Lin Qingyue fell into deep thought.
She had to construct the most rudimentary trading model possible.
A model so simple that even these goblins, whose math skills were stuck at the "counting on their toes" stage, could grasp it instantly.
This would be an unprecedented cross-civilizational exchange.
Once her plan was formed, she stepped out from behind the tree, showing no signs of aggression.
The goblins' infighting screeched to a halt.
They immediately spotted the uninvited guest and, in a panic, raised their motley collection of crude weapons, aiming them at the suddenly appeared "Big One."
Threatening screeches of "Gah-gah!" and "Woo-woo!" erupted from their throats.
But their bodies betrayed them, huddling together in a tight, cowardly cluster—all bark and no bite.
Lin Qingyue's expression remained impassive. She slowly raised her empty left hand, palm forward, in a universal gesture of "no ill intent."
Then, with her right hand, she pinched a bee stinger.
The stinger glinted with a cold, metallic sheen.
Her movements were deliberately slow, imbued with an almost ritualistic gravity, as she placed the stinger on a flat stone before her.
After placing the first stinger, she pointed at it, then at herself.
She placed a second stinger and repeated the gesture.
A third stinger, and again.
The goblins tilted their large heads, their green faces filled with confusion, chattering amongst themselves:
"Gah? Sparklies?"
"What's the Big One (referring to Lin Qingyue) doing?"
"Arranging stones?"
When the fifth bee stinger was neatly lined up on the stone, Lin Qingyue decided her "pantomime lesson" was complete.
She cleared her throat and, in a voice she intended to be gentle but came out utterly flat, uttered a single word: "Trade."
Then, she pointed at the rickety wooden castle and made a "bring it here" gesture.
Next, she pointed to the five bee stingers on the ground.
Finally, she pointed to herself.
The logic was clear, the intent unmistakable: I will trade these Sparklies for something from your castle.
The goblins fell silent for a moment, seemingly using their sub-5 processing power to decrypt this complex "encrypted body language communication."
The goblin holding a small wooden stick, who appeared slightly older (let's call him "Stick-Stick"), cautiously shuffled forward two steps.
Its gaze greedily swept over the gleaming stingers on the ground, then it strained to tilt its head back, sizing up Lin Qingyue.
This "Big One" was too tall. The smooth, powerful lines of her body stirred a fierce struggle and resistance in its pea-sized eyes.
The allure of the Sparklies was immense.
But the appearance of this strange creature was simply too much for it to accept.
It spun around and launched into a heated discussion with its companions, a flurry of "Gah-woo-jiri."
"Trade! Sparklies! Pretty!"
"No! Big One too tall! Ugly!"
"Right! Ugly! And clumsy! Waste of materials!"
"Color ugly too! Not green at all!"
The discussion reached a stalemate. Stick-Stick Goblin seemed to conclude that the problem lay with the "offer."
There weren't enough Sparklies!
It spun back to face Lin Qingyue. First, it pointed a finger at her.
Then, it wildly opened and closed its hands repeatedly, letting out muffled "Ooh-ooh-ah-ah" sounds.
Finally, its short little arm jabbed forcefully toward the castle.
Goblin-to-Human Translation: You (one) give us many, many (countless) Sparklies, and we'll give you what's in the castle.
But to Lin Qingyue, this convulsive performance looked less like a negotiation and more like some mystical rain dance ritual.
Lin Qingyue: "..."
She had thought her own communication methods were abstract, but this creature was the grandmaster of abstractionism.
She decided to upgrade her communication strategy.
First, she pointed to the five bee stingers on the ground. Then, she made a huge circle with her hands in front of her chest, trying to convey the concept of "many," before pointing at the castle again.
Stick-Stick Goblin stared at her "big circle" for two seconds, its expression blank.
Suddenly, as if struck by enlightenment, it nodded vigorously and held up two fingers!
Lin Qingyue's heart leaped. There's a chance!
It understood!
The next second, she watched Stick-Stick Goblin bounce up and down, waving its two fingers at her, then pointing at the castle, squawking excitedly, "Gah-gah-gah!"
The smile on Lin Qingyue's face froze.
Two fingers? What does that mean?
Unwilling to give up, she made the "big circle" again, emphasizing "many, many" with a more forceful tone.
Stick-Stick Goblin's gaze shifted.
Its mung-bean-sized eyes overflowed with disdain.
It lowered its fingers and, once again, scrutinized Lin Qingyue from head to toe with a gaze that could only be described as hypercritical.
From her tall stature to her healthy, wheat-colored skin, to the face that blended the allure of a mature woman with the languid air of a slacker.
Finally, it shook its head vehemently.
It abruptly raised its small wooden stick, pointing it straight at Lin Qingyue.
