equivalent to saving ti.
Maybe it's worth trusting the Mini-World Ga Console to do sothing good for once?
After a mont of thought, Ren Suo decisively chose to use the Mid-Autumn Festival promotion. Promotions ca around every month, but a fused ga might be a once-a-year opportunity!
People who had shed their highbrow tastes were just that easily tempted.
The soul of an Ashes Level hardcore gar was burning! He had to try this ga that sounded so incredibly abstruse!
Even if it turned out to be utter crap, Ren Suo was ready to eat it!
"You have consud the Mid-Autumn Festival promotion to draw a free ga."
"A 4-star ga has been added to your free gas column."
Before Ren Suo could even see what ga it was, another system prompt appeared:
"Reunion effect activated. All candidate gas in the free gas column are now fusing."
"Minor World rging…"
"Minor World rging…"
"Fusion complete."
"My Life is Not Your Ga"
"Yo," Ren Suo remarked, "this ga's title sounds pretty ticked off at ."
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