Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Who Wants to Kill Me?
Tears really can wash away one’s negative emotions.
She had answered her own question.
Faye Yardley gave a self-deprecating smile. ’Of course, my life isn’t so easily taken either. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here, would I? I would’ve plummeted to my death at the bottom of that cliff long ago.’
’If one attempt fails, I’ll make another. If two fail, I’ll try a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth time!’
’I refuse to believe I can’t kill her. Does she really have that many items?’
Her vulnerability lasted only a moment. Now, she was a warrior of steel once more.
Under Willow Yardley’s worried gaze, Faye Yardley had already composed herself. She casually wiped away a tear and said, "I’m fine. You go get some rest."
Faye Yardley rinsed off, changed her clothes, and lay back on the bed. ’One failure is nothing. There’s always a next time. Right now, I need to rest and build up my strength so I can improve myself more effectively.’
While Faye slept, Hailey Miles was jolted awake by a nightmare. Drenched in sweat, she shot upright in bed, panting heavily. She instinctively touched the spot between her eyebrows, then the spot over her heart.
’That dream felt so real. Far too real.’
’I really thought I’d been shot dead, twice.’
’And those dark eyes, which held no emotion other than hatred...’
’Thank goodness, it was just a dream...’
’I’m still alive, aren’t I?’
Her gaze shifted elsewhere. When she saw her bedroom door, her pupils instantly dilated. Her mouth hung slightly open, but she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
The flickering light from the living room fireplace allowed her to see clearly that her bedroom door was open.
’But I always sleep with the door closed.’
’If that wasn’t a dream, why am I still alive?’
’I don’t know how I got lucky enough to survive this time, but will there be a next time?’
Terrified, Hailey Miles clutched the collar of her nightgown, overcome by an unspeakable dread.
A soft, comfortable bed really does wonders for getting a good night’s sleep and restoring one’s energy.
In any case, after sleeping for exactly two hours, Faye Yardley was up and exercising, already brimming with vitality once more.
Following the principle that auspicious energy flows from the east at sunrise, Faye Yardley faced the nascent sun and began her breathing exercises. According to Gavin Donovan, one’s internal cultivation determines how far their external training can take them.
And mastering a breathing technique to the point where it becomes as natural as regular breathing was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.
If it weren’t for the monsters that started spawning at the edge of the raft again, Faye Yardley would have suspected she was practicing immortal cultivation.
In this battle, she began to consciously control her pace. Instead of just pursuing speed, she started practicing how to make her strikes more efficient and effortless while killing the monsters.
Time flies when you have a goal.
Watching her expressionlessly slay one monster after another, Eamon trembled in the planting room. ’This is horrifying,’ he thought. ’Why on earth did I ever decide to leave my own world to "see the sights"?’
At 6:00 PM, just as Faye had defeated the fifth-wave boss and collected an Energy Stone, a system announcement appeared before she could even start to celebrate.
[Congratulations to all players in District 101 for safely surviving the monster spawns. As the number of survivors in this district exceeds 500,000, all players have been rewarded with: Wood x100, Charcoal x20, Random Food x1, Mineral Water x2. Have fun, everyone!]
The announcement repeated three times, and the regional channel was instantly flooded with cheers and celebratory messages.
Faye Yardley, however, couldn’t help but pout. ’I was hoping this would go on for a few more days so I could stock up on more Energy Stones,’ she thought. ’And now it’s over just like that.’
’Still, this is the perfect opportunity for me to acquire a batch of Energy Stones.’
’But I can’t just trade food for them all.’ Rummaging through her inventory, Faye Yardley spotted the Talent Stones.
’But would trading a Talent Stone be a bit of a loss?’
’I was originally saving them for after the districts merge, to trade for things I really want. But now...’
She took one out and posted it anonymously on the trading market. ’One Talent Stone for ten Energy Stones. That’s not an outrageous price, is it?!’
’Some people probably have plenty of Energy Stones on hand right now, but a Talent Stone is a different matter entirely.’
’Energy Stones are consumables, but using a Talent Stone provides a direct boost to one’s own power.’
’As for whether the resulting Talent is good or bad... well, that’s down to the individual’s luck, isn’t it? What does that have to do with me, the seller?’
The more Faye Yardley thought about it, the more she felt that even a 1:10 trade was a losing deal for her.
"Go get washed up, Faye. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Okay."
After washing up, she quickly re-wrapped her wounds with fresh bandages. Dressed in a set of casual clothes, Faye Yardley went to the dining room, sat down, and asked, "Doesn’t Eamon need to eat?"
"He said he’s fine eating in the planting room."
Then, while eating, Faye Yardley opened the regional channel.
[I didn’t feel the cold while the monsters were spawning, but now that they’ve stopped, I feel chilled to the bone.]
[Dude, you don’t even have a Fire Pit? Just toss some charcoal in. Not only does it burn hot, but it lasts a long time, too.]
[Give me a break! Why is the temperature still dropping? I’m not going to just die like this, am I?]
[Hailey Miles: Who’s trying to kill me?]
[Has the beauty gone crazy too? This game is just trying to kill all of humanity.]
[I can’t believe my random food turned out to be a whole East China-style New Year’s Eve feast! New_Years_Eve_Feast.jpg]
[Dammit, I hate all you Kings of Luck! How come my random food was just a single steamed bun?!]
Faye Yardley naturally saw Hailey Miles’s message, but she was in a good state of mind now and continued eating, completely unfazed.
However, seeing that the random food rewards were like opening one blind box after another, her interest was piqued.
Before claiming her random food, she couldn’t help but rub her hands together and mutter a little charm under her breath. And then, she was utterly stunned.
She had never imagined that her random food reward would turn out to be a 108-course Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.
’The history of this world is clearly different from that of my previous life. So how can the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast exist here?’
"Faye, you’re incredible! I can’t believe you got all this from a random food reward." Willow Yardley was truly grateful that the master she was bound to possessed an incredibly high Luck Value. Someone this fortunate could likely survive until the end on luck alone, to say nothing of how hard she also worked.
"Right? I think it’s pretty incredible myself."
Faye Yardley picked out ten dishes, arranged them on the table, then snapped a picture and sent it to her private group chat.
Some joys are only diminished by not being shared.
The private chat immediately erupted with messages of envy and jealousy. Now *that*, Faye Yardley thought, was what it meant to double your happiness.
Gavin Donovan: Dammit, who was so fast? I worked my ass off to scrape together 10 Energy Stones, and the Talent Stone is already gone.
Wade Warren: The fact that you managed to scrape them together at all is pretty impressive.
Gavin Donovan: But I was still a step too slow. Who’s the seller? Do they have any more?
Leo Sloan: Talent Stones are extremely rare, and there’s no guaranteed way to get them. The fact that the seller had a spare one to trade is a miracle in itself. After all, if you had one, wouldn’t it be better to save it for your family?
Bonnie Callahan: Don’t be sad, Donovan. The next time I get one, I’ll sell it to you.
Gavin Donovan: Thanks, Miss Bonnie! Does that mean you already have a Talent? Can you say what it is? It’s okay if you can’t, I’m just curious.
Bonnie Callahan: My Talent is awesome. It doubles my Skill damage.
Gavin Donovan and the others immediately hyped her up, showering her with praise.
Bonnie Callahan: You guys are making me blush. The problem is, I don’t actually have any Skills right now.
A collective silence instantly fell over the private chat.
