Chapter 7: Upgrade Successful, Check-in Successful

[Do you wish to pass through?]

“Pass through.”

The three sisters held hands, clutching the Transit Pass as they crouched and arrived in an unfamiliar forest.

This was Bai Xi’s first time here. She didn’t dare to blink, even holding her breath, unable to believe she was actually standing on the forest floor.

“Can… can we still go back?”

As she spoke, she looked down at Bai Miao.

Bai Miao lifted her hand, looking at her wrist held by her sisters, and then at the Transit Pass gripped in her palm.

Bai Yu held her wrist, positioning her other hand so she could touch the Transit Pass.

[Do you wish to return?]

“Return.”

A moment after she spoke, the three were back on the boat. Because they had maintained the same posture as when they left, their return only caused the boat to sink slightly into the water, causing no major disturbance.

“Even with three people, we can go back and forth repeatedly,” Bai Yu said, her voice tinged with excitement. “In that case, we can gather more dry firewood. Each time we return, we only need to bring one small bundle, just enough to cook a single meal.”

“Then shall we go back over?” Bai Xi was equally filled with excitement and thrill.

The two looked at each other, then simultaneously turned their gaze toward Bai Miao.

Bai Miao gave a small sigh and raised her hand to press the button on the Transit Pass.

The scene before them shifted once more, and the three arrived back in the forest.

This time, Bai Yu and Bai Xi weren’t as worried as before. After standing up and confirming the surroundings were relatively safe, they began picking up dry wood nearby.

It seemed no one had visited this forest for a very long time. Many branches had fallen to the ground, and the top layer was entirely composed of dry sticks that could be used immediately upon being taken back.

Bai Yu and Bai Xi picked them up with great joy, and in a short while, they had gathered several piles.

Bai Miao followed close behind Bai Yu, helping to pick up branches.

“Eldest Sister, some of the branches underneath are damp. It must rain in this forest too,” Bai Xi said, cradling a small bundle of firewood. “We need to find a place where the rain can’t reach to store them.”

“Here will work,” Bai Yu found a massive tree, looking up to find the sky completely obscured. “The foliage of this tree is very lush, and the branches beneath it are all dry. If we clear it out, it’ll be perfect for storing our firewood. We don’t need to store it for long anyway; we only have 24 hours.”

Normally, storing firewood wouldn’t be this simple, but since their time here was limited to 24 hours, finding a temporary storage spot was much easier than building a shed.

Bai Xi carried her firewood over and helped Bai Yu clear the space beneath the tree. They found some leaves nearby to separate the wood into small stacks. This way, when they needed it later, they could just come over, grab a bundle, and leave. A round trip would only take a few breaths.

They didn’t gather too much. After spending less than an hour, they had several stacks piled under the lush tree.

Bai Miao held up a branch in her hand, standing on her tiptoes as she tried to place it onto one of the dry piles.

Bai Yu picked her up, let her set the branch down, and then placed her back on the ground. “That’s enough for now. Miao Miao, let’s go back.”

“Is it enough?” Bai Miao looked back.

“It’s enough. One small pile per meal will last us a long time,” Bai Yu said, scanning their surroundings. “I originally thought about looking for some wild vegetables, but none of us recognize them. I’ve heard many things in the forest are poisonous and can’t be eaten blindly.”

“We know the things in the water, but things in the forest are truly hard to identify,” Bai Xi added, looking equally lost. “When we go back to the shore later, let’s see if anyone is selling wild vegetables. We can follow along and learn to recognize them.”

“If we run into any, we’ll learn. If not, it doesn’t matter. Even if we just gather firewood, we’ll save a significant amount of money,” Bai Yu said contentedly. She crouched down, maintaining the posture from when they arrived. “Let’s head back.”

Bai Xi also crouched down. “Then let’s go back early to save some of the access time.”

Bai Yu and Bai Xi flanked Bai Miao, letting her press the Transit Pass.

As the command “Return” was spoken, the three returned once more to the boat floating on the water.

Going back and forth on the water every time wasn’t the best choice. After all, the boat was on the water, and any instability could cause it to capsize. However, this was their only option. Aside from the boat, they couldn’t find any other environment that could shield them from the eyes of others.

The boat rocked for a moment before quickly stabilizing.

Bai Yu and Bai Xi relaxed, sitting down heavily in the cabin. Then, the two sisters looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Bai Miao looked at her Eldest Sister on the left, then at her Second Sister on the right. She leaned forward to kneel between them and joined in the laughter.

“Miao Miao,” Bai Yu hugged her youngest sister, speaking in a low voice. “You can’t tell anyone about the Transit Pass either, okay?”

“Mm, can’t tell about the Transit Pass, and can’t tell about the Shell,” Bai Miao covered her mouth, her eyes wide as she looked at them, trying to speak through her hands. “Mmph-muff-muff?”

“Such a good girl,” Bai Yu held her as they lay down, staring up at the ceiling of the cabin. “I really didn’t expect us to have such good luck.”

“This is immense fortune. I bet even the people in the Imperial City don’t have such a good thing,” Bai Xi said as she lay down as well. “Eldest Sister, I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Bai Yu turned on her side to look at her, reaching out to grab her arm and giving it a hard pinch.

“Ow! Eldest Sister, what are you doing?”

“Letting you know if you’re dreaming or not,” Bai Yu laughed. “Well? Does it feel a bit more real now?”

