Chapter 136: QQ Pet

The next morning, after finishing his meditation, Luo Chen heard Nicole calling out to him: "Master, please enter the mental space. I have something important to discuss with you."

Could the Fat Bird be causing trouble? Luo Chen entered the mental space without a second thought. Having trained his reverse-thinking method for so long, he could now enter the space at will, without needing Nicole to stimulate him with pulses.

The concern Luo Chen had did not come to pass. Nicole was playing with the Nightmare, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves quite a bit; it did not look like the Fat Bird was up to any mischief.

The Nightmare, which had previously loathed humans, had been cleansed of its malice after its consciousness merged with Luo Chen’s mental world. It had even developed a sense of fondness for Nicole, who possessed a human consciousness. Influenced by Luo Chen, the merged entity had also begun to feel loneliness, unlike its old self that preferred to wander alone. Since Nicole, another consciousness, existed within Luo Chen’s mental space, the Nightmare was eager for companionship. However, it had always been unclear how Nicole’s consciousness managed to exist in Luo Chen’s mind; it could understand its own situation due to the backlash of the possession technique, but Nicole’s origins remained a mystery.

Upon seeing Luo Chen appear, the Nightmare became much more reserved, half-hiding behind Nicole. It knew that this male human was not as easygoing as Nicole and was quite fierce.

Luo Chen glanced at it. "Nicole, is this Fat Bird behaving itself?"

Nicole smiled. "Master, QQ is very well-behaved and obedient!"

"QQ?"

"Because it looks like a penguin, and in the era of ancient civilization, the logo of a network communication tool called QQ was a penguin, so I gave it that name. Master, what do you think?"

The Nightmare felt deeply depressed. Although this childish name detracted from its majesty as the King of Phantom Beasts, it was at least better than "Fat Bird."

Luo Chen said indifferently, "Oh, suit yourself. I’ll just keep calling it Fat Bird!"

The Nightmare nearly fainted. It seemed the nickname "Fat Bird" was destined to haunt it. Alas, what a stroke of bad luck.

Luo Chen asked again, "By the way, Nicole, what did you want to see me about?"

"Master, QQ told me last night that it can help you when necessary!"

"Is that all? Is that supposed to be important?" Luo Chen laughed as if he had heard a very humorous joke. "Nicole, what do you think this Fat Bird can help me with? Look at it; it waddles so awkwardly when it walks! Even if it could help me pour tea or serve water, it still exists within my mental world!"

"No, Master. QQ says it can appear in your reality!"

Luo Chen felt slightly surprised. "What? Is such a thing even possible?"

"Yes, even I didn't believe it, so I wanted you to try it out."

"Well," Luo Chen hesitated, staring at the Nightmare. "This Fat Bird isn't trying to pull some kind of trick, is it?"

The Nightmare thought to itself that if it weren't for the fact that it had merged into his mental space and depended on him for survival, it would never help him! If Luo Chen died, it would perish as well. Moreover, it wanted to prove itself and improve Luo Chen’s attitude toward it, which was why it had proactively made the request. Seeing Luo Chen’s skepticism, it quickly made its eyes sparkle and put on a look of sincerity. It looked quite convincing—the level of acting could rival the way Luo Chen’s "heavenly human" aura had impressed Shi Feng.

"Alright, I'll believe you for now. What do I need to do?"

Nicole said, "QQ said that as long as you focus your attention and wish for it to be by your side, it will appear."

Luo Chen frowned. "It's that simple? Fine, I'll try it right now."

Before he left, he warned, "Listen, Fat Bird, don't try any tricks in front of me, or the consequences will be severe!"

QQ looked indignant, thinking to itself that no good deed goes unpunished; it wanted to help, yet it was still met with suspicion!

Luo Chen returned to reality and whispered in his heart, "Fat Bird, come out!"

The room flashed, and QQ appeared right before his eyes. Luo Chen’s eyes widened. No way, the Fat Bird really came out. According to Nicole, beings of pure consciousness like her could only exist in absolute, sealed spaces like the God Emperor Ring or by merging with a human. Since Nicole had analyzed that this Fat Bird was also pure consciousness, how could it be an exception?

Luo Chen walked over and touched QQ's head. It had a tactile sensation; it was definitely a physical entity. He asked curiously, "Fat Bird, how were you able to separate from my mental space?"

QQ let out two quacks like a duck, and Luo Chen was still able to understand its "bird language."

"This is a spiritual body. I shaped it by absorbing energy through your body. My consciousness is actually still in your mental world!"

Luo Chen was furious. "What? Fat Bird, how dare you use my power without permission!"

"No, no, you've got it wrong," QQ hurriedly explained. "Your body is just the medium; I didn't consume your power..."

"Oh, that's better then!" Luo Chen felt relieved. If the Fat Bird could siphon his power, he would definitely have to drive it away; otherwise, wouldn't his cultivation be in vain?

Luo Chen thought for a moment and added, "So, what can this spiritual body of yours do to help me?"

QQ looked a bit sheepish. "It's still very weak right now and can't provide much help, but it will grow gradually."

"Oh?" Luo Chen’s eyes were full of doubt, thinking, *What kind of helper could this Fat Bird possibly grow into?* He continued, "Fine. Heaven knows when you'll actually be of any use to me. You're probably just afraid of being kicked out of my mental world, so you made up some nonsense about a 'spiritual body' to show you're useful, right? Listen, I'm not interested in this. As long as you behave yourself, I'll let you stay in my mental world—consider it as keeping Nicole company!"

QQ felt depressed again. It was the King of Phantom Beasts, the Nightmare, yet it was being completely ignored and treated by this kid as a charlatan. But it didn't dare to reveal its true identity; otherwise, even if Luo Chen didn't kill it, he would cast it out of his mental world, and since its existence depended on him, that would be a death sentence.

"Alright, that's that. I'm going back into the virtual illusion. How do you get back?"

QQ quacked twice. "Just imagine me going back, and it'll happen!"

"Oh, good." Luo Chen whispered in his heart, *Fat Bird, go back!*

QQ flickered and vanished from the room. Immediately after, Luo Chen re-entered the virtual illusion and said to Nicole, "That Fat Bird wasn't lying, but it's still so fat—I doubt it will be of much help. But it doesn't matter; Nicole, as long as it can keep you company and relieve your boredom, that's enough!"

"It's not just that, Master. QQ's spiritual body is truly amazing!" Nicole said excitedly. "I just analyzed it, and it really is a mobile force-body. Its composition is fascinating, and I need to study it thoroughly. Since it can manifest in reality through this spiritual body, in theory, I should be able to do it too! Master, if this method works, I won't just be able to stay in the mental world to help you—I could help you in reality, too!"

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Well, that's the theory, but the formation and operation of this spiritual body seem quite complex. I need to spend more time on it. QQ, you'll help me, right?"

Watching QQ nod its bird head vigorously, Luo Chen muttered to himself, *I never expected that this Fat Bird would actually be of some use.*