CHAPTER 403: CHAPTER 45 HABITS AND PREFERENCES

"Lord Yila said that everything was ready."

Tipcapu said this, dressed in the maid outfit she often wore in the Main Plane, reminding Raphael (female) who had almost never changed her appearance (referring to armor), saying, "When you leave later, don’t struggle, otherwise you might get crushed."

"Mm, I understand."

Raphael responded, looking at Tipcapu who was preparing to go out, he calmly asked his long-time roommate, "Where are you going? Aren’t you waiting to return to the Main Plane?"

To Raphael’s question, Tipcapu responded simply, "I’m going to find the newly arrived Sea Demons to play and ask about the ’Calamity of the Sea’, so I don’t have to trouble Lord Yila and ask her to explain it."

Is that so?

"Then I’ll go out for a bit too."

Listening to Raphael’s words, Tipcapu curiously asked, "Are you also going to learn about external situations? Then do you want to join me in finding the Sea Demons? They all just died not long ago."

If one were to talk about external situations, Raphael was actually far more concerned than Tipcapu. He was aware of Yila’s recent actions, such as the ’Conference of Kings’, so he wasn’t going out for a spur-of-the-moment exploration.

"No, I’m just going to find something to eat."

Raphael said this and quickly disappeared into the streets that were eternally shrouded in night... though it was nighttime, the surroundings were exceptionally bright; the Federation was always like this.

The stars in the sky were tightly enclosed, replaced by artificially constructed domes. Whether it was raining, snowing, or something else, it was all artificially simulated and could be changed at will.

Dark night, yet bright... sealed, yet free...

...

Exquisite, beautiful, convenient, yet rigid... People no longer had any pursuit for the future.

*Though one could pick faults in such aspects, if one were to leave this world, anyone would find it difficult to get accustomed... It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but hard to go from extravagance to frugality, such is the truth.*

"No wonder Yila’s persistence was so unwavering."

Raphael walked along the streets, filled with neon lights and street lamps, talking to himself, then shook his head to indicate to those AI beings belonging to the Final AI Judgement Mechanism·Good and Evil Collaborative Automaton... that his self-talk didn’t require help.

"When Tipcapu and I leave here and return to the Main Plane, we might miss this world, right?"

*Raphael made this clear judgment, then subconsciously wanted to ponder whether the gods had any revelations for him... then he immediately realized they didn’t. The instructions given to the Heavenly Holy Knights were only to protect siblings, to protect the world itself.*

*Even the gods still hoped that their children had happy lives.*

In other words...

"The will of the gods, the miracles of the gods... Are we always carrying them out... right?"

Raphael spoke softly to himself, but then shook his head and walked into a noodle shop with a beautiful neon sign... Raphael was now living for himself.

*No need to consider the concerns of the gods... He was not a god.*

"Boss, a bowl of plain noodles."

Raphael greeted, then quietly looked at the flow of people coming and going at the entrance. Though he had tried many types of noodles during this time: rotten meat noodles, fried fish noodles, as he ate and ate...

*For some reason, he still felt that the plain noodles, at this noodle shop with a physical door that Yila had brought him to eat for the first time, tasted the best... No toppings, no side dishes, the flavor was fresh but not particularly exquisite.*

The broth was clear... it just had a nice taste.

*No wonder Yila said back then that he came to eat every week...*

As Raphael was contemplating, a bowl of plain noodles with scallions was placed in front of him.

"Thank you."

Raphael replied, looking at the noodle shop owner who dressed like a typical Noodle Shop Owner... truth be told, he was already considered a regular customer here.

*Raphael now roughly understood that ’credit point’ was something equivalent to Gold Coin in the Main Plane... but after the civilization was destroyed, it was no longer needed in Yila’s soul.*

The noodle shop owner in front of him was not like the many shops where the AI was in charge; he was purely human... though from now on, he and the AI were alike, possessed only souls.

"Boss, even though you can’t earn credit points anymore, why are you still making noodles?"

Raphael asked, which was very rare... because whether in the previous Federation or now in Yila’s Soul Federation, people would not easily ask about each other’s private matters.

*Very civilized, but also distanced... neighbors not knowing each other’s names or appearances could very well happen.*

However, for Raphael, who was brought to eat noodles by Yila, the owner was still interested in casual chatting, but it was only casual chatting: "Because of habit."

"Habit... huh..."

During Raphael’s contemplation, the noodle shop owner added another chopstick of noodles to Raphael’s bowl, under Raphael’s "thank you", he supplemented his words: "Of course there’s also ’liking it’, right? Those who run amusement parks are still doing so, and those who operate arcades are still running them too..."

"I didn’t start my shop to earn credit points from the beginning... if I really wanted to make money, there’s always a shortage of people to review advertisements, and that job is easy and pays well... since you guys are from outside the Federation, I’ll tell you about it."

"The Federation was never a place where not working hard meant living poorly, from the beginning... no one needed to live under anyone’s coercion, most of what we do is because—we’re willing."

"Hahaha~"

After saying this, the owner laughed and, amidst the laughter of the guests, shrugged his shoulders and returned to the kitchen to prepare the following ingredients... leaving Raphael eating noodles, slurping and thinking about something.

*Living because willing, surviving because willing, continuing because willing...*

*A bunch of lazy folks, people chasing fun, formed the Federation’s civilization... thinking this way, this place was indeed too suitable for that bunch of idle minglers.*

No, or rather, suitable for everyone who wanted "comfort"... then it’s everyone.

*Even the gods... no, unrelated to the gods, even me...*

"..."

Raphael finished his noodles, drank lots of broth, and walked out of the noodle shop in silence, simply analyzing his thoughts... yes, even he, now felt lazy and unwilling to strive for anything.

*But no, but no, but no...*

"Yila... said, ’It’s good if you’re willing to come back to help,’ so I still have to do something for the Main Plane."

"..."

Raphael firmly drove away the slothfulness within him, and then immediately... felt the surroundings starting to repel him gradually according to the will of the soul owner (Yila).

"Has it come?"