In truth, another mission from the previous day had already been completed the moment Zhu Yuan arrived home.
[Completed: "Tonight, the Two of You Sit in Silence."]
[Drew target character "Zhu Yuan" skill — Master-Level Body Coordination (Blue).]
Fang Wen closed his eyes and quietly absorbed this unfamiliar new memory.
With several previous draws as groundwork, he felt he was gradually getting used to the sensation of suddenly having an extra set of memories in his mind.
He flexed his fingers slightly and could immediately tell that he was capable of much finer control now. Drawing circles with his left hand while drawing squares with his right felt as easy as drinking water. This, presumably, was one of the major reasons Zhu Yuan's gun-fu had been able to reach purple Grandmaster rank.
That was also what the system had told him: Grandmaster-tier skills were not something you upgraded from a single skill step by step. They were born from the fusion of multiple Master-tier foundational skills.
So the fantasy of directly pulling a Grandmaster skill and ascending in one leap was impossible.
Take Zhu Yuan's one and only purple Grandmaster-tier skill—Grandmaster Gun-Fu—for example. To obtain it, one first had to possess the three blue Master-tier skills of Master-Level Body Coordination, Master-Level Combat, and Master-Level Marksmanship, and only then was there a chance to comprehend Grandmaster Gun-Fu.
Yes. Even then, it was only a chance.
But for Fang Wen, who had the system, all he needed to do was meet the prerequisite of those three Master-tier skills, then add three purple Grandmaster Gun-Fu fragments, and he would be guaranteed to comprehend the skill with 100% certainty.
And as for those purple Grandmaster Gun-Fu fragments, he could even synthesize them by combining duplicate blue fragments at a two-to-one ratio. That had already lowered the barrier for him to learn this Grandmaster-tier skill by a huge margin.
So Fang Wen was already more than satisfied. He also knew perfectly well that Zhu Yuan had reached her current level only by grinding herself day and night in training halls and on real battlefields.
Something that had already become instinct on a bodily level was never going to be matched just by the system copying it and stuffing it into him by force.
After finishing digesting the memory, Fang Wen settled his mind again and drew his own remaining two pulls.
[Drew duplicate skill — Cooking Proficiency (Green).]
[Cooking Proficiency (Green) → Cooking Proficiency (Green+1).]
[Drew duplicate skill — Combat Proficiency (Green).]
[Combat Proficiency (Green) → Combat Proficiency (Green+1).]
There was still one more Zhu Yuan draw left, and Fang Wen didn't hold back.
[Drew target character "Zhu Yuan" skill — Beginner Makeup (White).]
At that, Fang Wen merely twitched the corner of his mouth.
He was used to it by now.
…
When he opened his eyes again, seven hours had already passed. Fully rested, Fang Wen originally planned to go out and grab something to eat, but after putting on his shoes, he suddenly remembered that he technically knew how to cook now.
It was his first time in his life visiting a produce market, and Fang Wen nearly got crushed senseless by the sea of people inside.
By the time he finally escaped the encirclement of aunties, uncles, and housewives, he felt more exhausted than he did on the battlefield.
At least on the battlefield, Ethereals usually couldn't even touch him.
But after less than ten minutes in there, someone had already groped his ass twice.
After washing the vegetables, Fang Wen made himself a simple bowl of noodles.
Looking at the steaming bowl in front of him, he suddenly felt dazed.
In his previous life, it wasn't as though he'd never wanted to learn how to cook. The problem was always either failing to control the heat, or not knowing when to add seasoning, or how much to use.
In the end, the trash can always wound up eating before he did.
And now I can actually cook.
With that thought, Fang Wen picked up his chopsticks.
After finishing the meal, Fang Wen took the metro to Guangying Square. This time, though, he wasn't there for work.
He was there to meet someone.
Pushing up the clear-lens glasses he used as part of his disguise, Fang Wen sat on the second floor of a café across the street from the Guangying Branch. Idly, he watched the pedestrian traffic below while occasionally taking a sip of the hand-ground latte on the table.
He was honestly a little curious whether coffee ground by Master Tinman, an intelligent construct, still counted as "hand-ground" coffee.