Bai Xi rubbed her slightly aching arm. “It seems it really isn’t a dream. We’ve truly encountered a massive stroke of luck.”

“You pinch me too.” Bai Yu reached out her arm.

Bai Xi looked at her.

Bai Yu blinked. “I’m also a little worried it’s a dream.”

Bai Xi smiled and reached out, giving her arm a heavy pinch.

She knew that only the sting of pain could provide a sense of reality, preventing them from thinking that everything that had happened over the past few days was just a dream. She felt this way, and her sister felt the same.

Sure enough, while Bai Yu hissed in pain, a genuine smile spread across her face.

Just as Bai Xi was about to say something, she saw a small arm stretching back and forth right under her nose. Meeting her youngest sister’s gaze, she quickly pulled her hand back.

Bai Xi couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out to pull the girl into a hug, pressing her forehead against the little one’s. “Miao Miao doesn’t need to be pinched. It’s enough that Eldest Sister and Second Sister were pinched. This is all real. It’s wonderful, Miao Miao.”

Bai Miao stretched out her short arms, wrapped them around her sister’s neck, and said in a soft, thin voice, “Mm, that’s wonderful.”

The three of them lay in the cabin for a long while.

“I wonder what we’ll get tomorrow.”

“No matter what it is, it’ll be good.”

“That’s right. As long as we get something, our lives will definitely get better than they are now. Maybe after we save up enough money in the future, we can have our own place on shore.”

“That requires a lot of silver. Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle’s families are all saving up. Not only do you need money, but you also have to find a way to work through official government channels¹ before you can settle down.”

“If it were somewhere inland, it might be easier.”

“But if we go inland, we’d have to farm for a living. Forget about us, even Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle have long since forgotten how to farm.”

So, if they wanted to live on land, they still had to find a place near the water. That way, they could continue to make a living by fishing.

“Let’s take it slow. There will be a chance.”

“Mm.”

Their excitement gradually settled as the boat rocked steadily.

Even if they could get things through a daily check-in, the work that needed to be done still had to be done.

Bai Yu stood up first, intending to go into the water to check the fishing nets.

Bai Xi also got up to continue taking apart the old clothes.

By this time, Bai Miao had already fallen asleep.

Neither of them disturbed her, letting her sleep in the cabin while they went about their respective tasks.

By the time Bai Miao woke up again, the sky had already darkened. She heard the sound of fish splashing in the water and rolled over to crawl to the cabin entrance. Lifting the curtain, she saw the fish and shrimp in the holding area.

Bai Yu was standing nearby, wringing out a wet garment.

“You’re awake?”

“Mm,” Bai Miao rested her head on the threshold, watching the fish jumping energetically in the water. She began to mumble and imitate the sounds, “Plop… thud… splash…”

Bai Yu let her play by herself, only cautioning her, “Don’t reach out and touch them. If they die from being handled, we won’t get a good price for them.”

“Oh,” Bai Miao responded, continuing to vocalize the sounds of the fish.

On the other side, Bai Xi heard that Bai Miao was awake. She stepped onto the boat and entered the cabin, coaxing the little girl to stand up. Taking her hand, they entered the plane. When they came back out, Bai Xi was holding a small bundle of dry firewood.

Bai Yu had been watching their surroundings. Hearing the sound of a heavy object landing on the boat, she kept her eyes on the cabin until Bai Xi lifted the curtain to show her the dry wood in her hands.

Both of them grinned widely.

“I’ll go cook.”

“Mm, looks like we can have a thoroughly cooked meal today.”

Firewood and charcoal on the boat were limited. They only went to shore once every few days, so they had to be frugal with every meal. Although the rice they usually steamed was edible, it was rarely fully cooked through.

Today, with ready-made dry wood for the fire, the three of them ate a warm, thoroughly cooked meal.

Life on the water was flat and tedious, but for them, the future was full of happy uncertainties. This point was proven once again during the next morning’s check-in.

“What kind of card is this?”

Bai Yu and Bai Xi both looked at Bai Miao, waiting for her to speak.

Bai Miao held the card with both hands between the two of them and repeated seriously, “Check-in successful. Obtained 1 Hull Upgrade Card.”

“How do we upgrade the hull?”

“What will it look like after the upgrade?”

These questions were destined to go unanswered. Bai Miao, who held the card, did not know, and neither did Bai Yu or Bai Xi.

But after getting the plane Card yesterday, the two of them had great trust in the items obtained from the check-in. Since it existed, it could certainly be used, and it would likely be even more practical than they imagined.

Deciding to use it, Bai Yu immediately picked up Bai Miao and carried her off the boat.

Bai Xi followed closely behind, also leaving the boat to stand on the shore.

Then, the three of them crouched together by the boat, watching as Bai Miao placed the upgrade card onto the vessel.

(Do you wish to upgrade?)

“Upgrade.”

(Upgrading in progress…)

The moment the voice sounded, the parts of the hull below the waterline and those above were all covered in a thick mist.

The three of them were captivated by this marvelous sight, crouching there without daring to move an inch.

After an unknown amount of time, the thick mist dispersed, revealing a hull that seemed no different from before.

(Upgrade successful.)

It looked the same, but for Bai Yu and Bai Xi, who dealt with this boat every day, they could see the difference at a glance.

“It’s different.”

“It changed!”

“Can we save a fortune on hull repairs in the future?”

“It seems so!”

Bai Miao cupped her face in her hands. “Wow!”

Translator’s Notes