Universe Infinite Canteen

Han Feifei had just gotten out of the car, when Ma Lu didn't immediately drive away, but rather rolled down the window of the driver's seat and said to Shen Yue, who was sneakily pretending to buy Almond Tea, "Get in the car."

Shen Yue obediently opened the door and as soon as she got in, she raised her hands and confessed, "I didn't see anything just now, please don't kill me to silence me."

Ma Lu glanced at her, "How's the anti-fraud teaching going recently?"

"Very well, very smoothly," Shen Yue nodded, "The number of people getting scammed these past few days has obviously decreased, although the downside is that people are spending less time on their phones. I heard that many are now quitting the internet and even planning to switch to those old-fashioned Nokias."

"…"

"Alright, you're doing a good job," Ma Lu said absentmindedly.

Seeing that Ma Lu seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter about the outsourced PPT any further, Shen Yue felt a bit bolder and tested the waters, "So, have you and Han Feifei... confirmed your relationship yet?"

"No," Ma Lu responded, "She's somewhat troubled," he paused, then stroked his chin, "do you think I'm a jerk?"

"No, you and I, we just prefer a more unilateral and open relationship. I don't think that's being a jerk. We're not playing with someone's feelings and then ruthlessly tossing her aside, we just equally love everyone. It's a form of universal love, fundamentally different from being a jerk."

"That makes sense."

Shen Yue said, "I've been reading a book lately... What are you doing? Don't look at me that way, I am the president of the Classical Literature Society after all, of course, I read.

"In any case, that book says that the emergence of civilization comes at the cost of sacrificing the individual's instincts and desires, and I think there's a lot of truth to that."

"Like how I have a thing for white stockings, but I can't go around publicly declaring my love for white stockings. However, that doesn't mean I don't like them, it just means I suppress my desire, which is akin to paying taxes in order to fit into civilized society.

"A broader example would be newborn babies who are not disciplined by civilization when they first come into the world. Their actions are mainly driven by instinct; they cry when they're hungry, scream when they're in pain, and grab for toys whenever they see them, regardless of the time or place.

"Of course, you wouldn't like a child who's screaming and throwing a tantrum on the train. Then they grow up and begin to be educated by their parents and teachers, and some come to realize that resources are not infinite, so they start to restrain their needs and become well-behaved.

"Continuously accepting prohibitions, or precepts, if you will, and internalizing them through the superego into stuff like laws, ethics, and customs for self-restraint, they are ultimately accepted by civilized society and become contributors to maintaining stability.

"But the problem is that these needs are only suppressed, not truly eradicated, and this long-term suppression and lack of fulfillment could lead to new potential psychological issues.

"For example, a girl who lacked fatherly love in childhood might grow up to be attracted to much older men."

"The more civilized a person is, the more likely it is that their true self will be intensely suppressed, and the epitome of this is monks, especially ascetic monks.

"Their infinite attention to morality and precepts means they sometimes must resort to nearly masochistic methods to vent or convert these long-suppressed needs."

"And the opposite of them is us. Compared to the masses, we value instinct more and belong to the outliers in civilized society. The public hostility towards us is because we stand outside of the cage, which in a way is indeed unfair.

"But it's not us who forced them into the cage; it was their own choice.

"And admit it, we have a fatal attraction for many of them; to them, we represent the wildness and freedom they long for."

"So you're saying we're not wrong?" Ma Lu asked.

"Of course," Shen Yue affirmed, "I'm not saying civilization is bad. It's what distinguishes us humans from beasts. Because most people abide by order, law, customs, and morality, our society, our civilization can exist.

"But following instincts or being disciplined by civilization, after all, is just a choice. There's no right or wrong. Do you like Han Feifei?"

"I guess I do."

"And Angie?"

"She's pretty good too," Ma Lu considered.

"How about Senior Yu Yitong?"

"No, that won't do. I hate her, absolutely," Ma Lu said without hesitation.

"He Xiaoqian?"

Ma Lu hesitated, "Umm... I haven't really thought about it, but it's quite fun being with her."

"Then why would you give up on them?"

"You're right; I have the capability and the responsibility to make all of them happy," Ma Lu's gaze regained determination.

"That's the president I know, daring to love and hate, responsible!" Shen Yue praised, "Keep it up, you are my mentor!"

"Nonsense, don't blame your misdeeds on me," Ma Lu shot a glance at Shen Yue, paused, then went on, "But I am indeed preparing a long trip to bring everyone together and see how well we all get along."

"Where do you plan to go?"

"I haven't decided yet, probably just travel around and visit different civilizations, and maybe do some business on the side. But first, I need to get my ship fixed."

"You bought a ship?" Shen Yue gasped, "Are you planning a round-the-world trip?"

"Not exactly bought; it was given to me by someone. And it's missing a few critical parts, so it won't be easy to fix."

"Scary, is this what rich people's worlds are like?"

"By the way, what's the name of that book you were reading?"

"'Civilization and Its Discontents' by Freud."

"No wonder, I'll ask him directly later."

…

This week Ma Lu was pretty lucky; he had tested the effects of the Sea King Stool and Bruce Lee's flip-flops, and also managed to repair that wooden figure who liked to sigh.

It no longer repeated meaningless tasks and could execute simple commands like fetching a Coke from the fridge or taking out the garbage, though it still sighed while working.

Ma Lu guessed this was probably its core mechanism, inherent from its creation, and unfixable. Fortunately, it didn't affect its work; it was still very diligent despite its sighing.

In addition, Lao Hei managed to find a buyer for the sound system and sold it not long after it was fixed.

Ma Lu actually wanted to keep it for himself since the sound system could have been used on the spaceship too, but he was short on cash, so in the end, it was sold for 510,000 Star Currency. Just flipping it made him a profit of 420,000 Star Currency.