Chapter 7 Price Tag She led Fang Zhiyi towards the merit points. ...
As Chu Jue was making aimless guesses, the Merit System continued: [8]
Merit System: [6^^]
After it was sent, it went offline again.
The three messages together sound like "886^^".
Chu Jue: ...
She felt that she hadn't experienced this much speechlessness in the past few months combined.
What kind of off-peak fashion system is this? So you even had time to send her a "bye-bye" before logging off?
It seems it can output numbers as well as symbols. At least the numbers 6 and 8 are in its database, but it seems it can only output one number at a time, while there shouldn't be any restrictions on symbols.
Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that the merit system may intentionally send it separately.
Chu Jue was almost 90% certain that the system belonged to her somewhat dim-witted mecha designer who occasionally made dry jokes.
After her mecha pilot friend loaded her with a database of outdated dry humor, the designer became completely absorbed and would often connect to the StarNet in her spare time to read up on the latest trending jokes and tell them to her.
After the presentation, the data needs to be compared with the data in the database, and then updated after careful selection.
Every time Chu Jue heard that monotone, mechanical voice coldly deliver dry humor, he could only chuckle coldly.
It's a system that can utter farewells like "886," has the voice of a designer, and sets up seemingly useless "task rewards," yet understands her exceptionally well.
That's very designer-like.
If she's a designer... why can't she contact me? Thinking of the designer's sloppy, round piece of paper, Chu Jue was lost in thought.
Is it possible that she can only "establish a connection" with me through tasks issued by the "Merit System"? Is there no other way to form a deeper connection? She can't even answer the simple questions I ask her.
Is it because we are in another world and communication is inconvenient?
Although Chu Jue was somewhat confused, these speculations temporarily put his mind at ease.
The designer seems to be in relatively good shape so far. Although he has become a limited edition cyber-dumb character with punctuation marks, it is still better than actually becoming a reset coin.
Wormholes are inherently unknown. Perhaps she and the designer were affected in some way, but it's better than being completely cut off from contact.
In either case, it shows that the Empire is trying to contact her.
Thinking of his mecha pilot friend, who was both reliable and somewhat unreliable, Chu Jue was filled with mixed feelings.
She might be working with the Third Princess to come up with a solution; once her friend learns of her disappearance, she will definitely contact her immediately.
Chu Jue was certain they would take action, and it was possible that the matter involving the mecha pilots was also related to them. However, given the current difficulty in communication, it was too early to draw conclusions.
Half an hour had already been wasted communicating with the system. Chu Jue glanced at Fang Zhiyi, who had finished her nap and was peeking out from the doorway, and offered, "I'll go for a walk with you."
Fang Zhiyi snorted: "You've become even more presumptuous in just half an hour."
-
Chu Jue felt quite content as he was led out by the dog.
The sunlight was no longer dazzling, and the wind was much gentler. Carried by the fragrant scent of grass and trees, the two creatures strolled through the woods, admiring the setting sun.
The fiery clouds on the horizon dyed Fang Zhiyi's white fur, making her whole dog look much redder.
Chu Jue's state of mind has also changed somewhat—after all, the main storyline is now showing signs of progress, the side quests are also making progress, and her mental strength has also found a way to break through; everything is changing for the better.
Fang Zhiyi walked lightly, calling out "Awoo Awoo" to the sky, the earth, the clouds, the wind, the flowers, and the rainbow for a long time.
Chu Jue didn't howl with her. She looked around for any trace of the Lunar Eclipse Group coming for revenge, hoping to gain more experience points, but she didn't succeed until she returned to the Spirit Land.
The man and the dog returned to the rest room, where a rich spiritual energy greeted them, as comfortable as stepping into a hot spring. Chu Jue decided to try again to use spiritual energy to repair his mental power.
However, the result is still in the cooling-off period.
It seems there's an invisible upper limit to the progress of mental energy repair, so I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to try again.
I wonder if there's a better way to solve this besides waiting for the daily refresh. Otherwise, who knows when I'll be able to complete the side quest for the number one person in the spirit world.
However, this is optional; the main storyline is more important than satisfying her career aspirations.
She desperately wished an arrogant and domineering organization would come and retaliate, bestowing both merit and experience upon her.
With this simple wish, Chu Jue ended this simple day.
-
The next morning, Chu Jue diligently cultivated and successfully raised his upper limit even further.
[Side Quest - Mental Strength Repair - Progress Updated, Maximum Mental Strength +19]
[Current Limit: 269/9999+]
It even improved by 1 point more than yesterday.
Chu Jue looked at the system notification that popped up and realized that the system had quietly returned sometime earlier. She mentally poked the system a few more times, but the system remained in its initial "playing dead" state.
Chu Jue wasn't disappointed that the other party refused to communicate. Fang Zhiyi brought back three servings of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), which was the first time Chu Jue had ever had such a delicious breakfast.
She watched Fang Zhiyi's mukbang (eating broadcast) as she wolfed down her food.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at Chu Jue a few times: "You look much more energetic than yesterday."
"Really?" Chu Jue didn't notice any difference, probably because she hadn't been able to get any sleep for several days.
Having more mental energy definitely leads to more mental well-being.
Fang Zhiyi nodded reservedly and went out to walk Chu Jue around with an air of arrogance.
