Chapter 27. The Return Journey. Mission Completed, Mo…
Early the next morning, Xiao Weizhi greeted Chen Feng and the others, telling them to go ahead first, as he had some things to take care of and would catch up with the group after he finished.
Then he took Lin Xiaoxiao and got into the spare two-seater flying car, heading towards her mission location.
Along the way, Lin Xiaoxiao opened the mission prompt screen with a map.
It was because of this that she learned from Xiao Weizhi that no one else could see this task notification screen except for herself, so she didn't have to worry about it even if the task screen suddenly popped up in the future.
The car window was rolled down, and a refreshing breeze blew around inside. Redtail sat on Lin Xiaoxiao's lap, its little head raised, its fur flying wildly in the wind, looking completely content.
But Lin Xiaoxiao seemed distracted, and it wasn't that the two of them hadn't spent time alone together before.
But after Xiao Weizhi said those words last night, she felt that something subtle had changed between them.
Xiao Weizhi sat in the driver's seat, dressed in a black and gold French-style business suit, skillfully and leisurely driving the flying car: "Which way to go next?"
Lin Xiaoxiao looked down at the map: "Go forward 1 kilometer, then turn left."
Xiao Weizhi slammed on the gas pedal, and the car accelerated once again.
More than three hours later, the flying car hovered above a small valley filled with monsters.
Xiao Weizhi looked up and pointed to the valley below, asking, "Here?"
Lin Xiaoxiao peeked out a little, swallowed, nodded, and said in a dry voice, "Yes."
They are now completely aligned with the finish line marker on the map, proving that the mission location is just below.
Xiao Weizhi was unusually troubled. For him, the monster group below was not too high-level, mostly low-level monsters of level 50-70. The problem was that there were too many of them, and it would take some time to clear them out.
What if something happens to Lin Xiaoxiao if she is left alone in the flying car?
There are flying monsters, and she doesn't have many protective gear left.
Seeing Xiao Wei sitting motionless in the driver's seat, Lin Xiaoxiao asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Aren't you going to get out?"
Xiao Weizhi considered many options in his mind, but ultimately decided to take Lin Xiaoxiao down with him.
That way, if anything unexpected happens, he can react quickly and evacuate with her if things go wrong.
Lin Xiaoxiao put away the flying car and followed behind Xiao Weizhi, passing through layers of thick hay. With each step, many insects would quickly crawl away.
Redtail perched on Lin Xiaoxiao's shoulder, looking around with its six tails swaying behind it, its eyes filled with curiosity about the flowers, plants, and trees.
Born in a grotto, the only tree it has ever seen is a dark, twisted, leafless ghost tree. It is still very curious about green trees/grass and colorful flowers.
The moment Xiao Weizhi stood at the entrance of the small valley, all the monsters that were grazing inside stopped chewing, turned their heads, and stared straight at the two of them.
The largest of the monsters was 1.2 meters tall. Its body was like a wine barrel, with a long snout like that of an anteater. Eight pairs of black, beady eyes were neatly arranged on both sides of its face. Its fur was purple as if it had been poisoned, and it had a rat tail about 1 meter long behind it.
Watched by thousands of eyes, Lin Xiaoxiao felt her hair stand on end. She grabbed Xiao Weizhi's belt and hid behind him.
Xiao Weizhi took out a staff from his spatial storage and immediately cast several shields on Lin Xiaoxiao behind him before waving it to unleash a skill and start pulling monsters.
In the past, he would have chosen to use a kite to clear out the monsters; but now that Lin Xiaoxiao was standing behind him, he had to find another way to clear them out.
Xiao Weizhi struck the ground hard with the bottom of his staff. The moment the staff touched the ground, a one-meter-wide earthen-yellow magic circle appeared.
Three seconds later, a large pit, 3 meters wide, 5 meters long, and 6 meters deep, appeared out of thin air, with countless sharp spikes covering the bottom.
He then unleashed a [Explosive Fireball (Bronze)] skill, and after a huge explosion, he successfully drew all the aggro to himself.
Countless monsters rushed towards Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao's location, most of them falling into the pit first. The few that didn't fall into the pit were finished off by Xiao Weizhi using a few skills.
Redtail will also occasionally unleash fireballs, fire blades, and other skills to finish off enemies.
[Congratulations to Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao (Red Tail) for defeating a level 52 herbivorous rhinoceros, gaining 22521 experience points.]
