Villain Simulator, Ch 20

Not only within the simulator, but even in reality, Xiao Xi was able to give hints.

Indeed, there was no other option at the moment.

Looking at Keqing's gradually paling lips, Lucas could only lower his head helplessly and say, "Miss... forgive me"

…

Half an hour later.

"Achoo!" Sitting by the bedside, Lucas sneezed. He glanced helplessly at Keqing, who was now lying in his bed, and muttered to himself, "I can't believe you actually don't know how to swim…"

For some reason, he felt that the Keqing he had encountered earlier seemed a bit strange. In his eyes, although Keqing was of noble status, she didn't have the temperament of a spoiled young lady. Normally, she wouldn't make such unreasonable demands.

"Hmm…"

At that moment, the unconscious Keqing slowly opened her eyes.

"Miss, you're finally awake!"

Seeing Keqing regain consciousness, Lucas finally felt a weight lifted off his shoulders and sighed in relief. "It's great that you're okay."

"What… exactly happened?"

Keqing had now regained her awareness. She remembered sleeping in her own room, so how had she suddenly ended up in Lucas's room?

"Don't tell me you don't remember anything?" Lucas asked, puzzled. He then recounted everything that had just happened to Keqing in full detail.

The more Keqing listened, the more shocked her expression became.

Because she had absolutely no recollection of the events Lucas was describing.

"So, you're saying I not only fell into the pond and almost drowned, but I also made you kiss my… my…" At this point, a light blush appeared on Keqing's fair cheeks. "No way… how could I do something like that? I don't remember any of it."

Seeing Keqing's reaction, Lucas began to reflect.

Perhaps the young lady of Liyue Qixing, Keqing, was just too embarrassed. After all, for a dignified figure like her to nearly drown in a pond would be incredibly humiliating if anyone found out.

So, she must be "playing dumb," pretending not to remember what had happened.

As a high-EQ servant, Lucas silently praised himself for his astuteness and nodded in agreement. "I suppose the young lady must have been sleepwalking due to the stress of work lately. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."

"So… that's what it was?" Surprisingly, Keqing seemed to believe him. She nodded and said, "In any case, I should return to my room now. If anyone sees me in a servant's room, that would be…"

As she spoke, Keqing started to sit up. The thin blanket that had been covering her slid off due to gravity, falling to the floor.

Feeling a chill, Keqing instinctively glanced down, only to realize… she wasn't wearing anything!

Lucas, also taken by surprise, inadvertently let his gaze fall on her, only to quickly avert his eyes once he realized what he was doing.

"Ahhh!!!" Keqing let out a sharp scream, hastily grabbing the blanket to cover herself. Both shocked and furious, she exclaimed, "You pervert! I… how could I…!"

"Don't misunderstand!" Lucas quickly explained, "You fell into the pond and were soaked from head to toe. If you didn't change out of those clothes, you could've gotten sick. Don't worry, I undressed you with my eyes closed—I swear I didn't see anything!"

"But…" Keqing's face was now so red it looked like it might start dripping blood. "Just now… you saw everything, didn't you?"

"That doesn't count!" Lucas protested, "Miss, you really should—"

Before he could finish, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Miss Keqing!" Chunxiang's voice came from outside, "Are you in there? I thought I heard you scream just now!"

Chunxiang was indeed Keqing's most trusted maid. Even in the dead of night, she could somehow hear Keqing's voice. Did she have some kind of "Keqing Radar" on her head?

At this point, both Lucas and Keqing looked as though they had turned to stone.

It was the middle of the night, and the two of them were alone in a room, with one of them practically undressed. If they were caught, there wouldn't be any way to explain the situation.

"Lucas!" Chunxiang's voice grew more anxious when no response came from inside. "What have you done to Miss Keqing?!"

Lucas didn't dare make a sound, casting a desperate, pleading glance at Keqing. Keqing, for her part, was in a complete panic, unsure of what to do.

"Not answering, huh?" Chunxiang cracked her knuckles and said, "Fine! I'm breaking down the door!"

Although Chunxiang was a woman, she was quite strong. Even without a Vision, she possessed considerable skill, and breaking through a door wouldn't be difficult for her.

"Bam!"

