Chapter 76: Seventy-sixth Day of Being a Slacker

“That’s the character,” Zhu Rong replied. “But I don’t know the person you’re talking about.”

She wasn’t someone skilled at lying. Nor was she a socialite who knew how to smooth-talk her way through a conversation.

If Siming or Geshu Qing were here, they might have chosen to engage in a bit of verbal sparring with Xiao Lu, perhaps even prying some information out of her in the process.

But Zhu Rong preferred to stay silent.

Consequently, her tone sounded stiff, making it clear that she didn’t want to say more.

“Sorry, I was being too forward,” Xiao Lu said, her tone sounding exceptionally sincere by comparison.

Zhu Rong glanced at her.

Xiao Lu thought for a moment and reached out toward her, a piece of candy resting in her palm.

“Want some candy?” she asked.

Zhu Rong shook her head. She had never eaten candy. The Desolate Planet didn’t have such things, and the Star Pirates didn’t care for them either. She had, however, tasted many kinds of alcohol, though none of them were particularly good.

But she had heard of candy. It was said to be a sweet food. Many people, especially children, were very fond of it.

Zhu Rong was indeed a bit curious about the taste. However, that curiosity wasn’t enough to convince her to accept food from a stranger.

Still, she offered a word of thanks.

Xiao Lu didn’t push. She withdrew her hand and smiled. “I thought children your age all loved candy. I…”

She paused, not finishing her sentence.

Zhu Rong nodded but didn’t reply. She didn’t know what the most appropriate response would be.

Xiao Lu blinked, looking as if she wanted to say something several times, but eventually kept her mouth shut as well.

Silence spread between them, and the atmosphere gradually became a bit awkward.

Seeing as there was still some distance to the so-called Novice Service Center, Zhu Rong took the initiative to speak. “Did you also meet that Chen Xingfan in this game?”

It wasn’t that Zhu Rong couldn’t handle the awkwardness.

Rather, the awkwardness gave her a perfect excuse to start a conversation and ask about something she actually cared about.

She knew her biological mother was named Chen Xingfan, and it was impossible for her not to care about her mother’s affairs.

While asking about something seemingly unrelated to herself might seem strange, according to Siming’s theories, an awkward atmosphere was the best time to ask questions. To relieve the tension, people were often willing to answer almost anything.

“Yes!” Xiao Lu answered quickly, appearing quite enthusiastic. She added, “Back then, she was about your age-maybe a little older, but not by much.”

She reminisced, “I had just graduated back then and didn’t have much else to do. I spent all day soaking in this game and even started a guild. Oh, sorry, you might not know what a guild is yet. I haven’t been playing much these past few years, so I almost forgot what I should be introducing to a newcomer.”

Zhu Rong shook her head. “I know. I ran into a few people earlier who explained some things to me. They even invited me to join their guild. I think it was called Firefly.”

“That’s wonderful.” Xiao Lu laughed. “What a coincidence. I was just thinking about inviting you to my guild, but someone beat me to it. Would you like to join Firefly? I’m actually the founder and the first president… though I haven’t played much lately, so I’m not the president anymore.”

“I’m not sure,” Zhu Rong replied directly. “I heard Marshal Lu Yuan never joined any guild.”

“You want to follow his example?”

“I’m his fan,” Zhu Rong said matter-of-factly.

Xiao Lu laughed. “Then don’t join a guild! But since you’re our friend, if you ever run into a particularly difficult or rare boss, you have to come find Firefly. Give us a chance for some group training!”

“Okay,” Zhu Rong nodded.

Xiao Lu continued, “When the game was first released, there weren’t many players, and the landscape was different from how it is now. You hardly see players fighting each other in the game these days, but it happened back then.

“The first time I met Xingfan, she was in a standoff with a group of people. A young girl about your height, standing all alone, surrounded by several mechas. She was struggling to climb into her own mecha.

“I thought I should give her a hand. But… guess what? Before I could even move, she had already powered up her mecha and stripped the others down into a pile of scrap metal on the ground.”

She paused, likely expecting some kind of reaction from Zhu Rong-surprise, admiration, or something similar.

However, Zhu Rong remained unmoved.

She smiled helplessly and pointed to the side. “That over there is the Novice Service Center. Go claim your novice mission rewards first, and then I’ll take you for a tour around the safe zone.”

“The layout of every safe zone is pretty much the same. Once you understand one, you won’t have to worry about finding your way around the others later.”

The Novice Service Center was nothing special; it was just another roadside stall. An NPC sat beside the stall. Although it had a human form, it didn’t look particularly intelligent. It sat there motionless, stiff and rigid, with a dull, vacant stare.

