Chapter 40: World Two [10]

By the time Xu Yin stumbled back to camp, battered and clutching the contents of his Supplies Box, it was already half past five. The sun had sunk to the mountainside, painting the sky a beautiful shade of orange-red.

Despite his obvious effort, Lady Luck had not smiled upon him. Xu Yin’s third Supplies Box of the day also failed to yield anything truly useful.

Or rather, to be strictly accurate, what Xu Yin had found was quite good. He just couldn’t use any of it.

“So, Teacher Xu, this is what you got from opening two Supplies Boxes?” Zheng Xingxing’s mouth hung open, his face a mask of surprise.

“Teacher Xu, did Lady Luck abandon you today because you stepped out of your tent left foot first? How do you go from getting a milk tea to a small box of instant coffee?” Zheng Xingxing teased.

Xu Yin was annoyed, but he kept a helpless smile on his face. He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s because I started with my left foot today. I’ll try my right tomorrow.”

“Still, it’s not all bad,” Yu Hongjun said with a smile. “After a good meal, a cup of milk tea or coffee would hit the spot perfectly. How about this: if anyone wants coffee or milk tea, they can trade some of their supplies with Little Xu. Everyone gets what they need.”

Yu Hongjun’s suggestion was met with unanimous approval. Even Shao Qing traded the dozen or so seashells she was purging sand from for a packet of milk tea and two packets of coffee.

Xu Yin, not wanting to go hungry, naturally didn’t refuse these deals. He traded everything he’d worked for all afternoon for enough to eat a solid meal that night.

The texture of wild taro was inferior to the cultivated variety, but with Yu Hongjun’s cooking skills and the proper seasonings, Shao Qing could have sworn she was eating at a barbecue stall.

If the seafood Zheng Xingxing had contributed could fill half a Mineral Water Bottle, then Shao Qing’s contribution could fill nearly half a Supplies Box.

Especially that meter-long piece of kelp; after Yu Hongjun’s miraculous, alchemical cooking, its flavor rivaled grilled meat skewers. It was simply divine.

Everyone knew exactly who was responsible for this feast of grilled seafood and seafood congee. So, when the others saw Yu Hongjun setting aside the best-cooked, largest portions of crab and oyster for Shao Qing, no one was tactless enough to complain.

The main participants might be understanding, but the fans who had just gotten off work and picked up their phones were anything but. All they knew was that the moment they tuned in, Shao Qing appeared to be everyone’s favorite.

Yu Hongjun cooking for Shao Qing was one thing—they’d already seen that at noon. But why was their own beloved idol praising Shao Qing between bites? And why was he passing her this and that? What kind of person did Shao Qing think their idol was?

Some fans operate on a logic that is hard to understand. They only believe in their own guesses and fabrications, and they cling to these with absolute conviction.

【That is the gist of the Barrage Comments. I’ve cross-referenced the account information; they mostly belong to teenagers using their parents’ verified accounts. These are younger, more impressionable fans, easily led astray by the rhetoric of professional fans and paid trolls.】

“Okay, thank you.” Shao Qing hadn’t expected Jing Ke to be so easy to placate. A rare twinge of guilt pricked her, and her words became noticeably more polite.

【It’s my job. No Paid Trolls have entered the fray yet. Viewers who have been watching the live stream are actively explaining the situation; the negative comments should be suppressed soon.】

“Alright, I understand. Thank you for your hard work,” Shao Qing replied, tossing a piece of taro into her mouth and chewing slowly.

“Xu Yin’s luck is changing for the worse. Does that mean some of my Fortune is returning?” Shao Qing asked.

【Yes. A quarter of the Fortune you once lost has returned.】

“And you?” Shao Qing asked. “How much Fortune did you get from this?”

【None. That Fortune was originally yours; it has nothing to do with me.】

【I only take the Fortune you gain additionally through my direct assistance. Don’t worry. I will only collect the Fortune after you pass from this world. It will not affect your life in any way.】

Shao Qing took a moment to digest Jing Ke’s words. A little dazed, she asked, “Tell me, is there a soul after death? Is there truly an afterlife?”

【I don’t know. The operating rules of each Small World are different. In some worlds, the dead can exist for a time as a disembodied spirit. In others, death is simply death, the absolute end of everything.】

After speaking, Jing Ke paused. The Core of her main body was, for some unknown reason, running slightly hot.

