"You really have a way with words."
This time, it wasn't clear if it was Ren Suo's cheesy lines that did it, or if it was because the Rebel's broad knowledge revealed during the chat, but Her Royal Highness the Princess actually picked up on the Rebel's flirty talk and continued the conversation!
Ren Suo hurried to strike while the iron was hot. Not following the script Qiao Muyi had taught him, he translated those distinctive cheesy lines according to his own thoughts:
"I've already missed out on so many things I like; I won't force myself to miss out on a person I like."
Her Royal Highness the Princess seemed a bit shy. "We're in public, what are you talking about..."
Huh?! This was a crucial point I remember clearly! It turns out that about half of the material Qiao Muyi gave was advice on 'face-to-face meetings (dating),' all in Chinese, even though I had only asked for online dating strategies. However, while looking through the strategies, I also checked out the latter half of the dating advice and couldn't help but be amazed by how people from the city play dirty tricks. I, Ren Suo, who haven't had the chance to hold a girl's hand since kindergarten, am a born solo powerhouse, and this was the first time I learned that so much cunning could be played out during dates.
Among them, there was one piece of advice quite similar to the current situation. If both parties have already established enough goodwill online, and after meeting, one feels the other is not bad and tries to confess and confirm the relationship, if the other party does not refuse but shyly avoids the subject, it means they've agreed! There was even a highlighted suggestion from Qiao Muyi: "At this point, the other person has already agreed in their heart, but because of their feminine reserve, they find it hard to let go. You need to pursue your victory, loudly declare your feelings, and draw the attention of all spectators so that the other person cannot escape!
"Chances are they'll agree. Even if they don't, they'll try to communicate with you, and then you've won!
"Note: Remember, your voice must be loud to use the advantage of the crowd to create a 'confrontation space.' At the same time, don't try to restrict the other person's movements. After all, you can't beat anyone, and if you get hurt, it will spoil the atmosphere of the date."
Giving face-to-face meeting advice in an online dating guide is normal, but this note is a bit strange—why is Qiao Muyi so sure that I, a Second Stage Cultivator, can't beat the woman I'm dating? I'm strong too, okay! So now, the Rebel has to strike while the iron is hot! But how to make the Rebel's voice louder...
Ren Suo fiddled around a bit but couldn't find a way to amplify the Rebel's voice. So, he had the Rebel answer in a normal voice, "No, Your Highness, I may have missed out on your past, but I'm committed to your future to the end!"
Then the Princess on the screen actually took two steps back and ended the conversation. Ren Suo hurriedly had the Rebel follow her!
The Rebel was dragged away by the bodyguards again. This time, they didn't drag him out of the banquet hall but just set him aside to cool off.
There was no other choice but to try again, starting with the topic of the Fairy Palace as usual. Thanks to the previous exchange, this time the conversation between Ren Suo and Her Royal Highness the Princess was even more relaxed and enjoyable; he even managed to joke around in English and discreetly praise Her Royal Highness the Princess.
However, Her Royal Highness the Princess still ended the Fairy Palace topic on the forty-fifth line. Ren Suo had no choice but to make the Rebel brazenly repeat the cheesy pick-up lines.
After a few lines, Her Royal Highness the Princess said again, "We're in public, what are you saying..."
This time I knew that if I just had the Rebel repeat those cheesy lines ordinarily, he would likely end up being dragged away by the bodyguards again. As Qiao Muyi's strategy stated, because the Rebel's voice wasn't loud enough, no one else knew the content of their conversation. So, no matter how flirty the Rebel was, only Her Royal Highness the Princess was aware. And since no one understood their conversation, when Her Royal Highness the Princess felt embarrassed, she could retreat from the conversation without any pressure, with no need to consider the spectators' expectations. So, how to increase the Rebel's voice, as the strategy suggested?
There are Spells for that, but they're Third-Tier Magic like "Sound Wave." The effect isn't to amplify the voice, but to ensure sound vibrations aren't diminished during transmission. This Spell is used in conjunction with other sound wave spells; it can increase their damage range by nearly double or even tens of times. It's not meant for flirting.
