The Battle of Marriage, As It Has Always Been

"Master, rest assured, all evil shall be brought to justice."

"Elder brother, you should rest first. I'll be back soon."

"Master..."

"Great Sorcerer..."

The simulation had just ended, and Xu Xi was about to say something when several girls declared, with utmost enthusiasm, that they wished to engage in a "friendly, loving, and harmonious" sparring session with the princess.

Wu Yingxue took a deep breath.

Hiss—

One against four. Could she win?

After careful consideration, the princess concluded: no, she couldn't.

"Sir, we must leave now!" Wu Yingxue acted decisively, grabbing Xu Xi's hand and attempting to flee. She believed that if she moved fast enough, she could whisk him away to safety.

However.

Four supreme forces simultaneously froze time and space, halting the princess's escape.

The sunlight was dazzling.

Yet the scene was eerily silent.

Wu Yingxue fell silent, her throat bobbing before she finally managed to utter, "Is it too late to negotiate a truce?"

"Hmph."

Xu Moli sneered.

That day, beneath the churning chaos, a torrential rain poured—all under Xu Xi's worried gaze.

It was the clash of five supreme beings.

Faint, indistinct voices echoed through the storm.

"The virtuous shall prevail!"

"First come, first served!"

"Such is the way of marital contention!"

...

...

Half a month later, the supreme sparring had long concluded.

No discord arose among the girls. What Xu Xi saw was still a scene of harmony, unity, and goodwill—as if some unspoken agreement had been reached.

At the same time.

The loyal mechanized maid, Ailei, made a request to Xu Xi.

She, too, wished to undergo a simulation.

"May I, Master?" Ailei asked.

"Of course," Xu Xi replied with a smile, granting her wish.

This time, the simulation began swiftly.

Ailei had long since decided on the kind of world she wanted to visit—one resembling the former Federal Planet.

A world of highly advanced virtual technology, ubiquitous intelligent machinery, and eerily empty streets.

Civilization had not collapsed.

People still existed.

But they were so deeply immersed in the virtual world that the streets were nearly devoid of living souls.

Only automated mechs and the occasional elderly person, unwilling to enter the virtual network, lingered in the cold, technological city.

"Ailei, why choose such a world?"

Faced with Xu Xi's question, Ailei answered thus:

"The time I have with you is too fleeting. I don’t wish to be disturbed by others."

In the past, the mechanized maid might have chosen an urban setting, leveraging its love-filled environment to enact the "Thirty-Six Stratagems of Romance."

But now, she no longer needed those stratagems.

The Thirty-Seventh Stratagem: Being Loved.

This was her unshakable confidence.

And so, Ailei selected a world reminiscent of the Federal Planet, wanting to quietly savor her time alone with Xu Xi in a familiar setting.

Until the half-year period ended.

And they naturally returned to the real world.

"Let’s find a place to stay first, Ailei."

"As you wish, Master."

On the first day of the simulation, the morning sun glinted off the magnetic rails suspended in the air, where small hovercrafts zipped past.

Towering silver skyscrapers stood like sentinels upon the earth.

Looking up, one could see the colossal artificial ring encircling the sky.

The brilliance of technology was undeniable.

However, the civilization that created all this was plunged into a semi - extinguished tranquility. Everyone was indulged in the illusory world and couldn't extricate themselves.

Plop -

Plop -

Xu Xi and Ailei were originally walking in the city, slowly observing the houses on both sides and the natural scenery managed by intelligent machines.

Just as they were walking.

Xu Xi suddenly noticed that there were some free - to - use transportation tools beside the streets of this world.

They seemed to be a mix of bicycles, motorcycles, and maglev technology.

The whole vehicle had a silver - white streamlined shape.

It looked quite sci - fi.

"Ailei, come and sit on it," Xu Xi had no interest in suffering. Since there were transportation tools, he was naturally willing to use them.

He sat in the driver's seat first and then let the girl sit on the back seat.

He turned the button.

The engine roared.

The silver - white vehicle turned into a blurry shadow.

It continuously broke through on the road.

"Ailei, hold on tight."

"Yes, master."

Ailei was very obedient to Xu Xi.

The beautiful young girl sat steadily on the back seat, wrapped her jade - like arms around Xu Xi's waist, and pressed her cheek against Xu Xi's back.

Feeling the strong oncoming wind blowing through her hair.

Her delicate face was revealed.

Ailei remembered this scene.

When looking for a love guide, she had seen a similar plot in the database.

The male and female protagonists were riding on a motorcycle. As long as the female protagonist hugged the male protagonist tightly, there would be an incredible increase in the favorability.

Thinking of this.

Ailei hugged Xu Xi even tighter.

Her calm and indifferent expression seemed no different from usual, but if you observed carefully, you could find that the arc of her mouth had changed.

It was a little bit of joy unique to the mechanical servant.

...

After several hours of driving.

After several hours of observation.

Xu Xi basically understood the situation of this simulation.

"How should I put it..."

"It's much quieter than I expected."

With the speed of the sci - fi vehicle, Xu Xi and Ailei went to different parts of the city, but everywhere they went was empty.

Only the intelligent machines were managing everything on their own.

Xu Xi thought for a long time.

He gave up the idea of settling in the city.

Although life here was convenient, there was a dead and empty atmosphere everywhere, which made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Master, I recommend you choose... here, here, and here."

A loyal mechanical servant was always trustworthy.

She knew.

Xu Xi preferred natural scenery.

With a flash of light, Ailei retrieved the map of this world for Xu Xi and selected several scenic spots according to Xu Xi's preferences.

"You've really helped me a lot, Ailei."

Xu Xi exclaimed.

He placed his hand on Ailei's head and gently stroked her black - and - gold hair.

After that, Xu Xi chose a location near a lake as his residence for the next six months.

The sun was shining brightly.

The lake surface was rippling and glistening, like dense fish scales.

Two or three big fish jumped out of the water and then plunged heavily back into the lake, swimming freely.

Xu Xi was very satisfied with this view.

There was a clear lake in front, a forest providing shade behind, and on both sides there were lawns and flowers maintained by intelligent machines. The overall environment was very pleasant.

But there was a problem.

There were no houses to live in here.

"Master, please leave it to me," a loyal mechanical servant was omnipotent. She controlled a construction team of intelligent machines and in just two days, she built a house for Xu Xi according to his needs.

The area was not very large.

But the style was very delicate and had a faint sense of warmth.

"It's even better than I expected. You really are amazing, Ailei."

Xu Xi smiled and gently took Ailei's hand, then walked towards the inside of the house.

Dazed.

Overlapping.

It was as if he had returned to the fourth simulation, to the days when they leaned on each other in the wasteland.