73: Chapter 73 Whispers of Pleasure

Looking at the light figure before him that emitted a soft white glow but behaved in a flighty and bizarre manner—the [Lord/God of Pleasure]—Zhang Hao suppressed the shock and numerous questions in his heart. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Analyzing the current situation and gathering information was his instinct.

He weighed his words and asked cautiously, "Why did you... establish [Dreamland] and nurture the [Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins] in this place?"

The light figure stopped its silent laughter, seemingly interested in Zhang Hao's question. It tilted its "head," and the Light Pen appeared in its hand once more, writing rapidly on the floating Prompt Board before flipping it over. There were only two large, flamboyant characters on it:

[Pleasure]

After writing, it seemed to find these two characters incredibly amusing. It casually tossed the Prompt Board aside and began to spin and leap wildly on the spot, performing various exaggerated and distorted dance moves. Its body, composed of white light, trailed afterimages as if it were holding a revelry that no one could understand, using its entire body to express its pure, almost instinctive "fun-seeking" mindset.

Zhang Hao's frown deepened. This answer was both unexpected and logical. The behavioral motives of a being calling itself "Pleasure" seemed impossible to gauge with common sense. However, he keenly sensed that behind these two simple words might lie deeper secrets regarding the operational mechanisms of the Dream World.

His gaze shifted to the Black and White Clown nearby, who was still shivering and seemed out of place in this cheerful (or rather, mad) atmosphere. He asked again, "Then what is he? Why is he here?"

The light figure stopped its frenzied dancing, as if only just noticing the Black and White Clown's presence. It pointed the Light Pen at the Black and White Clown from a distance, and new handwriting quickly appeared on the Prompt Board:

[I am a participant, and he is a bystander.]

After writing, its featureless face seemed to "turn" toward the Black and White Clown, revealing an undisguised, almost loathing sentiment, as if looking at a boring, obstructive background piece.

Then, as if completely tired of this written form of communication, it casually threw the Light Pen and Prompt Board away like trash. The Prompt Board and Light Pen dissipated into bits of light in mid-air.

In the next moment, a clear voice with a strange overlapping tone, sounding as if it were ringing directly within his Soul, appeared in Zhang Hao's mind:

"Hee hee, talking like this is much more convenient~" The voice was full of liveliness and mischievous laughter. "That's right, I am the Lord of Pleasure and also the God of Pleasure. You can call me [Pleasure]. My favorite thing is finding fun, and I also like to stir up trouble. Of course, everything is for the sake of [Pleasure]."

"So," the voice continued to echo in his mind with a secret-sharing sort of excitement, "I participated in the nurturing of the Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins and then established Dreamland. Don't you think it's fun? People immersed in enjoyment... those insignificant 'negative' bits they emit—boredom, emptiness, unfulfilled greed, envy born from comparison... Haha, they actually turned out to be the best nutrients for nurturing those seven cute little things! Human emotions are just too interesting. With only a tiny bit of pleasure as bait, they are willing to proactively give up, or rather, ignore all other emotions. How wonderful, how... ironic?"

Zhang Hao felt a chill in his heart. [Pleasure] had personally confirmed his previous speculation. Dreamland was indeed a massive "filter" and "nutrient tank," using extreme happiness to mask its essence of extracting negative emotions.

"As for that black-and-white-faced fellow," [Pleasure]'s voice took on a hint of disdain, "he's just a bystander, bound by Rules and unable to intervene in anything; he can only watch. So un-pleasurable, so boring. But this time is very interesting. You—the Child of Fate and Logic—your appearance and your choices have made even this dull bystander unable to resist getting involved to try and warn you. This play has become much more interesting because of it!"

Zhang Hao immediately seized the key information and followed up in his mind: "Where is the [Lord of the Seven Deadly Sins] now?"

"Oh, them," [Pleasure]'s voice sounded lazy. "Because of the influence of those annoying Rules of the Dream World, the true bodies of all Dominators and god-Rank existences are not allowed to appear directly within a Dream Mission World; that would mess up the 'game.' Right now, I've only projected a tiny, microscopic bit of my power into this light figure's body to play with you. So, the moment those seven little cuties were successfully nurtured and opened their eyes, they were forcibly teleported away by the Rules to the place where they belong—outside the Dream Mission World."

Just as Zhang Hao wanted to continue pressing for answers, such as where they went or what the so-called "game" was—

"Stop, stop, stop!" [Pleasure]'s voice interrupted him with obvious impatience. "Question baby, you have too many questions! If you knew everything, where would the surprise be? Where would the fun be? Leave some suspense, leave some unknowns—that is the true essence of pleasure!"

The light figure's form began to blur and started spinning rapidly again, turning into a dazzling vortex of light.

"Alright, the boring Q&A session is over~" Its voice gradually faded away with a laugh. "I wish you a pleasant time... playing in Dreamland! Perhaps we'll meet again in the next game, Child of Numerology~"

Before the words had even finished echoing, the spinning light shrank abruptly and then, like a candle being blown out, completely vanished into the air without leaving a single trace.