As for Spells that strengthen the voice, I believed they existed, and they might not even be high-level Spells—however, I wasn't qualified to learn them. Because amplification Spells, if taken just a step further, could become large-scale lethal Sound Wave Magic, instantly killing all listeners. With sufficient Spiritual Energy, a Cultivator continuously activating a low-frequency amplification Spell could even cause all residents in the area to suffer severe discomfort.
There are no useless Spells, only Cultivators who lack Knowledge. Even an amplification Spell, which seems to have little use, I could see its potential for explosive damage. The officials could naturally see it too, so they prevented this Spell from being released onto the Spell Network. In contrast, the auxiliary Third-Tier Magic "Sound Wave" seemed to have no offensive capacity at all.
As mentioned before, the Spell Network is a system for purchasing Spells that all public service Cultivators in the Mysterious Country can unlock. Consequently, large-scale lethal Spells are not available to the average Cultivator. I could at most exchange for small-range Offensive Spells, or other Movement Spells and Defensive Magic.
Am I stuck here again? Is the flirting strategy really not feasible? But after finding the right direction, if I were to give up now, wouldn't the last two days I spent studying romance and flirting be wasted? Moreover, as a hardcore Player, I'm best at thinking outside the box.
The advice from Qiao Muyi should be effective. I need to focus on the key points: not letting Her Royal Highness the Princess escape requires pressure from the audience, and needing an audience means the Rebel's voice must be louder...
Ren Suo's thoughts raced. Without inputting text, he moved the cursor and took control of a generic-faced NPC nearby!
Passerby A: "Stay away from the Rebel (consume 3 Merit Points)," "Approach the Rebel (consume 1 Merit Point)"
Ren Suo then tried to control another NPC a little further away.
Knight B: "Stay away from the Rebel (consume 2 Merit Points)," "Approach the Rebel"
I see! Ren Suo realized that controlling other NPCs didn't actually require too many Merit Points. The reason controlling ordinary NPCs had required a large amount of Merit Points before was that the Rebel was in the restroom, far away from them.
This was different from controlling the Rebel. The Rebel knew he was being controlled by a Player, but other NPCs didn't. They had no sensation whatsoever. Ren Suo's control was akin to a subtle suggestion, causing them to act as if of their own accord.
When the Rebel was in the restroom, only a small amount of Merit Points was needed to influence those who seemed to have a deep connection with him, like the Female Demon, Female Knight, and the White Emperor. But for other ordinary NPCs who weren't very familiar with the Rebel, making them take action related to him required a huge suggestion—meaning consuming a large amount of Merit Points.
But now that the Rebel was chatting with Her Royal Highness the Princess, and the NPCs saw this, the Merit Points needed to suggestively manipulate the NPCs had significantly decreased!
Realizing his plan was highly likely to succeed, Ren Suo no longer hesitated. He hurriedly controlled one NPC after another, prompting them to actively gather around the Rebel.
And as the Rebel was chatting with Her Royal Highness the Princess, their approach toward the Rebel naturally meant they were also surrounding Her Royal Highness the Princess!
Yes, I don't need the Rebel's voice to be loud; I just need enough audience members nearby while they're chatting!
After controlling all nearby NPCs to gather around, Ren Suo took control of a Female Knight on the periphery and saw her options:
"Chat with the Rebel (consume 1 Merit Point)"
So, Ren Suo prepared to have her also approach the Rebel, forming part of the audience for the Rebel's flirtatious talk.
However, just as Ren Suo chose this option, a thought bubble popped up above the Rebel's head, saying, "Every joy Destiny bestows comes with pain already prepared behind it."
Huh? What does that mean? I remembered that whenever this phrase popped up, it was generally at moments when the Rebel was horribly tricked by me. So, is the Rebel pleading for mercy?
After reflecting for half a second, Ren Suo let out a sigh and put down the controller.
The heart, too, is made of flesh. Since the Rebel is begging so meekly, I, Ren Suo, am not some Demon. Of course, I'll listen to the Rebel's wishes.
Thus, Ren Suo resolutely chose for the Female Knight: "Chat with the Rebel (consume 1 Merit Point)"!
Not only that, he immediately selected the White Emperor and the Female Demon to go and chat with the Rebel too!
I sincerely wish you happiness and joy, Rebel.