Having settled her skills, Mu Anqi stretched lazily. She sat down by the bed, planning to sleep first. After all… although this game hadn't mistreated her in terms of food and drink, taking turns keeping watch at night really made it hard to sleep. Mu Anqi was no longer the same as she had been back at the Seven Nights Hotel. Back then, she could still sleep peacefully in the hotel and take a bath every day. But in the Forest of Eternal Night, even with shifts for night watch, unless she was utterly exhausted, Mu Anqi only slept lightly. On top of that, with treasure chests refreshing every eight hours, the interruptions made it difficult for her to get good rest.
Mu Anqi took out the token and whispered "good night," then tucked it under her pillow before climbing into bed and falling peacefully asleep.
…
On the other side of the Shattered Mirror Continent, Xia Fenghua was leading a group of ghost soldiers and generals to report to General Ji on the situation of the Black Mirror vortexes they had cleared while she went to observe the game. Suddenly, Xia Fenghua's body trembled. The General's yin energy… seemed to have fluctuated?!
She raised her head in surprise to look at the General, but found her as expressionless as ever. Only, just as she lowered her head to continue reading out the data, General Ji spoke: "Just give me the report you compiled. You've all been busy for several days—go and have a good rest."
These words… could be called considerate and gentle.
Not only Xia Fenghua, but also the ghost soldiers and generals below, who normally kept the rules and didn't dare raise their heads to look directly at the General, were stunned. They glanced at each other in turn, tacitly not daring to say anything else, and instead shouted loudly: "Many thanks for the General's care!"
Xia Fenghua carefully placed the stack of reports she had compiled onto General Ji's desk. She took the chance to glance around, but didn't see that small screen—of course, Mu Anqi had finished her game and returned to the space. How could she possibly exit and then enter a new game so quickly? Strange. Could it be that Mu Anqi performed especially well in this game? Killed people like the General did?
With a bit of doubt, Xia Fenghua retreated. She naturally knew that the General had gone to observe the game in the Forest of Eternal Night—after all, it was a competitive game. The Forest of Eternal Night—
Did Mu Anqi achieve "a lone survivor," or did she slaughter all the ghosts in the forest? Little Xia Fenghua couldn't figure it out no matter how much she thought, but finishing work early was still something worth celebrating. That fellow Mu Xiaobai had been researching all kinds of little cakes recently, and now was just the right time for her to go and snag a few.
Skipping and hopping, little Xia Fenghua happily went off to clock in for small cakes.
Ji Huaichu maintained her cold expression as she finished reading the report. Xia Fenghua was a very capable subordinate—no matter what task was assigned to her, she could complete it excellently. During the days Ji Huaichu was absent from the General's residence, Xia Fenghua had led the ghost soldiers and generals to resolve the sudden polluting Black Mirror vortexes, doing her utmost to minimize the losses. Of course, some ghostly residents had still been affected and had yet to recover, but that was only a matter of time.
After finishing the report, Ji Huaichu couldn't help but think back to the "good night" she had heard from the duplicate token at Mu Anqi's side.
The little money tree had said it especially to her.
It seemed like special concern, yet at the same time it felt utterly normal.
Ji Huaichu recalled her emotional fluctuations during the game. Having been a ghost for so long, it was the first time she had ever paid such attention to a player, the first time her emotions were swayed by a player's actions. What was even harder for her to accept was…
The malicious side belonging to ghosts seemed to be continuously magnifying. Even though she had suppressed it for many years, and since arriving at the Shattered Mirror Continent she had no history of losing control. But…
Toward the little money tree, she had developed possessiveness.
Paranoid, twisted, enough to drive a ghost insane. Not wanting her to interact with others, not wanting her to speak to others, unable to bear her smiling at anyone else… wanting to monopolize her.
Ji Huaichu restrained herself, slowly, bit by bit, drawing back her yin energy. She closed her eyes and leaned silently against the chair. After a long while, she opened them again, all those frenzied emotions suppressed.
That was a player.
Ji Huaichu thought this, calming herself once more.
…
The next morning, Mu Anqi got up early to wash up, changed her clothes, and went out shopping.
First, she bought 20 roughly-made smoke bombs. Even if she couldn't use them all, it didn't matter—there would always be a time they came in handy. Then she contacted Si Maomao and bought ten ordinary grenades, spending a total of 230 points.
This game had cost her quite a few ghost bullets, and her bullet balance was down to only two cards. Mu Anqi quickly replenished another ten bullet cards, spending 160 points. After that, she asked the weapon shop owner about modifying her brooch, inquiring how many points it would cost to add either a flamethrower skill or a laser cannon.
"Modifying an item requires a base handling fee of 200, and this price is non-discountable. Adding just flamethrower costs 200 points, adding a laser cannon costs 800 points, and if you want both functions, it will be 1500 points. After all, the lighting brooch is very small, so the fusion difficulty is high."
Mu Anqi: Sorry for bothering you.
No wonder no players were willing to modify things—at that price, anyone who could afford it would be strange!
Giving up wisely, Mu Anqi walked toward the discount section. Today's discounted weapons had been rotated again. Looking through them one by one, Mu Anqi discovered a "Little Fire Dragon Flamethrower."