Just as Chunxiang was preparing to punch through the door, it suddenly swung open, revealing Keqing standing there. She was wearing a freshly dried robe. Before Chunxiang could say anything, Keqing quickly pulled her into the room.

The room was neat and tidy, with no signs of a struggle. Lucas sat off to the side, an awkward smile on his face.

"Shh!" Keqing put her finger to Chunxiang's lips, her expression complicated. "Chunxiang, let me explain…"

Honestly, Keqing hadn't yet come up with a reasonable explanation.

But to her surprise, Chunxiang suddenly patted her on the shoulder, her face showing understanding. "There's no need to explain, Miss. I understand completely. You must have come to see Lucas for a massage, right? That scream earlier was because it felt so good, wasn't it?"

Keqing hadn't expected Chunxiang's imagination to run so wild, but she quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes… that's right, I came for a massage."

"How was it? Wasn't it amazing?" Chunxiang's eyes sparkled. "Honestly, Miss, you don't need to be so shy. If you want a massage, just come right out and say so. Why sneak around like this?"

"It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision," Keqing mumbled, pushing Chunxiang toward the door. "Alright, it's late, let's go now. I've got tasks to assign him tomorrow."

Before leaving, Keqing shot a glare at Lucas.

It seemed that she wasn't going to forget what he had accidentally seen anytime soon.

Once the two women had left, Lucas let out a sigh of relief. He had only wanted some fresh air and ended up with so much trouble.

Opening the "Simulator Interface," he intended to check the afk progress before going to sleep. However, what he saw made him gasp.

[Age 138: You can now swing a sword 10,000 times without breaking a sweat. Your strength has increased significantly (Talent: 'Old But Vigorous' activated).]

[Age 139: This year marks the hundredth year you've spent in the cellar. Your strength continues to grow each year, but what's even stranger is that you seem to have been forgotten by death itself. Your lifespan has long exceeded that of a normal human.]

[Age 140: The bread stored in the cellar has become as hard as stone, yet your stomach seems capable of digesting any kind of food. However, despite this, you accidentally chipped a tooth. But you're not worried, as you know the broken tooth will soon grow back.]

[Indeed, during your hundred years of solitude, you've lost quite a few teeth. Strangely, they always grow back. Moreover, your appearance and body have not aged despite the passage of time—instead, you've grown more youthful and strong, maintaining the form of someone in their thirties.]

[You suspect that the Durin's toxin and various potions have caused a special reaction in your body, allowing you to slow the aging process. Or perhaps, due to years of immersion in the art of immortality, you've accidentally acquired an immortal body.]

[However, none of this matters to you anymore. A hundred years of solitude has changed your way of thinking. You once tried to break through the barrier sealing the cellar, but failed. Yet, strangely, this gave you a sense of comfort. It's as if, like a prisoner who becomes accustomed to life in confinement after decades, you too have grown used to the dark cellar. You can even see clearly in the darkness now.]

[In truth, given your intelligence, you could likely find another way out, but you feel that your beloved Rosalyne has long since passed away. You've lost the reason to leave and have resigned yourself to living out the rest of your life here.]

[Achievement Unlocked: Cellar Dweller]

[Talent Reward: Night Vision]

[Night Vision]

[Effect: You can see in the dark.]

"140 years old? Oh my gosh…"

Lucas was stunned. After just a short idle period, his simulator self had been trapped in the cellar for a hundred years?

Originally, he had thought that with the talents [Old But Vigorous] and [Die of Old Age], he'd be lucky to live until 80 or 90 and become a great master. 

In Teyvat, while there were many long-lived races, humans were not among them. No matter how strong they became, ordinary humans could not surpass the limits of their lifespan.

But as for himself? He had already lived to 140, and instead of becoming frail with age, he seemed to be growing younger.

"Oh well… let's keep it running."

Lucas yawned. So much had happened today, and after lying down, he quickly drifted off to sleep.

That night, Lucas slept incredibly well. Ever since crossing into Teyvat, this was the first time he had truly slept soundly in a real bed.

He slept until morning without even dreaming. After all, the events in the [Villain Simulator] were far more thrilling than any dream could be.

Upon waking up, the first thing Lucas did was check the idle progress. It felt like playing one of those idle mobile games where you wake up in the morning to harvest the results.

