There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Seventy percent of the Descenders are male. Although they are Descenders from the Otherworld, they can still generate Romantic Energy by forming romantic connections with NPCs, which is then absorbed by the tower.

The tower was the very same one Duan Fei had just exited. Its true form was the Otherworld Machine, with an effective range covering the entirety of Love City, allowing it to absorb all the Romantic Energy within the city.

It also serves as the arrival point for Descenders, who are brought here before being sent into Love City.

After finishing the booklet, Duan Fei mentally organized the information he had just absorbed, then nodded and said, "The world-building is quite meticulous. It’s just that the Otherworld Machine feels a bit like a deus ex machina."

While Duan Fei was reading the booklet, the tower’s main gate would open from time to time. Other players would emerge, be greeted by beautiful young women, and begin to tour the city.

Before long, a young man with long hair walked up to Duan Fei. He was wearing a white tank top and beach shorts, shuffling along in a pair of flip-flops.

Though he looked a bit sloppy, the young man was quite handsome. With his pretty-boy charm, he was probably quite popular in the real world.

The game Abyss also had a Charm Attribute, but it was a hidden stat.

According to player experiments, players who were good-looking in real life tended to have higher charm in Abyss as well.

However, the developers had stated that besides charm, there were many other hidden stats, and they assured players that everyone’s stats would achieve a dynamic balance.

The young man in front of him must have a high Charm Attribute. Local girls passing by would occasionally stop, their faces flushing and hearts pounding, to greet him and invite him for a bite to eat.

Every time this happened, pink, heart-shaped bubbles would float up from their heads and fly into the tower, becoming Energy for its operation.

But the young man just gave a small smile, waved, and pointed at Duan Fei. "I already have company," he said.

The girls immediately covered their mouths and squealed before running off, blushing furiously and chattering amongst themselves.

"Whoa, never seen that type before. Are there so many male Descenders now that they can just pair up with each other?"

"They’re both so hot. I’d love to watch them do *it*... and then do *that*."

"Me too, me too!"

Duan Fei watched the girls leave with a deadpan expression, then asked, "Is a place like this really necessary?"

"You can’t look at it that way," the young man laughed. "The Otherworld Machine here is extremely useful. Once it becomes our guild’s property, we can use it to generate massive amounts of wealth. Ah, I forgot to introduce myself, but I’m sure you’ve already guessed who I am."

"Yeah. Nemo, vice-leader of the Icefield Walkers, right?"

"That’s right. You must be Duan Someone. Bystander A sings your praises, saying you’re exceptionally clever. We were on opposite sides during the Holy Grail War but were never fated to meet, which I’ve always regretted. I’m glad we finally have the chance today."

Although Nemo’s tone sounded sincere, Duan Fei was still thinking about what he’d said earlier: "I already have company."

’There was nothing wrong with the sentence itself, but saying it at that moment created a clear ambiguity. He must have done it on purpose to deflect the attention.’

’But why?’

But Nemo didn’t give Duan Fei time to think. "Alright, let’s not waste any more time. For the next four hours, you’re with me. You should have read the handbook, so let me ask you a few questions. What is the Energy source for Love City’s Otherworld Machine?"

"Love."

"Which two types of people can provide the most Romantic Energy?"

"A die-hard straight guy who’s never been in love, or young lovers who are deeply infatuated."

"How does the Otherworld Machine collect Energy?"

"It’s collected automatically. Whenever a Descender or an NPC experiences a surge of emotion, pink, heart-shaped bubbles form and are then collected by the tower."

After asking a few more tricky questions and seeing Duan Fei answer them all fluently, Nemo nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, you pass. Have you researched Love City before?"

"No, this is the first I’m seeing of it."

Nemo nodded again, his estimation of Duan Fei rising even higher.

’An incredible memory.’

’After all, the handbook was thick. It would take a long time just to read it once, let alone retain the answers to some of the more obscure questions he’d just asked.’

’No wonder Bystander A held Duan Fei in such high regard. The man clearly had the talent to back it up.’

"Since it’s your first day, you can take it easy and just explore the place. Your mission is to familiarize yourself with everything here—understand its social structure and how it all fits together. If you can, give me a report tomorrow. There’s an extra reward if it’s well-written."

After a brief pause, Nemo continued, "There are many tasks here; you can try completing a few. If you find any repeatable tasks, include those in your report, and I’ll give you a reward as I see fit. Well, I have other work to attend to. Take your time getting acquainted with this place. I’ll be off."

"Okay. See you."

As he watched Nemo leave, Yan Yuan, perched on Duan Fei’s shoulder, suddenly spoke up. "I don’t like that guy. He gives me a weird vibe."

"He’s alright, I guess, but I don’t want to get to know him any better, either."

"Master, that sounded a little gay."

"...Damn it. He’s rubbing off on me."

"That sounded even gayer!"

"Shut up!"

He opened his character panel and checked his Attributes, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

’This Gift of the Abyss is hidden pretty deep,’ he thought. ’I haven’t found anything unusual about it so far. Guess I’ll just have to keep looking.’

Walking through Love City, Duan Fei began to observe his surroundings.

Although the name "Love City" sounded a bit frivolous, the level of technology here was surprisingly high.

There were no cars on the streets. If you wanted to get around quickly, you just had to shout "Go!" and state your destination. Steel balls embedded in the ground would then begin to roll automatically, carrying you to your destination like a conveyor belt.

The top speed could reach forty kilometers per hour, and the entire process was computer-controlled, so there was no risk of collision.

Love City was a medium-sized metropolis, so a speed of forty kilometers per hour was more than enough for most people to get where they were going quickly.

The currency here was also digitized. With the exception of certain Professions like administrators and researchers, the primary way for most residents to earn money was to find a Descender and then do whatever they could to make that Descender’s heart flutter—or to let their own heart be moved in return.

The resulting Romantic Energy would be automatically collected and recorded, then converted into money in their accounts at a set rate.

For male players, this place was practically heaven.

Male players who entered this instance were like kings with their own personal harems, constantly surrounded by beautiful girls. The stream of pink bubbles floating above their heads was endless.

Abyss was a 15+ game, so the most interaction allowed between players and NPCs was a handshake, with exceptions for special circumstances.

Even so, every single male player had a massive grin plastered on his face, looking utterly ecstatic.

But compared to the male players, who were constantly sprouting heart bubbles, the NPCs were far more composed.

They wore perfect smiles and their eyes were filled with adoration, yet many of them never produced a single heart bubble from start to finish.

To them, pleasing the Descenders was just a job—a mission to use the newcomers to ensure the city’s very survival.

"Looks like working stiffs have it rough no matter where you go," Duan Fei sighed.

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