I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 355, 1.23, 18 Paper Cutting (Inside)

Lan Xiao's voice grew softer and softer, and gradually she didn't know how to comfort Bertias anymore.

"I'm fine..." Bertias slowly stood up and said, even though her voice didn't sound like she was fine at all. Her beautiful face had a forced smile on her face, as if she was just trying to put on a smile, rather than being genuinely happy.

"It would be better to rest a little longer, since no one else has come here yet," Lan Xiao said softly.

"Is Xiaomei worried about me?" Bertias teased.

"I! I... I didn't..." Lan Xiao blushed and lowered her head, her emerald eyes completely avoiding looking at Beltias.

A slightly amused chuckle reached his ears, and Bertias said softly, "Xiaomei's expression right now is as cute as if she's trying to hide something. Thanks to you, I'm in a much better mood. Let's leave here first."

It was obvious that Bertias was making fun of her. Lan Xiao puffed out her cheeks and stopped talking. This guy was just too infuriating! She was clearly trying to comfort him!
“It’s alright. I escaped later. Although living alone is troublesome, at least I gained freedom.” Bertias paused slightly as she walked to the door and said slowly.

Lan Xiaowei was taken aback. Was he telling her that she had recovered?
"I couldn't choose how I was born, since I didn't even have the most basic ability to resist back then. But I could choose how I lived my life." So he would never regret the choice he made, never.

makes sense……

A slightly relieved smile appeared on Lan Xiao's face. She shouldn't wallow in self-pity. Since she had already decided to make a change, she shouldn't hesitate. She should be more determined.

She was the one who wanted to comfort Bertias, but instead, she ended up being comforted by him instead, which was a little funny.

They should actually be the same type of people.

I didn't grow up in a wealthy family, and I don't have any happy childhood memories to cherish. I just want to live well and leave this place alive.

“The instance itself does not contain any real items. The instance map is the entire city. Leaving means abandoning the instance. Only players can touch the real items.” Bertias murmured, something flashing through her mind but she couldn’t quite grasp it.

"Let's go! To the roof!" Bertias said as he climbed up the ladder.

After he climbed up, he saw that Lan Xiao was already standing there waiting for him. He blinked, looked at Lan Xiao, and then looked at the ladder behind him.

"How...did you get up here?" Bertias's lips twitched slightly, and she inexplicably felt a little weak. She should have known better than to deliberately use the ladder.

“There happens to be a pine tree here,” Lan Xiao said slowly, pointing to the huge pine tree next to her.

"You... wearing a miniskirt... climbing a tree?" Something just doesn't feel right.

"Is there a problem?" Lan Xiao asked softly.

"No..." Bertias covered his face in frustration, deciding not to continue. What if people thought he was a pervert if he said it? Although he really wanted to ask Lan Xiao, wasn't she afraid of accidentally exposing herself?

Bertias slowly stood up, glanced around, and frowned as he said, "I want to go somewhere higher, preferably somewhere with a bird's-eye view of the entire city."

Why is the fourth rule specifically mentioned twice, with the word "the whole seat" used for emphasis?
Unless, of course, the place they were in before was not the whole city, but half of it.

But if we understand it this way, then what does it mean that 'the instance itself does not contain any real items'?

Is this place now considered part of the real world, with real objects everywhere? Or is it just what they perceive as such...?

They thought it was...

Were you misled?
Seeing real buildings and witnessing gluttony, he began to believe this was the real world, but he had fallen into a misconception. This was still not the real world; it was still a world of paper cutouts. Bertias, with a blank expression, lifted a tile and casually snapped it off.

The tile was easily pried open like a piece of paper, revealing the white filling inside.

Undoubtedly, this is a three-dimensional paper sculpture, not the thin layer of paper as before. It is this difference that makes them think that this place is real.

Are only players allowed to touch real objects?
Does that count as paper?
If we're talking about real items, they are indeed only made of paper.

but……

How exactly did it become two separate areas?

Lan Xiao stood on the rooftop and looked into the distance, where she saw a woman of exceptional poise walk through the gates of the City Lord's Mansion. She walked straight towards a certain spot, completely ignoring the greetings from those around her.

She gently tugged at Bertias's sleeve, pulling him out of his own world.

“There,” she pointed to the woman, reminding her.

“This person… I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…” Bertias followed Lan Xiao’s finger and frowned when he saw the person, his expression showing a hint of doubt.

The woman pushed open the door and went into the house.

The two glanced at each other and quickly ran in that direction.

"It's such a waste of time, if it weren't for..." The woman paced back and forth in the room in frustration, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

The woman opened the door and saw an old man standing there. She asked, "What's wrong?"

"Madam requests your presence," the old man said.

"Coming right away." The woman frowned, closed the door, went back to her room, did something, and soon came out again, leaving with the old man.

After the woman left the room, the two glanced around to make sure no one else was there, then opened the door and went inside.

The first thing you see is a large model of a city placed in the center of the room. This model is almost made of paper and is so beautiful that it could be called a work of art, but it's a bit too empty. There should be another building next to each one to make it perfect.

Lan Xiao quietly observed the city model, walked around it once, and then slowly stopped.

She reached under the table and, just as she expected, touched a button.

“I pressed it,” Lan Xiao said.

After pressing that button, you hear the sound of gears turning, and an opening appears next to each building, revealing buildings that look incredibly realistic, as if they have been turned upside down from the bottom.

“It’s complete.” Bertias said slowly, his face cold.

"But isn't the difference a bit too great? It looks somewhat out of place." Lan Xiao frowned slightly as she looked at the seemingly cobbled-together city.

(End of this chapter)