[Age 231: Today marks your 200th wedding anniversary with Rosalyne. You know that a 60-year marriage is called a "diamond anniversary," but you're not sure what a 200-year anniversary is called, since such a long marriage has likely never existed.]

[So, you call it the "Tungsten Anniversary," named after the metal with the highest melting point, to commemorate how the two of you once almost burned to ashes together.]

[Age 232: Lately, you've taken up playing chess against yourself.]

[Age 233: You've adopted a group of rats as pets. Under your training, they've learned to follow simple commands. Moreover, you've begun using their corpses as materials for your experiments.]

[Age 234: Your need for food and water has diminished. Sometimes, you can go one or two weeks without eating.]

[Age 235: You…]

"Still not dead, huh…"

What an "immortal old man."

Maybe because of yesterday's discovery, Lucas wasn't particularly surprised this time. 

The simulator's speed wasn't slow. At this rate, a day of idling would cover 400 to 500 years. Even if his simulator self had a long lifespan, he couldn't live for thousands of years, right? After all, even the Geo Archon Morax only lived for about 6,000 years.

However, what surprised Lucas the most was that he had spent 200 years in the cellar. A normal person would've broken down long ago.

Luckily, he didn't have to experience such a life himself.

After a brief wash, Lucas made his way to Keqing's study, as they had agreed the day before, and gently knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" A tired voice came from inside.

"Lucas."

Hearing his name, there was a brief pause before the voice continued, "Come in. The door's not locked."

Lucas opened the door and walked in. The study had a rather traditional style, with a large panoramic map of Liyue hanging on one of the walls.

The large desk was cluttered with various documents, clearly Keqing's workspace.

However, seeing the desk reminded Lucas of the time in the simulator when he and Shenhe had used such a desk as a hiding spot to play certain "games." The vivid memories made his face flush slightly.

"Ahem…" Keqing's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What are you daydreaming about?"

"S-sorry!" Lucas quickly looked at Keqing and was surprised. "Miss, your complexion… why does it look so bad?"

Indeed, Keqing's face was pale, and dark circles had formed under her eyes. It was obvious she hadn't slept well.

Last night, after returning to her room, Keqing had dreamt of becoming the "Thunder Calamity," a high-ranking member of the Abyss Order.

Strangely, in the dream, she fully embraced this "evil" persona, committing various acts that harmed Liyue. When she woke up, the vividness of the dream left her feeling puzzled.

The dream had been so real, almost as if she had truly traveled to a parallel world and existed as another person.

"It's nothing, just some insomnia," Keqing replied, unwilling to reveal her "secret" to Lucas. She opened a drawer, pulled out a document, and handed it to him.

"Even though your role is a servant, you're still my personal attendant, so you won't need to do menial chores. Just complete the tasks I assign to you. The rest of your time is your own, and you don't have to stay in the manor if you don't want to. Today's task is to deliver this document to Lady Ganyu at Yuehai Pavilion."

"Ganyu?" Lucas was startled and blurted, "You mean the Ganyu from the Qixing?"

Ganyu was one of the most well-known figures in Liyue Harbor, her reputation rivaling even that of the Liyue Qixing themselves.

After all, while the Qixing often changed, the Messenger of the Qixing had remained for over 3,000 years.

Not only was she "living history," but she was also one of the few Adepti who regularly interacted with mortals.

"You even know about her?" Keqing nodded. "Yes, that's her. But you don't need to be nervous. Ganyu is very kind and easy to get along with. Of course… getting too close to her is unlikely."

Indeed, although Ganyu had lived in Liyue Harbor for thousands of years, she had never fully integrated into human society. Even Keqing, who worked closely with Ganyu, could only consider her a colleague rather than a friend.

This made sense, considering the vast difference in lifespans between humans and Adepti. Forming deep relationships with humans would be difficult when their lives were so brief in comparison.

As Keqing thought, "It's like how most people wouldn't bother keeping pets with only a few months to live." To Ganyu, human lifespans might not seem much different.

"Miss, you're joking. I'm just a commoner—how could I possibly befriend such an important figure?" Lucas chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Anyway, I'll go right away. You should get some rest, Miss Keqing."

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Author's Note: Leave a review and I'll post an extra chapter today!!

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