Chapter 116

After recalling and comparing all the types of minerals he had learned in his elective courses in college, Bei Qiao finally determined that if these stones were not ordinary stones, they must be types that he had not learned about.

Bei Qiao: I feel like I’ve been thinking some nonsense. It would be great if the system could provide identification services.

System: I am a collective infrastructure crossing system, not a gold finger identification system.

"It can't be an ordinary stone, right? Ordinary stones wouldn't be this shiny... Could it be radioactive?" Bei Qiao changed out of his dusty clothes and asked the waiter to get him a basin of clean water. He wiped his face and dusty hair with a wet towel. He held the stone up to the sun, watching the tiny specks of fluorescence reflected from the cracks in the stone. A question suddenly occurred to him: Is this stone safe? Does it have radiation?

Stones can't talk, of course, but the system is still safe. Clicking on the forum interface, Bei Qiao activated the radiation scan function and carefully scanned the stones from top to bottom. After confirming that they were safe, he found a random bag to wrap the stones and threw them into the room farthest from the bed.

Stone: Are you being polite? The system says I'm safe!

After all this, it was already three in the afternoon. Having missed lunch, Bei Qiao logged off and went to the living room to get a pack of calcium milk biscuits, eating half of it with hot water. Although she was still a little hungry, she didn't dare eat more. Dinner was in just over two hours, and if she didn't have an appetite by then, Qiao Lin would notice she hadn't eaten lunch.

"Fortunately, my mother went to my grandmother's house this morning." Bei Qiao drank up the water in the cup in one breath, ready to fill her mouth with water first to fool herself: the last time she was so nervous was... oh, not last time. Before that, every time she missed dinner, Qiao Lin would come and bang on the door, not giving Bei Qiao any chance to get nervous.

Bei Qiao: When it comes to "big" things like eating and dressing, it's really impossible to reason with my mom.

At home, Qiao Lin was always the absolute boss, no matter her family status or anything else. Previously, Qiao Lin and Bei Gu had been driving together in another world to visit another county, and on the way, they stopped by a bank to exchange money. The other escorts saw the word "Diao" written on the shed of her donkey cart parked outside and thought she was a fellow escort trying to steal their business. So, they deliberately colluded with people they knew to make things difficult for her, locking the copper coins she had exchanged with the bank in a box and yelling at Qiao Lin to pay for the key.

Qiao Lin ignored the group of people who were busy messing with him and walked forward to pull the padlock on the box open with his bare hands. Looking at the lock buckle that was pulled into a tube and the intact box, the man swallowed his saliva, whistled, and turned to walk out with his head held high, trying to pretend that he had done nothing and was just passing by.

Bei Qiao: Otherwise, why do you think that with my skills, I can only be a junior escort leader at home, while my mother is the escort leader? In terms of skills, I am the best; in running, my father is the best; but in terms of strength...

Bei Gu: Wait, isn't I the strongest person? I'm the one who changes all the buckets of water at home.

Bei Qiao: Oh, yes (I almost forgot, my mom told me not to act too omnipotent)!

Bei Gu: What are you whispering about?

Bei Qiao: Nothing!

The bank manager, who arrived late, reprimanded his men for colluding with outsiders, then handed the box of copper coins to Qiao Lin. Qiao Lin didn't bother to be polite, but took the box directly and, together with Bei Gu, tore it apart at the door with his bare hands.

No one was stupid. Despite all the commotion, the supervisor didn't show up. Clearly, he looked down on Qiao Lin, who arrived in a donkey cart. He only showed up later to smooth things over. Treating customers fairly wasn't an issue.

Qiao Lin: In real life, I do need to be mindful of social etiquette to avoid being bullied. But now, in another world, the worst consequence is having my account scrapped. Is it okay for me to open a box and let out some negative emotions?

Bei Gu: Of course, no problem. We can just change the logo of the escort agency later. We are a small company and ordinary people won’t be able to find us.

Bei Qiao, who was notified of the logo change that night, said: When did our escort agency have a logo? Isn’t it just a plaque?

After a satisfying meal, Bei Qiao finished reminiscing and stretched his limbs on the sofa. While "Issue Wuxia" was a time-travel game, it offered a real workout. After nearly half an hour of mining, Bei Qiao felt a slight ache in his arms and needed to stretch them to prevent muscle soreness tomorrow.

"Meow?" Tangyuan, who had just finished his nap, came over with his tail wagging and jumped onto Beiqiao's chest: What is the poop scooper playing?

Bei Qiao, nearly giving the cat a stitch in the side by Tangyuan's loving pounce, silently sat up, flipped the cat over to expose its belly, and angrily ruffled its fur. Tangyuan didn't care. Instead, he stretched out his arms and legs comfortably, raised his right paw, and waved it at the comb on the table: Use this! Use this!

