Chapter 104: What Is Your Choice?

“The first option!” Liu Nian smiled, spreading his arms wide.

“This world will become reality! Your parents will still be alive, your friends will appear, even those who like you and those you like will be here. And you’ll retain the power of the Blaze Fruit. However, you cannot use the Blaze Fruit’s abilities to do anything that violates the fundamental order—like destroying the world. But usually, if someone does something like that, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Civilization Recovery and Management Bureau, and we don’t get involved.”

Chen Ou fell silent.

Coming here, to this world?

“I can even bring your Charmeleon, Entei, Growlithe, and Monferno over, though not in their Pokémon forms.”

Liu Nian continued sweetening the deal.

Chen Ou still said nothing.

“You don’t seem like someone who’d want to transmigrate. Normally, those without the desire to transmigrate wouldn’t be chosen, so this is our fault. Offering you this compensation shows our sincerity. It’s a privilege I fought for across various departments because this plan involves many complexities. We’re also paying a considerable price. Plus, you’ll have your parents, friends, and lover in a stable world without any crises. Isn’t this the life you truly want? With your talents and abilities, you can live well here. And with the Blaze Fruit assisting you, you might even become the uncrowned king of this world—or perhaps even a crowned one!”

Liu Nian lazily sank back into the sofa, the indolent fellow unable to stay serious for long.

Yet, beneath that languid tone was undeniable temptation.

With Chen Ou’s intelligence, if he couldn’t achieve something great while wielding the Blaze Fruit’s power, he might as well end his own life.

“The second option?” Chen Ou finally asked.

Liu Nian raised an eyebrow, then said, “The second option is to maintain the status quo. We’ll grant you the full treatment befitting a transmigrator. You’ll get enough attachments, events, and rewards. However, because your Blaze Fruit has become a ‘seed’ due to the influence of the world’s origin, we can’t replace the Blaze Fruit with any other system-like power framework. So, we can only tweak, modify, and strengthen your abilities on the fringes. We’ll also compensate you for the rewards you missed in our company’s activities over the past five years with an average payout.”

Finishing, Liu Nian shrugged, “That’s all there is to say. The choice is yours.”

He extended his hand to Chen Ou. “Go ahead, make your choice. Of course, you don’t have to answer right away. Take your time—I’m not very busy. I might as well enjoy a little downtime.”

With that, Liu Nian snapped his fingers, and the damage caused by Chen Ou’s fiery punch began to slowly revert, eventually restoring everything to its original state.

Liu Nian flicked his fingers, and two teacups suddenly appeared on the coffee table. The tea leaves inside were large, round, and intertwined in black and white. The tea itself was clear and transparent like pure water.

Liu Nian pushed one cup toward the thoughtful Chen Ou, smiling as he watched him.

He lifted his own cup and sipped, not urging Chen Ou, as if savoring a rare leisurely holiday.

For Chen Ou, however, this was truly a choice so tangled and agonizing it threatened to make him tear his hair out.

Parents? Friends? Lover?

Where to go, what to choose?

“What would my parents be like now, if I hadn’t appeared?” Chen Ou’s voice was a little hoarse.

“We immediately sealed their memories of you, along with many others’. To them, you essentially don’t exist. Emmm, since they forgot about you, they’ve already started making new accounts...”

Liu Nian’s words sounded utterly inhuman.

“Is this really a choice you’re giving me?” Chen Ou shouted, scowling. “You erased all traces of me; all my worries are gone... and now you tell me this is a choice???”

“Of course, without worries, does that mean you can just give up your parents?”

Liu Nian smiled like a demon enticing someone straight to hell.

“If I leave the Pokémon world, what will happen there?” Chen Ou asked, frowning.

“We’ll conduct large-scale memory wipes, find a new savior, and provide intense support so they can quickly grow and shoulder the responsibilities of a savior. By the way, our Infinite Game Company is nicknamed the ‘Savior Alliance’ across the universe. Of course, saviors are just workers.”

Liu Nian’s smile was utterly unscrupulous.

Chen Ou’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

[If this guy wasn’t strong enough, he would have been beaten to death already.]

While Chen Ou thought this, Liu Nian raised his right hand to his cup, took a sip of tea, then flicked his left fingers and put the cup down. He said, “Nope, I have been beaten to death before. Thanks to my backup plan, I ended up taking down all those bullies myself.”

Liu Nian’s tone carried a childish plea for praise, but Chen Ou caught the underlying bloodthirst.

“If I leave, and Cynthia and the others forget me, how will the new savior treat them?”

“Who knows? We don’t have a ‘Top Ten Savior Conduct Guidelines’ or anything like that. As long as the world’s stability is achieved in the end, what methods they use is none of our business. And how they treat the world’s natives... why would I care? Even with systems that are half-compulsory and half-guiding, you can’t fundamentally change a person.”

After hearing Liu Nian, Chen Ou sank into silence again.

It was the harsh truth. Though not an official savior, Chen Ou’s actions in the Pokémon world weren’t assigned, and his nature hadn’t fundamentally changed.

“Let’s talk about compensation then...” Chen Ou said helplessly.

Liu Nian smiled triumphantly, “I knew you’d choose this. After all, our employee benefits are quite good. Don’t worry—we won’t let our own employees bleed and cry. We’ll set up your identity in your original world. As long as you meet our company’s performance targets and special tasks, you can earn chances to visit your parents. Once you complete the savior tasks, you’ll get twelve annual opportunities to go home, each lasting up to three days.”

“Why didn’t you say this earlier?” Chen Ou looked at Liu Nian as if he were insane.

If he’d known this before, would he have needed to agonize so much? This was essentially just working away from home.

Liu Nian shrugged, “You didn’t ask.”

Chen Ou: ...

————————————————

Infinite Game Company Chairman’s Office, Void

Liu Nian sat in the boss chair, recalling the conversation with Chen Ou.

After a long pause, he opened his eyes and chuckled softly, “An interesting little devil.”

PS: Thanks to the Crimson Slaughter boss for the 100 starting coins reward!!! May you have abundant romantic luck!!!

PPS: Specific benefit details will be in the next chapter...

7017k