A sense of aesthetic superiority, rooted deep in its racial genes, puffed out its tiny chest.
With all its might, in a tone of absolute judgment, it roared out the broken Common Tongue phrase, syllable by syllable:
"Ugly! So ugly!"
The Fat Goblin beside it immediately chimed in, pointing at Lin Qingyue's long, slender legs and screeching, "Gah! Legs so long! Like a stupid bird that can't fly!"
The Skinny Goblin proudly poked its own green skin, adding, "Ooh! Ugly color! Not green and shiny at all!"
Another goblin gestured disdainfully at her silhouette. "Clumsy! Not small and nimble at all! Hideously ugly!"
As if they had found a shared truth, a supreme aesthetic consensus, all the goblins began to jeer in unison:
"Tall, clumsy, ugly-colored big lump!"
"No trade! We don't trade with ugly freaks! Gah-gah-gah!"
They seemed to unanimously agree: this "big lump"—from her height and build to her skin color—failed on every front to meet the Goblin race's core aesthetic standards of "short, nimble, and vibrantly green." She was deemed "irredeemably ugly," and thus, any trade was flatly refused!
Not even if she offered Sparklies
Lin Qingyue: "..."
A rush of hot blood surged to the crown of her head with a deafening whoosh. She could almost hear the sound of her reason snapping like a taut string.
Across her past and present lives, she had faced all sorts of judgments. But to be so comprehensively and confidently declared "ugly in every way" by a group of goblins who barely reached her waist, were as green as moldy potatoes, and possessed aesthetic standards so bizarre they were infuriating...
This was a humiliation of interdimensional proportions!
Patience has its limits, and mine has been reached!
"I'm... ugly in every way?"
Lin Qingyue's voice was dangerously low. The Pink Staff in her hand creaked faintly as she gripped it with excessive force.
Her physique and skin tone were the very definition of healthy, sun-kissed beauty—a perfect blend of strength and grace!
Hiding behind a tree, Lin Xiyue listened, utterly dumbfounded.
She looked at her sister's figure and appearance—unquestionably outstanding by human standards—and then heard the goblins' triple-strike combo of "tall, clumsy, and ugly-colored." She couldn't help but let out a short, sharp gasp.
She quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, her body shaking uncontrollably as she suppressed her laughter.
Stick-Stick Goblin, completely oblivious to the impending disaster, continued waving its little wooden stick, attempting to educate this "ugly" creature on the supreme aesthetics of the Goblin race.
"Be short! Be green! Be—"
Its words were frozen forever at that point.
Because Lin Qingyue moved.
No warning. No incantation.
The ground beneath her feet seemed to tremble!
"Aesthetic Correction Fist (Staff), at your service!"
The Pink Staff tore through the air, carrying the thunderous wrath of its master's trampled dignity. It transformed into a streak of pink lightning.
Fast! Precise! Vicious!
It struck each goblin that had just mocked her squarely on the forehead!
Thwack! "Gah—!" (voice cracking)
Thump! "Oof—!" (choking)
Crack! "Eee—!" (cut off abruptly)
The movements were as swift as the wind, the force as steady as a mountain—a perfect demonstration of "the union of strength and beauty" (as unilaterally declared by Lin Qingyue).
The world instantly fell silent.
All that remained were a few little green-skinned creatures on the ground, their eyes rolled back, cartoonish bumps swelling visibly on their heads as they lay utterly unconscious.
And the points added to her bracelet.
Lin Qingyue leaned on her staff, her chest heaving with fury.
She poked the Stick-Stick Goblin—the one who had led the charge in calling her "ugly"—with the tip of her staff. Her voice, sharp as ice shards, hissed through her gritted teeth:
"Say that again? Who's ugly?"
[Ding! Enraged by being judged "ugly in every way" by a low-level creature with bizarre aesthetic standards, you used absolute strength to perform a physical aesthetic correction, creating extreme cognitive dissonance and dramatic elation. Elation Value +233! Host, your "Physical Beauty Defense Battle" was absolutely magnificent! Aha is rolling on the floor laughing at this cross-species aesthetic conflict!]
Lin Qingyue shot a fierce glare into the void, too annoyed to deal with the System, which clearly enjoyed stirring up trouble.
She glanced from the unconscious goblins on the ground to the crooked, aesthetically bankrupt castle, her gaze turning icy cold.
"Negotiations have failed," she announced, her voice laced with menace.
"Initiating the final plan—"
"Zero-Cost Acquisition."
Lin Xiyue leaped out from behind a tree. Seeing the storm brewing on her sister's face, she suppressed a laugh, raised her shield, and roared in support:
"Sis! Charge! Let's show these tasteless green potatoes what 'tall and mighty' really means! We'll 'procure' all their good stuff!"