After combing Tangyuan until he fell asleep, Beiqiao held him on the sofa and fell asleep too. The kids from the same building were taken out by their parents today, and since no one was renovating their homes recently, this sunny and quiet afternoon was perfect for a lie-in and some relaxation.

Of course, it’s normal to wake up and find it’s almost dark.

"No wonder you didn't reply to my message. You fell asleep." Qiao Lin, who had just arrived home, hung his bag on the hook at the door, changed into slippers and walked into the kitchen. "You look so tired. Did you secretly play games again last night?"

"No." Bei Qiao, who was awakened by the sound of the door opening, rubbed his eyes and lifted the thin blanket on his body, then sat up from the sofa holding Tangyuan who was sleeping upright: "I was mining in the game today." Tangyuan's sleeping posture is getting more arrogant day by day.

"You were sold to a coal mine because of mining. Do you need me and your father to rescue you?"

"It's not a coal mine, it's a local tourist attraction. You buy a ticket and can go into the mine to dig. You can take away whatever you find. You can also sell what you find on the spot or make it into jewelry."

"You have to spend money to help me dig the mines. This is a really good deal." Qiao Lin shook his head and took out some noodles from the cupboard: "You didn't dig up anything good, did you?" The mine owner is not a fool. How could he leave the good things to others? It doesn't cost much to hire a few miners.

"I'm not sure. I dug up a few stones of different colors. They don't look like gemstones. I plan to take them back to Yuanshan Village and try my luck at the bank."

"Okay, your dad is eating out tonight, so I'll cook less. What dishes do you want?"

"casual."

"Well"

"...I'll eat anything you cook, except celery and chrysanthemum."

"Yeah." Qiao Lin withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.

After dinner, Bei Qiao went downstairs for a walk to digest his food. Half an hour later, he returned home and was urged by Qiao Lin to buy new clothes: "It's a change of seasons. How can you wear old clothes all day without buying new clothes?"

"What old clothes? How can last year's clothes be old?" Beiqiao buried his face in Tangyuan's back and took a sip: "Spring and autumn are so short, there's no need to buy so many new clothes, right?" The least common piece of clothing in Beiqiao's wardrobe is the windbreaker, because the local spring and autumn seasons are short and it can only be worn a few times a year.

A brand new windbreaker: Do you think I look a bit like before? I’m being modest.

"You don't have to buy new clothes, but you have to go shopping. If you don't want to go out, go to the holographic store."

"Okay." Bei Qiao put down the glutinous rice balls, put on the holographic glasses, and logged into the online shopping mall: If you had told me earlier that it was cyber shopping, I wouldn't be scared. I would rather double the time I spend practicing martial arts than go shopping for clothes.

In this era of rapid technological development, in order to prevent the deterioration of body functions, everyone has maintained normal offline activities. Even the holographic mode will restrict users, forcing them to log off and rest before they die suddenly from staying up late playing games.

But this doesn't mean the development of the holographic world will cease. With the advancement of information technology, holographic worlds are becoming increasingly larger and more sophisticated, and scenes that were once only possible in novels are now possible. Besides shopping and traveling in real life, ordinary people can now also do so online. However, due to network speed limitations, the scenery viewed online differs somewhat from the real world. Some scenic spots even require online reservations for a fee, fearing that too many online users will overwhelm the local tourism bureau's network.

After logging into his account and selecting the teleportation location, the local shopping mall in the holographic world flashed before Bei Qiao's eyes. Various huge movie posters were pasted on the glass on both sides of the door.

You can also watch movies in the holographic world. The difference from watching movies in reality is that holographic movies use the first-person perspective mode. The audience has an immersive feeling when watching the movie, as if they are in the same space as the movie characters.

This kind of viewing mode is relatively expensive, so Bei Qiao basically does not watch movies in the holographic world unless there is a particularly well-made science fiction film released.

Bei Qiao: Although many operations are blurred, the feeling of operating the mecha and spaceship with my own hands is really great!

The holographic world wasn't a charity. It was divided into three parts, free, paid, and special maps, based on their functions and audiences. The mall was naturally located in the free map, while Bei Qiao's coveted mecha and spaceship were located in the special map, accessible only after reaching a certain level of wealth or merit.

While real-life driving simulators exist, those capable of simulating mecha operation and aircraft maneuvers are only available at military academies and related institutions. Ordinary people lack the access to these simulators, nor do they have the funds to access specialized maps. Consequently, holographic films have emerged as a viable alternative. To ensure a sufficiently realistic experience for players, conscientious science fiction productions often hire students majoring in relevant fields to help with scene design and modification, occasionally correcting any inconsistencies in character design.