...
Hongwei and Lin Xiaoxiao signed an equal agreement: any monsters killed by Hongwei would be shared equally with Lin Xiaoxiao, and Lin Xiaoxiao would also have to give half of the experience points she received from the team to Hongwei.
Half an hour later, the pit was filled with the monster's corpse.
Xiao Weizhi tapped the ground again with the bottom of his staff, unleashing a skill.
The ground suddenly shook rapidly, tumbled a few times, and all the monster corpses, along with the gold coins and equipment that had been dropped, were buried deep underground.
A dozen seconds later, another pit appeared, just like the one before.
Lin Xiaoxiao felt it was such a waste. Putting aside the hide and flesh of the herbivorous rhinoceros, even the things that had been dropped were not worth keeping. It was truly a pity.
She murmured with a sigh, "I didn't pick anything up, what a waste, what a pity."
Xiao Weizhi's expression remained unchanged. He made a hand seal with his left hand, and several bolts of lightning struck the 11 o'clock position in front of him, successfully blasting away several herbivorous rhinoceros beasts that were about to launch a charge attack on the two of them.
His voice was calm and gentle: "There are too many of these strange creatures. If necessary, sacrificing some unimportant gains to ensure our own safety is the most appropriate choice."
Lin Xiaoxiao did not refute his words, but simply tugged at the familiar spot on his belt and peeked out from behind him to look at the strange group in front of her.
Xiao Weizhi felt a pulling sensation in his waist, and the corners of his originally straight mouth curled up slightly. His eyes, which were covered by glasses, were always focused on the movements of the monster group in front of him, and he was always able to finish off the monsters with the skill that consumed the least amount of mana at the right time.
Three hours later, all the herbivorous rhinoceroses were eliminated.
Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi stepped into the valley, which was only about three or four acres in size and surrounded by small mountains.
This valley has only one entrance, and inside are trees that are over ten meters tall. The grass underfoot is also very lush, and there is a pool of water about ten meters in size not far away. It is clearly a suitable habitat for monsters to grow, and it can be both offensive and defensive.
After searching for a while, Lin Xiaoxiao discovered a spatial distortion vortex the size of a basketball in a very hidden place in the small valley.
The vortex was semi-transparent, 35 centimeters above the ground, and its rotation distorted the surrounding space.
She quickly retrieved the mission items; several bags, taller than a person and filled to the brim, appeared out of thin air.
Just as Lin Xiaoxiao pushed the bags into the vortex.
Not far behind her, Xiao Weizhi stared intently at the vortex, her body stiff, gripping her staff tightly in her right hand. The veins on the back of her fair hand were clearly visible due to the excessive force.
But he just stood there motionless, two meters behind her, his chest heaving rapidly and his lips taut, showing that he was desperately trying to suppress his emotions.
Congratulations on completing Task 1!
[Reward Received: 1000 points of Faith Power from the Treant Clan (Low-level, Unclaimed) (Claimable)]
[Bonus Reward: Lucky Fragment (1 point) (Claimable)]
After all the bags containing seeds were thrown into the vortex, Lin Xiaoxiao patted off the dust that had settled on her and turned to Xiao Weizhi, saying, "The mission is complete. Let's go back."
Before she turned around, Xiao Weizhi had already composed himself and replied in a hoarse voice, "Okay, let's go back."
There are some things she doesn't want to talk about, and he won't force her. They'll have a long time together in the future, and he'll wait until one day she's willing to tell him on her own.
On the way back in the flying car, Lin Xiaoxiao keenly noticed that Xiao Weizhi's emotions were off, but she didn't know what the problem was.
After several hours of tense silence, Lin Xiaoxiao tentatively asked in a soft voice, "Xiao Weizhi, are you unhappy?"
Xiao Weizhi rested one hand on the steering wheel, her face expressionless, and her voice calm: "I'm not unhappy, don't overthink it, I'm just a little tired."
Lin Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, gently pulled the sleeping red tail curled up in her arms, and then turned to look at the fiery sunset outside the car window.
Xiao Weizhi himself may not have realized that when he is in a bad mood, his eyebrows will unconsciously lower and a faint arc will form between his brows.
He usually wears glasses, which happened to cover part of his face. Others might not have noticed, but Lin Xiaoxiao, who was with him every day, discovered it by chance.