[Little Fire Dragon Flamethrower]: Before use, shake the Little Fire Dragon vigorously up and down 10 times, then pull its tail straight, and it will breathe fire! ("So amazing!" — exclaimed a player who had never seen the world)
Original price: 888 points, now half price at only 444!
Although the number of points wasn't very lucky, it was half price! Who cared about luck, it wasn't as if anyone here hadn't already died before. Mu Anqi couldn't resist picking up the Little Fire Dragon. The flamethrower was only thirty centimeters long in total, truly pocket-sized. At first glance, it looked no different from a plush toy. Its surface felt soft to the touch, but when squeezed firmly, the hardness inside could be felt—it should be metal within? As for fuel…
"When the fuel runs out, you can come to the shop to replenish the energy. It only costs 10 points each time. And since you're a VIP customer, you can enjoy a 20% discount~"
Too good a deal!
"Does this flame deal special damage to ghosts?" Mu Anqi held the Little Fire Dragon "doll" in her hands, unwilling to let go. Suddenly thinking of a key point, she asked.
"No, dear, but its flames do have special bonus damage against demons, especially plant-type fairies~ It can provide light, start fires, and keep you warm. It's simply an essential item for outdoor barbecues~"
"Just look at this cute and delicate appearance, and then look at its size. You should know that ordinary flamethrowers are big, heavy, and extremely inconvenient to carry! But with the Little Fire Dragon Flamethrower, even if you hold it in your hands all the time, no player would ever guess it's a flamethrower!"
"This half-price discount is a huge deal. Miss this chance and it won't come again, dear!"
Mu Anqi: "…"
Mu Anqi looked at the adorable Little Fire Dragon in her hands and compromised.
Buy!
Watching her points drop to 2092.6, Mu Anqi restrained herself from spending more. She turned to the clothing store, bought a new set of pajamas and sportswear, then picked out a pair of sneakers. After spending 20 points, she went into the food store and spent 4 points on a luxurious, fully-loaded bowl of snail noodles, finally returning to her room satisfied.
What needed to be prepared… was almost ready. Back in her room, Mu Anqi spent 800 guansi to expand her storage space to three cubic meters, then stuffed a lounge chair inside. Mu Anqi glanced at the pile of sketchbooks and candy jars stacked in the corner. After some thought, she decided not to put them all into the storage ring. Instead, she picked up one candy jar and patiently filled it with three kinds of candies, then closed the lid and placed the jar inside the storage ring.
"General, are you free?" Mu Anqi took out the token, her fingertip tracing the "Ji" character carved on it. Obediently, she asked, "Can I come over now?"
What answered her was a teleportation invitation.
What was there to hesitate about? Accept!
Teleported to the city gate, Mu Anqi felt a little nervous. This time she had accepted so quickly, she didn't know if General Ji would have had time to come to the gate to meet her. But even if not, it was fine. Having stayed at the General's residence for so long, she was already familiar with the main city. Though her interactions with the other ghosts in the city were only polite nods, she had no trouble finding her way.
As soon as she entered the city, Mu Anqi saw General Ji waiting quietly. She couldn't help but smile, running over quickly: "General!"
"Mm."
Mu Anqi took out the candy jar from her ring and handed it over, then generated a red envelope of one thousand guansi and respectfully offered it with both hands. "General, I got S-rank again!"
"The ghosts in the Forest of Eternal Night weren't very strong, you…" Ji Huaichu had intended to remind Mu Anqi not to grow arrogant or complacent, but when she saw the little money tree's smile and those bright, sparkling eyes, the words on the tip of her tongue were unconsciously pulled back. Her tone softened, and she said gently, "You did very well."
The little money tree's smile grew even more sincere.
Ji Huaichu lowered her eyes, and when she raised them again her emotions were already steadied. She continued: "You seem accustomed to using the candy cane, but your staff technique is not very good. During this game's rest period, I'll teach you staff techniques."
Mu Anqi: "?!" Her eyes widened. Did it really have to be like this? Why was it that the more she didn't want something, the more it came to her? Was this luck, or some kind of specific pattern?!
"You don't want to learn staff techniques?" Ji Huaichu saw Mu Anqi's stiff smile and eyes lacking the slightest trace of joy, and couldn't help but ask. Last time, the little money tree had clearly… said she wanted to learn. Could it be…? Ji Huaichu thought of Xia Yun and that sword-wielding female ghost from the game, her gaze growing deeper. Still, she spoke in a gentle tone: "If you want to learn swordsmanship, I can teach you that as well."
"No, no, it's not that! I don't want to learn swordsmanship!" Mu Anqi said hastily. Swordsmanship and staff techniques were equally exhausting. Somewhat embarrassed, she added, "It's just that… I feel like I might not be able to stick with staff training."
This reply was something Ji Huaichu hadn't expected. But she remembered Mu Anqi's lifeless expression when training with daggers every day. "I know my limits."
"I know! Of course I also want to learn." Mu Anqi quickly adjusted her mood. A free, high-level teacher was something other players could only dream of—how could she possibly dislike it? Besides, what teacher in Nirvana Space could compare to General Ji's beauty? Learning was earning, there was no loss at all! "Thank you, General! The General treats me so well~"