Chapter 134: Chapter 134: People Will Eventually Head East
[Don’t bother looking, it’s impossible to break a contract with a Magic Beast. It can only regain its freedom if you die.] The system advised her to abandon thoughts of dissolving the contract, [and at that time... there was only this Mo Ya Beast by your side, and the possibility of acquiring a speed skill was the highest.]
"Speed..."
Qian Qi fell silent for a moment, speed was good...
[Moreover, the instance boss was a turtle, so you directly acquired D-level defensive power! Now, you have speed, defense, and strength all at once!]
[You will be invincible in D-level instances!]
After the system spoke, it waved two white cheering sticks on the panel excitedly and said: [Are you happy?]
Qian Qi shook her head.
"You said I killed the turtle boss, where’s the extra reward? Did you pocket it yourself?" Qian Qi looked at the system suspiciously.
System: ???
What nonsense are you spouting?
Am I that kind of system!
[I don’t have hands and can’t help you pick it up.] The system didn’t take the accusation lying down, [So I buried it in a pit.]
It smiled slightly: [You have to go to the Yanjiao Dungeon yourself to dig it out~＾＿＾]
Qian Qi: ...
Just tricking me into going to the D-level instance.
Qian Qi lay back, resting her head on her arms, her eyes lost as she gazed at the ceiling above.
Actually, she wanted to enter the Yanjiao Dungeon for a look. The system seemed reluctant to talk about what happened while she had no "memories," maybe if she went herself, she could recall something?
"Since I have to go, let’s go now."
Qian Qi suddenly said.
[Now?] The system glanced at the time outside; it’s already 10 pm, entering an instance at this hour?
"I can’t sleep anyway."
Rather than being unable to sleep, every time she closed her eyes, she would relive the situation of that day, her dreams filled with bloody chaos, waking her up each time drenched in cold sweat.
"Let’s go back to the orphanage first."
Qian Qi got up, changed out of her hospital gown into her sleeveless T-shirt and shorts, and quietly left the ward.
...
At this time, the children in the orphanage were long asleep. Qian Qi flipped over the outer wall silently, her feet lightly landing on the grass.
Qian Ba caught Qian Qi’s scent, immediately emerging from the wolf den and barking twice at her. Qian Qi quickly raised her index finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture, "Shush, don’t bark."
Qian Ba tilted his wolf head, fell silent, unable to run over to Qian Qi due to being chained, he could only anxiously wag his silver-white tail, looking at Qian Qi urgently.
Qian Qi walked over, unlocked the chain around Qian Ba’s neck, patted him calmingly before leading him to the backyard.
Passing by the director’s office, she found a faint light inside, Qian Qi tiptoed closer and saw Xiang Wen Yun staring blankly at the photo frame in her hand.
In her other hand, the delicate doll Qian Qi once gifted to Ah Min was halfway sewn, its bloodstained head drooping, seemingly ready to fall at any moment.
Qian Qi averted her gaze, a hint of discomfort flashing through her eyes.
She turned silently towards the instance in the backyard, moved aside the large stone, and directly entered the instance.
Having not entered the instance for several days, whether magic plants or farm crops, her garden had wilted significantly. Qian Qi dragged in fertilizer and began treatment, while Qian Ba sprinted off to the cabin, searching for his mom.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Qian Ba entered the house, he let out a howl, the sound so loud that Qian Qi clearly heard the anger within.
She promptly dropped the fertilizer and rushed into the cabin, finding Qian Ba anxiously circling Silver, who was licking his own wounds.
"You’re injured?" Qian Qi exclaimed in shock, rushing over to find Silver’s injuries not fatal, though the external wounds appeared rather alarming.
The wolf pups also had some minor scratches, lying in Silver’s embrace while dozing off, evidently too exhausted to be disturbed by Qian Ba’s howls.
It must have been an attack by Magic Beasts from the Black Forest during a hunt, Qian Qi quickly rummaged through the box for Blood Stopping Magic Potions, and sprinkled them on Silver’s wounds.
"In the future, take some yourself if you’re wounded." Qian Qi frowned, "I can’t help you while I’m not here, so you’ll have to rely on yourself..."
She generously applied Hemostatic Medicine to Silver’s jaw wound, which looked quite narrow, but thankfully hadn’t damaged the bone or artery, preventing Silver from dying from blood loss or decapitation.
As Qian Qi applied ointment, she suddenly couldn’t help but cry.
She seemed to be stifling, biting her lips to keep silent, but as she struggled to breathe, her nose occasionally let out soft sobs, and after realizing she was crying audibly, she slightly parted her lips, trembling to suppress the sobbing.
Only the tears of regret swirled in her red eyes, and finally, unable to bear the weight, they silently slid down her cheeks, falling to the ground.
Silver lowered its azure eyes, gently resting its chin on her head, wrapping her entire being in its thick, warm fur.
Qian Qi finally burst into tears.
...
After crying, Qian Qi was left with two swollen, red eyes.
She dragged fertilizer to heal each wilting magic plant in the field, then grabbed Li Haisheng’s D-level telescopic long blade, defeated the Demon Electric Lion boss, and left the instance.
At this hour, nearby buses had stopped running. Qian Qi dragged out the commonly used children’s scooter from the backyard and skated towards the Yanjiao Dungeon.
Yanjiao Primary School had ceased operations and closed down; with a nearby D-level instance, it certainly couldn’t continue running. Otherwise, whether Awakeners dragging out Magic Beasts daily or entering and exiting with blood-stained clothes, it wouldn’t be beneficial for children’s growth.
However, the surrounding land prices had soared, with the D-level instance’s area escalating much more than the E-level instance. Just the vast area of the Bright Orphanage could increase several thousands of times in value.
Fortunately, Xiang Wen Yun had renewed the contract, and with a contract in place, no one could retrieve this land during the contract period.
When Qian Qi reached the Yanjiao Dungeon, she found that the east and west sides of Yanjiao Primary School seemed like two different worlds.
On the east side, lights were ablaze with various stalls popping up like mushrooms after rain, the bustling calls never-ending, Awakeners coming and going discussing what to do upon entering the instance, their faces brimming with smiles and anticipation.
On the west side, rows of white candles were set on the ground, their flames flickering gently in the wind, seemingly ready to extinguish at any moment. Flowers and note-covered stickers stacked at Yanjiao Primary School’s gate, some family members lingering there, filled with grief, unwilling to leave.
Passing pedestrians would stop, standing with hands clasped in prayer towards that direction, comforting the souls mercilessly killed in the Magic Beast Tide.
Qian Qi gazed at the west for a while, then turned and walked towards the east.