Lin Xiaoxiao knew this wasn't Xiao Weizhi's fault, but she just couldn't control the inexplicable surge of emotion she felt, a feeling of being wronged. She couldn't even understand why she suddenly felt this way.
The two remained silent on the flying car until Xiao Weizhi drove through the night and caught up with the Dragon Fang team ahead, at which point the tense atmosphere eased somewhat.
Around 3 a.m., the two-person flying car silently approached the campsite where the companions were located.
Lin Xiaoxiao held Hongwei, who was already fast asleep, and stood silently to the side, waiting for the folding tent to set up automatically.
Xiao Weizhi stood a meter to her side, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to say something to break the silent stalemate, but in the end he just silently followed her into the tent.
The next morning, all the Dragon Fang members reunited and boarded the giant flying car.
Along the way, everyone in the team could tell that Lin Xiaoxiao and Xiao Weizhi were having a disagreement, as if they had suddenly entered a cold war mode.
It's not that they completely ignore each other, but they become extremely polite to each other, and the atmosphere between them no longer has that special sense of harmony that they used to have.
During this time, Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao lived and ate together. No matter what he said to her, Lin Xiaoxiao would respond, but she spent more time staring out the window in a daze.
Xiao Weizhi had no idea where the problem lay, and helplessly kept her troubles to herself.
A dozen days later, at 11 p.m., the flying car successfully passed through the inspection at the city gate of the capital.
Liu Huihui first took Xiao Weizhi and Lin Xiaoxiao back to the Xiao family home, then turned around and took the others home.
Except for the three days before a mission when everyone is preparing supplies, they usually stay in their own (bought/rented) houses and rarely stay at the Xiao family's house.
Lin Xiaoxiao followed behind Xiao Weizhi, carrying Hongwei as they walked inside.
Xiao Weizhi suddenly stopped, looked down without looking at Lin Xiaoxiao in front of him, and bumped directly into his broad back.
Xiao Weizhi turned around and helped Lin Xiaoxiao up, saying helplessly, "You have to look ahead when you walk."
Lin Xiaoxiao twisted her body, breaking free from his large hand. After taking two steps back to steady herself, she slightly turned her face away to avoid his gaze: "Sorry, I was distracted. It's late, go back and rest."
After saying that, Lin Xiaoxiao stepped aside from Xiao Weizhi and walked towards her room.
Xiao Weizhi stood there, his hand still in mid-air, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiaoxiao's departing figure. His thin lips were pressed together, and a slight sense of helplessness welled up in his heart.
After returning to her room, Lin Xiaoxiao washed up, changed into her pajamas, and lay down on the soft bed, staring intently at the chandelier on the ceiling.
Various emotions surged within me, and I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered the task she had completed more than ten days ago, which she had not yet claimed, and there was also a skill that had been lit up but not used.
He held the crystal ball containing 1,000 points of low-level, unclaimed faith power in his palm.
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, she opened the panel:
[Name: Lin Xiaoxiao
Age: 21
Occupations: Treasure Chest Merchant [Hidden Occupation], [Divine Agent]
Destined Bound Person: Xiao Weizhi [Effect: Shared Life and Death]
Level: LV44 (...) [Currently retained experience points: 13,945,475]
Job Skills: Daily Treasure Chest [10/10] (10,000 Gold/chest), Luck Treasure Chest (refreshes daily), Experience Treasure Chest [0/3] (100,000 Gold/chest), Sacrifice to the Goddess of Fortune (once every six months)
Other skills: Appraisal (Beginner), Gathering (Intermediate), Listening to the Sounds of All Things
Talents: Extra-large storage space, Lucky Libra, [Negative Buff: Experience Points -50% (Permanent)], [Negative Buff: Stamina -20% (Permanent)], [Identity Concealment Buff (Permanent)]
Task Module: [Task Two (Please expand to view details)]
I activated that skill that had never been activated before, [Sacrifice to the Goddess of Fortune].
A special golden-white magic circle, emitting a very soft light, emanated from Lin Xiaoxiao's heart, rapidly expanding and enveloping her within it.
Then, as if it were sentient, the magic circle enveloped the person and slowly shrank.
The process took only a dozen seconds. When the light faded, Lin Xiaoxiao seemed to have fallen asleep, lying on her side on the soft bed with her hair disheveled behind her and her breathing steady.
Redtail wriggled its body and changed to a belly-up position, hummed a few times, and slept even more soundly.
