Zuo Qingya nodded: "Okay."

"And this, shoes? No? Boots."

"Let's call it the 'Running Boots'! It's a magical item designed specifically for escaping. It can instantly accelerate your running speed and jump, letting you experience speed and passion. In addition to these, the Running Boots also have the ability to become invisible, allowing you to hide when necessary and evade enemy pursuit and attacks."

"And this [Qiankun Pattern] is a multi-functional storage magic item. It can store a large number of items and resources for easy access at any time. It also has some special functions, such as spatial teleportation and item exchange, which can play an important role in critical moments."

"And this mirror, it's the [Heavenly Secret Mirror]! It's a real treasure. How so? It can observe distant objects and the movements of enemies, and even see through some hidden spells and traps. The Heavenly Secret Mirror, just like its name suggests, can glimpse the secrets of heaven and allow you to take countermeasures in advance."

"And this too." Zuo Haijia took out a sword called the [Mirror Star Sword]. It's a powerful offensive magic weapon that can unleash incredibly strong sword energy and killing intent, overwhelming enemies with its power. The Mirror Star Sword is very strong; a single strike can shatter an enemy's defenses and shields.

"【Thunderbolt Talisman】is also an offensive magic weapon. It can summon lightning to attack and deal devastating damage to enemies. The Thunderbolt Talisman can also control the abilities of enemies, interfering with their actions and spellcasting in battle."

"The [Invisibility Talisman] is a magical artifact designed for teleportation and escape. It can make you disappear from your original location in a critical moment and move to another safe place. The Invisibility Talisman also has a certain deceptive effect, making the enemy mistakenly believe that you are still in the same place."

"【Lingduowu】is a comprehensive magic weapon. It can be used for multiple functions such as attack, defense, storage, and reconnaissance. Lingduowu also has healing and support functions. It can help you heal damage during battle. It can be said that this magic weapon is equivalent to many others."

Zuo Qingya mechanically accepted one magical artifact after another, including those that flew in the sky, swam in the water, could be used for escape, attack, defense, and so on. Zuo Qingya felt that the magical artifacts in Zuo Haijia's soul space were almost emptied out.

"There are too many mothers."

Zuo Haijia glared at Zuo Qingya: "What do you mean by 'a lot' or 'not a lot'? Are you worried that your mother doesn't have any magic treasures? Your mother has plenty of magic treasures, all of which I refined myself."

"Uh??? Okay!"

Zuo Qingya accepted more than forty more orders before finally calling a halt.

"Mom, you've given me enough treasures, that's enough."

Zuo Haijia pouted and said, "Alright then!" Then she stuffed more than fifty items into Zuo Qingya's hands before stopping.

Looking at these magical treasures, Zuo Qingya realized how terrified her mother was of her.

At midnight, Zuo Qingya heard a "ding," a notification sound. The voice sounded a bit like Xiao Guaiguai, but not quite, because the voice was too rigid.

[Ding... Hello Zuo Qingya! The "Turning Trash into Treasure" game mission is about to begin. Please get ready!]

【5, 4, 3, 2, 1】

Before Zuo Qingya could react, everything went black. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the middle of the ocean. Seeing the water, Zuo Qingya thought she would suffocate, but to her surprise, she didn't. She didn't feel suffocated at all; it was just like being on land. She could breathe, but she wasn't breathing through her mouth; she was breathing through her ribs. Zuo Qingya lifted her clothes and discovered that fish gills had grown from where her ribs were. With her breathing, the gills moved. Zuo Qingya touched them, and they felt as if they had always been there.

The system notification sounded in my ear again: [Dear Advanced Mission Taker, welcome to Advanced Mission (Beginner), Mermaid's Banquet.]

Deep in the ocean lies a mysterious and beautiful world, the Mermaid's Home. Here lives a group of beautiful mermaids. They possess human intelligence and emotions, yet retain the form and characteristics of fish. Their lives are filled with mystery and romance; in five days, it will be the day of their feast.

And you, in order to ensure the banquet goes smoothly, bravely came to the Mermaid's Home to offer your assistance.

Zuo Qingya heard a key word: "you guys?" Could it be that other people are doing this mission? But there's no one like her around her! Are the others aliens? She shook her head and continued listening.

Task 1: Help the mermaid collect colorful corals to use as decorations.

Task 2: Stay at the Mermaid's Home to ensure the banquet's success.

As the system notification ended, Zuo Qingya was still in shock. Wasn't this a game about turning trash into treasure? Why did she have to help the mermaid collect colorful corals? And stay in the mermaid's home? Was this still a trash-collecting mission?

"Sweetie, do you know where the mermaid's home is?"

"I don't know, host."

Zuo Qingya shook her head: "What use are you?"

"Never mind, let's find the mermaid's home first."

"This system is really something. Why not just teleport me to the Mermaid's Home? Why bother with this whole searching thing?" Zuo Qingya sighed deeply.

Zuo Qingya can't swim, but that doesn't mean she hasn't seen it. She tried to imitate the swimming styles she'd seen in TV dramas, and decided that the breaststroke was the most reliable.

Besides being able to breathe underwater, the benefits of being able to understand fish speech are also amazing.

As Zuo Qingya swam and asked questions, she finally found the entrance to the Mermaid's Home. However, she had to pay an entrance fee to enter the Mermaid's Home. The problem was that the currency they wanted was Star Coins. What were Star Coins? Zuo Qingya had never seen them before.

Just as Zuo Qingya was frowning in worry, she saw a seashell hanging at the entrance. Surprisingly, Zuo Qingya could read the words on it.

Mermaid Home Banquet Logistics Team is hiring: Purchasing Assistant.

Work location: Mermaid Home Banquet Logistics Headquarters.

Responsibilities: Assist with procurement.

Requirements: Passionate about the banquet culture of Mermaid Home, with strong communication and coordination skills.

Number of openings: 20.

Compensation: 500 Star Coins per day.

Deadline: Star Year: 6785, Star Month: 13th, Star Day: 25th.

The Mermaid's Home Banquet Logistics Team looks forward to your joining us!

Upon seeing this, Zuo Qingya's eyes lit up instantly. She quickly took the seashell, walked to the entrance, and showed it to the shrimp soldiers.

"I want to apply for this job."

When the shrimp soldier saw Zuo Qingya holding a seashell, he knew what she was up to! Without asking any questions, he led her directly to a small house, which was already full of job applicants—fish, shrimp, crabs, dolphins!—all queuing up. There were also people who looked just like Zuo Qingya in line. Zuo Qingya wondered if the people who looked like her were also mission takers.