He thought for a long time before realizing, the things he had just said didn't really seem to have any problems.
At this moment, Stephen's heart was filled with panic and helplessness, the whole person seeming to have lost direction, not knowing what to do.
After all, he was nothing more than an ordinary little alpaca. The ones he had interacted with before were limited only to those companions in this game world who had already developed self-awareness.
These companions, although each had their own personality traits, some crazy, some dull, at least their states always remained relatively stable.
The crazy ones were always like that, and the dull ones were always silly and dazed…
However, a situation like Notch's, where he suddenly seemed like a completely different person, was something Stephen had never seen before.
Facing this sudden change, Stephen really had no way to handle it, completely not knowing how he could help Notch out of his predicament.
But of course, he couldn't just let Notch continue suffering like this. After thinking hard for a moment, Stephen finally opened his mouth and said, "Seeing you like this makes me feel really bad too…"
"Didn't you say that players can leave this game world and go back to the world they belong to?"
"Why don't you leave and take a good rest?"
"You're the one who told me, when your head is all messed up, don't force yourself to keep thinking, sleep well and your thoughts will become a lot clearer…"
"You also said before, coming here wasn't for the sake of winning. Since you feel so awful, it's better not to force yourself."
"Don't worry, I'll keep walking the road ahead on my own, and fulfill our promise…"
"..."
Stephen and Notch had gone through all kinds of hardships along the way.
They always remembered the mission of being "wandering merchants," moving forward without stopping.
Every journey was a cleansing of the soul. They witnessed the attitudes and views that various factions had toward this world, and they witnessed the hidden bitterness of those factions.
They carefully recorded everything they saw and heard along the way.
As calm and objective observers, they quietly watched over this little world.
Stephen knew well that he longed to finish this legendary journey together with Notch. Yet, seeing Notch suddenly become like this, he was burning with anxiety.
Even though his heart was restless and uneasy, Stephen was helpless, not knowing how he could make Notch feel even a little better.
It was exactly because of this helplessness and worry that he had made that suggestion.
At this moment, Notch, who was nearly on the verge of collapse, though unable to clearly hear every word Stephen had just said, still understood his intent.
"Leave…"
"No… I can't leave…"
"I can't run away anymore!"
Running away might let someone gain a moment's peace, but it was by no means a long-term solution, and even less could it solve problems at their root.
Notch had long been used to running away, and this wasn't the first time.
The pain he was suffering now came from his inability to face the past self that felt so unfamiliar to him.
The Notch from before, when facing problems, would always use avoidance strategies, unwilling to dig deeper.
Back then, unknowingly, Notch had run away from the very game he had created and loved.
At the time, he had reasons enough to convince himself. His running away was directed only at himself. Avoiding his game hadn't hurt anyone else.
But what he didn't know was that in those gaps of memory, the past him may have chosen to erase everything just to escape.
He hated that kind of self, and he couldn't accept that kind of self. The source of his pain was his former self.
If, after knowing the truth, Notch still chose to continue running away, then what difference would there be between him and the past self?
Thinking of this, Notch slowly calmed down.
'I can't keep running away…'
'I can't let old things happen again…'
'This is my sin… I have to repay it…'
The things that had happened before were only Notch's guesses. Although he felt those guesses were nine out of ten accurate, there were still many mysteries unsolved.
The things of the past had already happened. The Notch of the past had already made his choice.
Even if Notch didn't want to admit it, didn't want to accept it, it had already happened, and couldn't be changed.
If now he still kept trapping himself in the swamp of denying his former self, of feeling ashamed of his former self, unable to pull himself out for a long time, then he really was being too selfish.
What he was tangled up over, breaking down over, unable to accept, was his past self.
This emotion should be digested by himself. It shouldn't affect the progress of everything now.
Just as Notch had said, this was his sin.
The sins of his past should be borne by himself, and absolutely shouldn't affect the present.
If he kept trapped in these sins, unable to pull himself out, consuming himself, then new sins would quietly be born.
Because this world wouldn't stop running just because of his guilt, sadness, and grief.
The many problems of this world wouldn't vanish just because of his repentance.
The problems still existed. What was most important now wasn't drowning in the past, but striving to find answers to the problems of the present.
Thinking of this, Notch slowly held back the emotions that kept overflowing.
Then he looked at the flustered Stephen beside him and said, "I'm fine now…"
"I won't leave."
"Because I won't run away anymore."
Seeing Notch suddenly adjust his state, Stephen was even more dumbfounded.