Lin Xiaoxiao's consciousness had entered a vast area filled with white clouds and mist.
Her feet seemed to have their own will, and she kept walking in one direction. After walking about 500 meters, she could see a woman who was more than ten meters tall and whose whole body was shrouded in white-gold light.
The woman sat with her legs crossed on a huge, ornate throne inlaid with seven-colored gems. Her body was slightly tilted, one hand supporting her cheek and the other resting on the armrest. Her face, obscured by a halo of light, looked down slightly, her posture nonchalant yet undeniably arrogant.
He wore a crown-like ornament with many jewels set together on his head, and his long, white-gold curly hair was casually draped over his body, covering the fair skin exposed above his shoulders.
Lin Xiaoxiao stopped about twenty meters away from the woman, her eyes vacant, looking up at her, her hands raised, holding two orbs of light, one large and one small.
As it opened and closed its mouth, it uttered a sentence: "I pay homage to the beautiful and elegant Goddess of Fortune, your representative, who has come to pay homage with offerings of faith."
The goddess beckoned, and two orbs of light flew directly into her hand.
The two orbs of light were: [200 points of medium-level faith power] and [1000 points of low-level faith power].
Perhaps because she had received tribute again after many years, even though the quantity was small, the goddess was in a fairly good mood.
With a gentle wave of his hand, Lin Xiaoxiao, who had been under control, broke free and regained her senses.
A divine voice came: "I am in a good mood today and can answer three questions for you."
The moment Lin Xiaoxiao regained her senses, she saw the enormous woman in front of her, whose face was obscured by a halo of light. She was initially terrified, but upon hearing that familiar voice, she opened her eyes wide in shock.
That voice was the same female voice that had asked her if she wanted to live when she first came through.
Yes, the woman's voice I vaguely heard before falling to the bottom of that cliff and losing consciousness meant that the voice I heard in my dazed state was not an illusion.
Lin Xiaoxiao didn't have time to think much before she blurted out a series of questions: "Why did I come into this world? Can I go back? Can my right leg recover?"
"Why am I forcibly bound to Xiao Weizhi? Can this bond be broken? Why are there things I can't say? If I can't go back, can the buff on me be removed? Divine Agent..."
Dozens of questions came out of Lin Xiaoxiao's mouth in quick succession.
Her rapid speech revealed her eagerness.
The goddess of fortune remained motionless, casually selecting three questions. Her ethereal, divine voice answered nonchalantly: "Your right leg cannot be restored; the buff can be removed, as long as you can afford the equivalent price; your status as a divine agent is because I chose you."
After the goddess answered these three questions, she didn't even give her a chance to speak, just moved her finger.
Lin Xiaoxiao's body arched, and she was thrown back quickly, leaving this place full of white mist.
Before leaving, she called out loudly in the direction of the goddess, "I still have many questions that haven't been answered. Goddess, what would it take for you to help me find the answers?"
The next second, Lin Xiaoxiao, who was lying on the soft bed, suddenly opened her eyes.
Then a familiar female voice echoed in her mind: 'To know the answer, you need a satisfactory amount of offerings.'
Offerings? The power of faith?
After saying that, his mind returned to calm. No matter how much Lin Xiaoxiao, who had already sat up, called out or asked, he could not get a clear answer.
Redtail was woken up by Lin Xiaoxiao. Looking at her sleepily as she talked to herself, she asked in confusion, "Sister Xiaoxiao, what's wrong?"
Unable to get a reply, Lin Xiaoxiao forced a smile and softly answered, "It's nothing, I had a nightmare."
Upon hearing this, Redtail rolled out of its cat bed, stretched its body, and yawned. Then, it nimbly jumped into her arms, propped itself up with its small body, and rubbed its fluffy head against her chin: "Don't be afraid, Redtail is with you and will scare away all your nightmares."
Lin Xiaoxiao stroked Redtail's head down its back, gently touching its smooth fur, and smiled as she agreed, "Yes, Redtail will sleep with you tonight, and the nightmares won't dare to come again."
Redtail swayed its six tails and proudly raised its head: "Hmm, Redtail is powerful, nightmares dare not come."
Lin Xiaoxiao hugged Hongwei in her arms and lay back, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, but her eyes were lifeless, clearly lost in thought.
But in his heart he was thinking about where to find the power of faith. Waiting for tasks to come to him by chance would probably not yield enough to satisfy that person.
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