Strange. She hadn’t been processing a large amount of information. Why was her Core overheating? Was it an information overload?

Fortunately, the anomaly lasted only a brief two seconds. When a subsequent diagnostic scan revealed no problems, Jing Ke dismissed it.

The production team’s live stream stopped as usual at dusk. As the crew selected spots for the fixed cameras, the guests’ assistants bustled over, laden with bags, initiating an extremely busy hour.

Wearing the same clothes all day after physical labor was out of the question. But to maintain the show’s authenticity, the guests had packed identical sets of spare clothes, changing as discreetly as possible.

Among the six guests, Zheng Xingxing and Xu Yin seemed especially busy. They barked orders at their assistants while making phone calls, though it was unclear whether they were talking to friends or their agents.

【Zheng Xingxing is talking to his Agent. I can capture short-range sound waves and extrapolate their conversation.】

【Zheng Xingxing is complaining that his Agent gave him a terrible idea. He says he no longer wants to ride your coattails for clout and is demanding his Agent devise a new plan.】 Jing Ke volunteered.

【It seems he’s no longer targeting you. Xu Yin has comparable popularity, so he appears to be trying to build a rapport with Xu Yin to gain access to resources that might boost his status.】

【Xu Yin is also on the phone with his Agent, asking about today’s stream statistics.】

Upon hearing this, Shao Qing instinctively glanced towards Xu Yin’s position. Though he was some distance away, Shao Qing could still see his deeply furrowed brow.

Moments later, Xu Yin hung up the phone in a visible huff. He took a deep breath and dialed another number.

“He doesn’t look happy. Did he get bad news?” Shao Qing asked.

【Not achieving a good reputation or high engagement is a major failure for Xu Yin.】

【He’s very dissatisfied with the direction of the comments in today’s Live Stream Room. He demanded his Agent spend more money to deploy additional paid trolls. The Agent balked, citing budget constraints, so Xu Yin hung up.】

【He’s now contacting a Paid Trolls company he’s dealt with privately. It looks like he intends to pay for the trolls himself.】

“The evidence you’ve been saving—was that from trolls organized by Xu Yin’s Agent, or those Xu Yin contacted directly?” Shao Qing asked.

【Let me check. It was Xu Yin directly on the phone. Do you need me to reconstruct the conversation and produce the corresponding audio file?】

“You can do that? Fabricate audio?” A flicker of surprise crossed Shao Qing’s eyes. Had the skills of Ghosts also advanced with the times?

【It’s barely a fabrication. I’m simply restoring their conversation. The content genuinely existed and occurred.】

【To conjure something from nothing, creating an event that never happened to interfere with reality, would expend a relatively large amount of my power. But merely reproducing something that existed at a specific point in time consumes only a fraction.】

As Jing Ke spoke, an inexplicable pride crept into her voice. 【Shao Qing, as I’ve told you, there is much I can do. Enter a Contract with me, and we both win.】

Shao Qing didn’t answer immediately. She glanced at Xu Yin again, seeing him hang up with a satisfied look, and quickly averted her gaze.

“Could this… restored material of yours be used as evidence in a court of law?” Shao Qing followed up.

【No. Even though I am restoring the truth, if this audio recording appeared in court, it would still be considered illegally obtained evidence. It would not be admissible.】

【But I can release it online. With current technology, no one could prove this audio is synthesized. They’d only find it to be an audio segment with no cuts or special processing.】

【Do you need me to release it? I can also act as a fake troll to help you amplify the news. If Xu Yin’s reputation takes a massive hit, the recovery of your Fortune will accelerate significantly.】

Hearing Jing Ke’s proposal, Shao Qing would be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted. But simply being exposed for buying Paid Trolls wasn’t a devastating blow for an A-list celebrity. At worst, his reputation would be tarnished for a while, and he might lose some new endorsements. It wouldn’t even break bones.

“No, not yet. Let’s wait. The time for an open confrontation hasn’t come yet,” Shao Qing said.

The flat ground on the gentle slope couldn’t accommodate all six guests’ tents at once. After some discussion, Liu Chang was granted ownership of the fourth tent. Xu Yin and Zheng Xingxing, meanwhile, were moved to another small clearing over a hundred meters away from the main four-person camp, setting up their own two-person compound.