The man and his dog planned to stroll around the area. When they passed the vacant lot where they had enrolled students the day before, Chu Jue took a few more glances at it.
Fang Zhiyi noticed her gaze and thought she wanted to go for a stroll in a small place by the mountain. After nodding, he silently fulfilled Chu Jue's little wish.
Thus, Chu Jue encountered a large number of fresh, living people in the other world for the first time.
This is truly a good time to accumulate merit.
Perhaps it was because Chu Jue's demeanor, reminiscent of a dog, differed somewhat from that of the nearby residents, that passersby couldn't help but glance at them.
After Chu Jue helped up a child who had fallen while playing, he did not see any increase in merit on the panel.
...Perhaps this matter wasn't "meritorious" enough.
As Chu Jue was pondering, he saw Fang Zhiyi call out twice, scaring away the child who had just stood up.
Fang Zhiyi, caught up in her playful mood, showed no signs of being a mature teacher and took off chasing after the child.
The child had only run a few steps when he spotted the vicious dog chasing him and burst into tears.
A dog and a person ran and barked, and Chu Jue helplessly followed behind Fang Zhiyi on the training exercise.
Only after Fang Zhiyi lost interest did she slowly let the poor child leave.
Chu Jue still remembered the route they came from, and asked Fang Zhiyi if she wanted to go back the way she came. Fang Zhiyi hummed twice, tucked her four paws under her fur, and sat on the ground to rest like a white steamed bun that had lost its hands and feet.
"The dog helps the kid practice running." Fang Zhiyi's eyes darted around, and the dog's paw touched its own head. "Good dog, good dog."
Before Chu Jue could even praise her, her ears twitched.
There's a smell that dogs hate over there.
Fang Zhiyi's gaze unconsciously met Chu Jue's; clearly, they had both noticed the commotion not far away.
Chu Jue wasn't sure if the dog was a good dog or not, but he was certain that he had identified a bad person.
It seems she will receive her first merit points of the day.
They noticed a man and a woman pulling at a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.
Beside the two was a short, middle-aged man with an ugly face, shifty eyes, and a very typical stereotypical bad guy.
To avoid judging people by their appearance, Chu Jue observed their movements. As her mental strength increased, the evolution of her five senses also recovered somewhat.
If you take a few steps closer, you can clearly hear what the group is saying.
The man in the couple said, "Pan'er is still young; what you've said is far too little."
The woman quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, my Pan'er is so well-behaved and sensible... Brother Fan, look at this..."
The man they were referring to, the one with the beady eyes, waved his hand:
"Six spirit stones isn't enough? What little girl isn't well-behaved and sensible? I only gave you a discount because your daughter is underage, but you're even more greedy than I thought. Stop haggling and hurry up. If you want to give it to her, then give it to her; if not, then forget it."
After he finished speaking, his gaze turned to the little girl, whose face was expressionless, and it was impossible to tell whether she was flustered.
She was pushed forward a step by the two of them, her eyes were numb, but Chu Jue could see the hatred she was trying hard to hide.
The vendor looked her up and down with disdain.
"Although she's of good age, she's not very good-looking, much less so than the last one. So, five spirit stones should be enough. If you're reluctant, then forget it, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, the man hurriedly pushed the girl again. The girl stumbled from the push but didn't turn around to look at him.
The man seemed eager for the vendor to pack it up and take it away immediately, no longer bothering to haggle.
"Send it, send it. Of course we should send it. It's all thanks to Brother Fan's kindness and generosity, otherwise our family really wouldn't know what to do... Six spirit stones, six spirit stones it is."
"Pan'er, did you hear me? From now on, you'll go with Mr. Fan. Mr. Fan can give you a good life..."
After listening to this conversation, Chu Jue had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
This family consists of a woman, a man, and a child. The man and woman have conspired to "give away" the child in front of them.
Although it's a "gift," it's actually charged—they themselves know they should avoid the guise of "selling."
Naturally, the place they were "sent" to in this way wouldn't be a good place.
The two parties had already agreed on the deal, and the human trafficker known as Brother Fan took out six spirit stones from his storage bag.
These few items, which were of little use to Chu Jue, were enough to buy out a little girl's life.
While the woman was still crying, the man's eyes lit up as he stuffed the item into his pocket.
As the transaction was nearing completion, the girl, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up and asked, "Mom, were you planning to sell me for my brother's sake all along?"
Her mother, who was weeping uncontrollably, wiped her eyes upon hearing this and became "strong." Like a dramatic change of expression, a resolute resolve emerged from her reluctance.
“Pan’er, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t give you a good family, that’s why, that’s why things have to be this way. Your little brother is still too young and can’t be without me. You’re older and have always been sensible. I know that our Pan’er is the most sensible girl in the family…”
She seemed not to answer, yet she answered everything.
Chu Jue's eyes darkened when he saw the girl called Pan'er, and he lowered his head.
She seemed to have resigned herself to her fate and stopped fighting against it.
But when she looked up again, Chu Jue saw the resentment and anger in her eyes.
She didn't know what Pan'er was thinking at that moment, but she knew what she was about to do.
Chu Jue decided not to wait any longer.
She led Fang Zhiyi toward the merit points.
A note from the author:
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