There weren’t many people around.

This game didn’t have many players to begin with, and even fewer stayed in the safe zones. As for novices in this specific safe zone… Zhu Rong was likely the only one right now. Consequently, the Novice Service Center was empty, with only the occasional passerby who never bothered to stop.

The NPC showed no reaction to those passing by.

It wasn’t until Zhu Rong walked close that he finally raised his head and spoke in a very mechanical tone. “Congratulations on completing the novice mission! Please come here to receive your mission rewards!”

“Oh.” Zhu Rong walked over and saw several button-shaped items laid out in front of him.

The NPC pushed the buttons toward Zhu Rong one by one, introducing them. “This is the Novice Basic Mecha. It features basic functional modules and a small number of offensive weapons. You may visit the Mecha Upgrade Center to add new modules and weapons to your Mecha, or visit the Mecha Sales Center to purchase other models.

“This is the Novice Toolbox. It contains essential practical tools for the game, including a translator, a dagger, a shovel…

“This is the Novice Medical Kit. It contains essential medical supplies for the game, including hemostatic medicine, bandages…”

Zhu Rong tilted her head, looking them over before reaching out to take them. Holding the button-sized objects, she could feel that they “contained” many items. With just a thought, she could bring them out.

This part was quite similar to many other games.

After all, games generally didn’t require players to run around carrying everything in their arms. Most games implemented a “backpack” or inventory system where players could store their belongings. This game, however, didn’t seem to have a backpack…

If there were a backpack, the mission rewards would likely have been sent directly there instead of making the player run to a Novice Service Center.

“Because placing an NPC is easier than coding a backpack function,” Xiao Lu explained in response to Zhu Rong’s question. “A lot of the design in this game is… how should I put it? Rather lazy. You’ve probably noticed it doesn’t even have functions for setting a nickname or adjusting your appearance. Even system notifications are rare.”

Zhu Rong nodded, signaling her understanding.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you to the Equipment Upgrade Center,” Xiao Lu said.

“Equipment Upgrade Center?” Zhu Rong asked, puzzled.

Xiao Lu glanced at her bulging trouser and shirt pockets, which were filled with Crystal Cores.

There weren’t many Crystal Cores, and their levels weren’t high. This was because Zhu Rong had obtained them by killing wild monsters with her bare hands. Many high-level monsters required a group of people in Mechas to defeat; against those, Zhu Rong was helpless. No matter how talented she was, she could only kill the weaker monsters. Accordingly, the level and value of the Crystal Cores were lower.

Xiao Lu smiled. “We need to buy you an empty button. You can’t keep running around with these things stuffed in your pockets; it’ll hinder your movement.”

As they walked, she said, “You really are a lot like Xingfan. When I first met her, she had only just finished her novice mission, yet she had already exchanged for a very good Mecha. That’s because she killed quite a few monsters on her way to the safe zone. Most newcomers can’t manage that.”

Zhu Rong replied, “It wasn’t that hard.”

“But this is a Mecha game after all,” Xiao Lu said. “Most people instinctively assume you have to use a Mecha to fight monsters. They wouldn’t choose to do it themselves.

“Besides, this game has one hundred percent tactile realism. Fighting monsters bare-handed…”

She looked at Zhu Rong, her gaze softening. “It must have hurt, right?”

“Not really,” Zhu Rong shook her head.

Xiao Lu smiled and pointed in another direction. “We’re here. You can trade one Crystal Core for a button, then put the rest inside.”

Zhu Rong nodded. After receiving some instructions from the NPC, she began pulling the Crystal Cores out of her pockets one by one.

…

Lu Yuan frowned.

Goudan asked him, “Did you figure something out?”

“In a way.” Lu Yuan sounded a bit uncertain himself. “Come to think of it, I’ve suddenly realized that the creator of this game is quite a walking contradiction.”

“What?” Goudan didn’t understand.

Lu Yuan said, “He’s definitely lazy in many respects. But somehow, in a few specific areas… he’s done a much better job than other games.

“One is the instant messaging I mentioned to you before. Another is the tactile realism. In most games, the maximum setting is only 80%, but it seems he actually… set it to 100%. That’s no easy feat.

“And there’s one more thing…”

He paused, his expression turning a bit complicated. “The level of detail in this game is far too high. The appearance and abilities of the wild monsters are all distinct, each with their own characteristics. I even have the impression that the patterns on every single Crystal Core are unique.

“The game is quite half-hearted in most places, but the art team really went all out.”