"You…"
"Are you really okay…"
Just as Stephen said that, lifting his eyes, he met Notch's gaze.
Although Notch's eyes were a little red, Stephen could see an unshakable determination in them.
Before Stephen could say anything more, he saw Notch walk slowly to the edge of the cliff and look down at the lush rainforest below.
"Our next stop is the rainforest, right?"
At this moment, Notch's unwavering gaze was already deeply imprinted in Stephen's eyes.
From the bottom of his heart, Stephen hoped that Notch could slowly get better.
But the reality left him utterly shocked, Notch's emotional changes were way too fast.
It was as if in the blink of an eye, things had turned completely upside down.
At first, Notch looked calm and collected.
But before long, strangeness appeared, and he no longer seemed steady like before.
Next, his emotions completely collapsed like a broken dam, instantly falling apart.
And now, again, he had recovered into this determined state at an astonishing speed.
This whole series of emotional ups and downs had all happened within just ten minutes or so. Such a dramatic reversal really caught Stephen completely off guard.
How had Stephen ever seen anything like this before? At this moment, he was truly a bit scared.
"I was actually a little jealous of the players before, but now it looks like being an alpaca is better after all…"
Originally Stephen had been full of envy toward players, but now, he felt being an alpaca suited him much better…
After all the long days of contact and understanding, Stephen still deeply respected Notch.
After all, Notch's knowledge was extremely broad, knowing many things Stephen had never even heard of.
And Notch's thinking and perspectives on things often made Stephen feel enlightened.
Not only that, Notch sometimes even told Stephen about the daily lives of players. That always made Stephen yearn for it.
After all, being a player meant never having to worry about survival.
They could simply enjoy everything in this game world.
However, just now, after witnessing Notch's shocking transformation in just ten minutes, Stephen's filter toward players completely shattered.
Even though he was an alpaca, for him, the only thing he needed to worry about was how to survive.
He didn't have complicated thoughts, so he naturally wouldn't be troubled by endless worries.
For Stephen, as long as he could get through each day safely and smoothly, that was enough to make him satisfied and incredibly happy.
But players were a sharp contrast. These people clearly already had the superior conditions that every self-aware creature in this world dreamed of.
Yet they didn't see it as a blessing. They wanted more, were dissatisfied with more.
All day long they worried, fretted, and felt anxious about countless things.
If being a player meant having to bear so much pressure and pain, then Stephen would rather stay as a simple, pure alpaca, never again feeling envy toward players.
Though Stephen thought this way, he didn't say it out loud. Notch had just recovered, and he was really afraid of saying the wrong thing again.
Thinking of this, Stephen nodded and followed Notch's words, replying,
"Mm, the next stop is the rainforest…" Stephen said, looking off into the distance with a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, that place can be called the most mysterious place right now."
Notch agreed, his eyes shining with curiosity, expectation, and even a hint of hope.
All along the journey, Stephen and Notch had always shown themselves as wandering merchants.
They traded all kinds of items along the way, while also gathering various information.
However, strangely enough, when it came to the rainforest region, they couldn't gather a single bit.
Other regions, more or less, had some related intel. But the rainforest region was like it was covered by a veil of mystery, no one had ever mentioned it.
This abnormal phenomenon made Stephen and Notch wary. After such a long journey, there wasn't a single word about it. That was truly hard to believe.
Facing the unknown challenge ahead, Stephen and Notch felt uneasy.
But at the same time, deep inside, their desire to explore the unknown world pushed them forward. Maybe only by stepping into that mysterious rainforest themselves could they uncover the secrets hidden inside.
———
However, no trace of news about the rainforest leaked out, and for Xu Yuan, this was definitely great news.
In fact, Xu Yuan had never deliberately hidden information about the rainforest region.
But the fact that no news of it had spread at all fully proved that the retention rate of players, monsters, and animals around the rainforest was quite high.
In this trial ground, like a sealed cage, the flow of information depended entirely on the movement of participants.
After all, it wasn't like the real world where everyone carried a phone. Here, information could only spread along with people's movement.
Therefore, if no information had spread, it meant the players in that region hadn't moved.
And the reason for that was obvious.
They were fully enjoying all the conveniences the rainforest brought them.
This alone was enough to prove that the players in that region strongly approved of the current strategic plan of the rainforest.
Even though they had made this choice for their own interests, it couldn't be denied, they had chosen to recognize the new policy.
Only by taking the first step could the things that followed have space to be carried out.
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