At last, ten minutes before their agreed time, a woman wearing a sunhat and plain clothes—fresh-faced and lovely like the girl-next-door version of a beautiful older sister—sat down across from him.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine. I didn't get here that early either."
Fang Wen replied with a smile.
The beautiful woman in front of him was none other than the person he had messaged last night.
And the fact that she had shown up meant that the matter Fang Wen had asked her to investigate had produced some results.
"Actually, 'Fuxing,' there has been some progress on the matter you asked me to look into." As she spoke, Morning Star took a folder of documents out of the small bag she had brought with her.
"Fuxing" was Fang Wen's alt account on RopeNet. Normally, he would also take various missions from different information brokers to earn some extra money on the side, but his main goal was still to investigate the truth behind the fall of the Old Capital.
"You know, 'Fuxing,' you really are Big Sis's lucky star. The speed and quality with which you complete missions are nothing like a rookie Proxy. Hehe, a lot of information brokers are already trying to pay money to poach you away from me~"
Fang Wen only smiled at Morning Star's teasing.
As deputy captain of a Public Security Bureau special operations team, even if his strength wasn't top-tier, he still wasn't someone the average, mixed-bag Proxy could compare to.
Though in this field he certainly couldn't rival the legendary Proxy he knew as Phaethon, he was still at least above the level of an experienced Proxy.
"Heh. So then, Sister Morning Star, have you sold me off to someone else yet?"
"If they want you, I'm definitely not giving you away. 'Fuxing,' you're a lucky star that belongs to me alone."
"Big Sis won't let anyone else steal you away."
While exchanging banter with her, Fang Wen had already more or less sorted through the documents she handed over.
Overall, they didn't differ much from the rumors already circulating online. The few differences that did exist all pointed toward investigations related to the inside of Hollows.
Looks like there's no way around making a trip into a Hollow after all.
Especially since one familiar name was in there too.
"Pioneer Memorial Square… this place again…"
Fang Wen frowned.
"What's wrong, my little lucky star? A frown doesn't look handsome on you," Morning Star said after taking a sip of the coffee Fang Wen had ordered for her, revealing a satisfied expression as contented as a cat's.
"Sister Morning Star seems to have been having a hard time lately. I wonder if there's anything I can help with?"
Fang Wen still remembered that, according to the mission, he owed Morning Star a gift.
And from what he had investigated, besides guiding newcomers like them, Morning Star also had to work at least three separate jobs a day.
Her life probably wasn't easy.
"Oh my, so you noticed?" Morning Star stuck out her enticing little pink tongue with a playful smile.
"Well, Big Sis came up from the bottom as a rookie Proxy too, so I know everyone's got it rough. I'll gladly accept the thought, though."
Just accepting the thought isn't enough. What about my mission reward?
How about this—
"Sister Morning Star really helped me out this time, so I want to properly repay you."
"Otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight."
That was right. Watching rewards fly away right in front of his eyes would absolutely keep him awake.
Morning Star blinked her large, lovely eyes and pressed her lips together.
"Then… could my little lucky star help me find a place with cheaper rent? Big Sis has such a large family to support that I'm really reaching my limit."
Fang Wen raised an eyebrow. Before leaving home earlier, he had noticed that the unit across from his own was up for rent. The price was already lower than what was normal for the area, but he wasn't sure whether Morning Star could really afford it…
Though he could cover part of it for her.
And if she lived across the hall, he could also check in on her from time to time.
Of course, he wasn't going to tell her about the part where he paid the difference. Let Morning Star enjoy a beautiful dream. After all, it would be his way of repaying the care she had shown him over this period of time.
[As expected of the host. Nicely done. Once a攻略 target's affection reaches 60, affection missions will unlock automatically.]
By now, Fang Wen was used to this thing's existence and ignored it, continuing to speak to Morning Star instead.
"I happen to know a place. It's currently up for rent, and the conditions are pretty good."
The moment Morning Star heard his words, her eyes lit up instantly.
Looks like life really has been hard for her.
"Th-then, then… I'll pack my things. When do you have time to come look at the place with me, little lucky star?"
Setting down her coffee, Morning Star unconsciously twirled a strand of hair by her ear. The sincerity in her gaze made Fang Wen's face heat up slightly.
"Ahem. I'll contact you when the time comes. It's a deal."
Fang Wen nodded.
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