If one male and one female guest were staying in that two-person camp, rumors would probably be flying within a day. But with two male guests there, the atmosphere just became a little… awkward.

Xu Yin was in a foul mood that night. As soon as the accompanying Cameraman left, he was ready to wash up and sleep, and plan his comeback for the next day.

Zheng Xingxing had just finalized his new plan with his Agent. Having a rare opportunity for close contact with Xu Yin, he wasn’t about to waste it. The moment the Cameraman departed, his attentiveness towards Xu Yin became even more fawning.

Back at the four-person camp, after washing up and changing into clean clothes, they didn’t gather for more idle chatter either. They each retreated to their own tents to attend to personal matters.

To maintain buzz and name recognition in the entertainment industry, a beautiful and distinctive face is essential.

Shao Qing’s natural beauty required no surgical intervention to be memorable to viewers. But even such beauty required daily maintenance; a pre-sleep skincare routine was non-negotiable.

Especially since Shao Qing had spent the day fishing and beachcombing under the sun. If she didn’t hydrate and whiten her skin properly, she could end up three shades darker by the end of the seven days.

After applying a Face Mask, Shao Qing closed her eyes and chatted idly with Jing Ke.

“Since you can manifest a physical form using your own power, why do you want to stay by my side?” Shao Qing asked.

【Because you need my help. Even if I had a physical body, I would remain by your side until the day you no longer need me.】

Shao Qing was silent for a moment. “And after you get my Fortune, what do you want to do?”

【Grow stronger. Then obtain true freedom.】 Jing Ke didn’t elaborate, offering only a simple answer.

“I’m a little curious. Once you have a physical body, would you be any different from a normal human?” Shao Qing asked.

【In principle, no difference at all. I would simply be healthier.】 Jing Ke paused. 【After acquiring a Human body, many of my abilities would be restricted. My capabilities in any area could not exceed the limits of a human body.】

“For example?” Shao Qing was curious.

【A simple example: if the world record for the 100-meter dash is 9.58 seconds, my maximum speed would be exactly that. I couldn’t run any faster.】

Shao Qing couldn’t help but crack an eye open, staring at the dark blue tent ceiling as she tried to conceptualize that speed.

“So… how would you get this body? Do you need me to find you a recently deceased person?” Shao Qing probed cautiously. If everything Jing Ke said was true, then this entity seemed very different from her understanding of ghosts.

【That won’t be necessary. I would pay a price and trade with Her, exchanging it for a legitimate, lawful identity with a certain status and wealth.】

【She would make the world self-correct. From the moment I appear, all traces of my existence in this world would be retroactively generated.】

Shao Qing blinked hard, half-convinced she’d just hallucinated.

Make the world self-correct? Retroactively generate a life history? Was this something a Ghost could do? Surely Jing Ke wouldn’t just randomly perform a Possession, stealing someone else’s identity?

【Your Face Mask is a little uneven.】 Jing Ke noted.

“How many minutes have I had this mask on?” Shao Qing asked, shaking the wildly improbable notions from her head. What was she thinking? If Jing Ke could just possess someone, she wouldn’t need a Contract at all.

【Twelve minutes.】

Shao Qing sat up immediately. She removed the mask and began washing her face with the clean water she had prepared.

“After I fall asleep, I’d be grateful if you could pay close attention. If anything seems wrong, please wake me immediately.” After washing her face, Shao Qing burrowed into her Sleeping Bag, leaving only a small, dim night light on inside the tent.

【Understood. Shall I continue playing the rain sounds to aid sleep?】 Jing Ke asked, a well-practiced routine by now.

“Yes, thank you,” Shao Qing said.

As the sound that relaxed both body and mind surfaced in her head, Shao Qing let out a long, soft sigh.

“Thank you, and goodnight, Jing Ke.” Having spoken six more words than the night before, Shao Qing finally closed her eyes, letting her thoughts be carried away by the sound of falling rain.

【Goodnight, Shao Qing.】 Jing Ke said softly, her tone unconsciously tinged with an indescribable joy.

Shao Qing had said her name. Was she slowly beginning to accept her?

It seemed sincerity was indeed the ultimate weapon. As long as she remained completely honest with Shao Qing, then surely, one day, Shao Qing would be just as honest with her, and entrust her with her faith!