Chapter 262: Choices
Xu Xiaoyue furrowed her brows.
She thought Little Yuliya was just dealing with a minor annoyance that could be fixed with a little chat, but now it seemed like she was facing a real pickle.
“How big is the potential benefit?”
“Not sure.”
“And the risk?”
“Also, no idea.”
“So, it’s all a mystery? You only know that taking action involves risk, but not acting could mean missing out on an opportunity?”
“Exactly. We have no clue what the future holds.”
Xu Xiaoyue fell silent.
But after a while, she suddenly chuckled lightly.
“Little Yuliya, you asked how to choose, but honestly, I have no idea. Because I’ve never been in this situation before.”
“Oh… is that so…”
Little Yuliya’s expression drooped a bit.
“But I do have a friend who faced a similar dilemma.”
“Hmm?”
“I know how she was thinking at the time, and I can tell you about her actions—maybe it’ll give you some inspiration.”
Xu Xiaoyue lifted her head thoughtfully.
“She once encountered a very powerful opponent, but if she defeated them, the rewards would be ridiculously generous. The specifics of both the rewards and the opponent were unknown.”
“Faced with this, she initially chose to back off. But halfway through her retreat, it seemed she wasn’t ready to give up and thought maybe she could give it a shot.”
“In the end, she found an unexpected method to defeat the opponent and ended up scoring some sweet loot.”
Yuliya pouted in dissatisfaction: “So she must have had some confidence before taking action, right? There’s no way she’d challenge an opponent she knew she couldn’t beat.”
“Who knows? I’m not her. Only she knows whether she had confidence.”
“…”
Xu Xiaoyue looked at her pouty little face and smiled, stepping forward to scoop her up and sit down, placing Little Yuliya on her lap.
Gently embracing her, she spoke softly, “Do you want to hear about one more thing regarding her?”
Little Yuliya squirmed a bit and nodded: “Sure, go ahead.”
“Once, she faced a tricky situation. Moving forward could lead her into serious danger, but stepping back would keep things nice and cozy.”
“Given her situation, she had already secured plenty of wealth. Even if she stopped trying, she could just find a comfy spot to relax, and it wouldn’t affect her status at all.”
“So what did she do?”
“She chose to move forward and take a look.”
“Were there any enticing benefits ahead?”
“Probably not. At least, it didn’t seem that way at the time.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Little Yuliya shook her head. “No clear benefit, yet huge risks? Why bother?”
“Who knows? Even though she knew danger was looming and even said she should retreat, she still went ahead to check it out. I’m curious about what she was thinking.”
“…”
Upon hearing this, Little Yuliya lowered her head in contemplation.
Suddenly, she squinted her eyes in confusion.
“What’s the name of this friend you’re talking about? Is her in-game username ‘Wind’?”
Xu Xiaoyue feigned surprise and exclaimed, “Oh my, Little Yuliya knows her too?”
“I…”
Fists clenched tight.
Isn’t she describing the situation back in the Ruinous Country?
The first time was when they battled the level 40 Three-tailed Demon Fox, and the second was just before the Nightmare God appeared when the Undead King was on the brink of d*ath.
Xu Xiaoyue hugged Little Yuliya tighter, gently swaying: “Little Yuliya, you ask me questions I can’t answer, so I can only share what I saw in you back then. You might not know how cool you were.”
“I’m not talking about your skills or abilities, but the courage and determination you showed to act like that.”
“…”
Little Yuliya fell silent.
But soon, she pouted: “Xu Xiaoyue, how clever of you. I asked you a question but you turned it back on me. Totally unfair.”
Xu Xiaoyue giggled: “Is Little Yuliya not clever? Why ask someone else about these questions? It’s just putting me on the spot. In the end, you’re the one who has to make the decision. Or maybe you’ve already made it?”
Yeah, just as Xu Xiaoyue said.
Whether things would be successful, if they were worth the risk, why move forward or retreat—those are things others can’t fully comprehend and can’t offer real advice on.
Seeking advice from others is mostly just a way to vent worries; perhaps your heart already knows the answer.
When flipping a coin to decide, what’s she secretly wishing for, heads or tails?
Xu Xiaoyue’s words were just a nudge when Little Yuliya hadn’t fully made up her mind yet.
And that gentle push brought a smile to Little Yuliya’s face, as she leaned lightly against Xu Xiaoyue: “I know what to do now. Xu Xiaoyue, thank you.”
Just like she thought when facing the Three-tailed Demon Fox, if there’s an opportunity, why not fight for it?
Before the Nightmare God showed up, the reason she went to check instead of sneaking away was because, well, how could she know if it was dangerous without actually facing it?
Not moving forward means she wouldn’t see the danger or the possibility that comes after it.
Even the Nightmare God isn’t infallible.
In truth, she’s essentially like Elia, willing to risk it all for a shot at life—even if it’s just one chance among a hundred.
“Xu Xiaoyue, I bet you’re curious why I haven’t logged off yet, even with the game being down for maintenance, and what I’ve been up to in-game?”
“Of course I’m curious. If you’re willing to share, great! If not, it’s all good.”
“I’m an NPC, my log-off rules are different from regular players. I’m not affected by maintenance.”
“Ah, another cheat mode, huh?”
Xu Xiaoyue replied nonchalantly, not sure if she was joking or just used to it.
So Little Yuliya pretended she hadn’t heard.
“As for what I’ve been doing…”
Suddenly, Yuliya jumped off Xu Xiaoyue and stood tall, hands on her hips, chest puffed up with pride, declaring:
“Hahaha, get ready! Xu Xiaoyue! A new city, that will be my city, named after gold, ancient and magnificent, an everlasting King’s City!”
“…”
Xu Xiaoyue’s mouth dropped open, her eyes twitching slightly.
But soon enough, she started clapping: “Clap clap clap! So impressive!”
“Although it’s a bit cringe, it sounds really cool!”
“Well, whatever, this princess isn’t going to argue with a bumpkin. When you see it, you’ll be blown away!”
“Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness the Princess. Now please give me your hand and let’s head home.”
“Alright, since you mentioned it, let’s go home!”
