Chapter 22: Too Cold

People are often bullies who fear the strong and pick on the weak. The landlord had arrived with a group of people, looking aggressive and fully prepared to settle accounts with Mo Qianxun. However, the moment he stepped inside and saw that she had more people with her—none of whom looked like ordinary individuals—his bravado instantly vanished by half.

During the final settlement, the landlord initially tried to withhold some of the deposit, but the moment Mo Qianxun mentioned going to the police station, he turned soft. He hurriedly transferred the deposit back to her and urged her to move out as quickly as possible.

She had only lived there for two months and did not have many belongings—just a few clothes, some toiletries, and a few small household appliances. The vehicle they had brought was more than enough to fit everything with room to spare.

Back at the base, Mo Qianxun was immediately dragged off to training by Chen Min and Lu Tao. After such a long period of training, she felt her physical fitness had improved significantly. She could now trade a few blows with them instead of just being a punching bag, though she still ended up getting beaten in the end.

During a break, the three sat on the training ground. Chen Min handed Mo Qianxun a bottle of water and asked, "Did you see your biological parents? How are they?"

"I only caught a glimpse from afar, but they seem like good people. Mrs. An looks like a very gentle wife, and Mr. An is a very considerate husband."

Lu Tao looked at Mo Qianxun with a puzzled expression. "So, you’re still not planning to acknowledge them?"

"Let's see how they handle An Xin first." Although Uncle Zhao had said they didn't intend to cover for An Xin, she had been their daughter for so long; it was impossible for them to have no feelings at all.

"That’s fair. It saves you from a lot of heartache later. Come on, tell me about the magic world!" Lu Tao adjusted his position, looking at Mo Qianxun like an eager student.

Mo Qianxun looked at Chen Min. "You didn't tell him?"

"I couldn't explain it as vividly as you do!"

"Fine!" Mo Qianxun recounted the experience once more. Lu Tao and Chen Min listened with rapt attention.

"Even though we didn't see it with our own eyes, just hearing you describe it makes that world sound fascinating," Lu Tao said, his face full of longing.

"Actually, I think you could stay in that world for a while after finishing a delivery, maybe buy some local specialties."

"I’ve thought about that, but today was just too sudden. I didn't want you all to worry."

Just as the three were chatting, 008, which had been silent, suddenly popped out in excitement: [Host, Host! I’ve upgraded! I am now a Level 2 system.]

"So suddenly?"

[It’s not sudden. I earned a lot of energy from that order in Qingqiu. It not only replenished the energy I had exhausted but also allowed me to upgrade to Level 2 with some to spare. I really hope there are more big orders like that!]

The others exchanged glances. A Level 2 system—they hadn't expected the upgrade to be so easy.

"So, now that you're Level 2, have you unlocked any new functions?"

[Of course. In addition to the errand-running function you’ve already experienced, I’ve added four more customer slots, which means we now have five customers in total.]

"Do you know who these five customers are?" Mo Qianxun glanced at Lu Tao, who had already pulled out a small notebook and pen.

[Not yet. Aside from Hu Mei'er in Qingqiu, I plan to open two slots in Qingqiu, and the remaining two will be for the magic world you visited today.]

"No other worlds?"

[My level isn't high enough. One world per level. The magic world was opened early by the company because they were worried there wouldn't be any orders today. To unlock the next world, I need to reach Level 3. The current upgrade progress bar is at 10/100.]

Mo Qianxun nodded. Fine, two worlds it is.

"Can we decide who gets these slots?" Zhao Jianguo, who had received the news, walked over with Luo Qing. If they could choose the customers, they could maximize their benefits.

[I’m sorry, that’s not possible. The slots gained from leveling up are chosen randomly. However, the host can obtain slots through other means, such as lucky draws or extra rewards dropped after perfectly completing a task.]

Luo Qing nodded. "That’s reasonable."

"Then what are your criteria for selecting customers?"

[It’s completely random.]

"Fine, then."

Lu Tao handed his notebook to Zhao Jianguo, who looked over the contents and expressed his satisfaction. "Well done."

[Host, get up quickly! You have a new delivery mission. It’s John Lin from that same magic world.]

"Uh... wait, wait! I haven't put on my winter coat, and I don't have my sled!" Mo Qianxun scrambled to her feet in a panic.

[Host, there’s no time!]

The moment 008 finished speaking, a black hole appeared beneath Mo Qianxun’s feet. Just as she reached out toward Zhao Jianguo, she fell straight through.

"Oh, f*ck!"

Chen Min and the others instinctively tried to grab her, but they were a step too slow.

"Uh... did Qianxun just curse?" Chen Min stared, wide-eyed, at the ground which had already returned to normal.

The group was silent. If it were them, they probably would have used much worse language.

"When we traded with Qingqiu last time, we got a Qiankun pouch. Let’s pack her winter coat and sled into it, along with some supplies. From now on, she can use that pouch," Zhao Jianguo said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. If she kept traveling so suddenly, something was bound to go wrong eventually.

Luo Qing and the others nodded. It was true; besides, with more storage space, she would be able to buy more.

***

Magic World

Mo Qianxun looked at the familiar forest and fell silent. "System, where is the merchant this time? Please don't tell me they're in that town. I don't have my sled; if I have to walk there, I'm done for." Mo Qianxun hugged herself, shivering. It was freezing—far too cold.

[Don't worry, Host. This time John Lin placed the order as a seller. Let’s go inside and find him first.]

"Oh, do you have any thick clothes? I'm absolutely freezing!"

[...I'm sorry, Host, I really don't have any thick clothes here.] 008 looked at Mo Qianxun with a sense of guilt. Maybe it should find time to go back to the company and ask the Main System to add some buffer?

"Ha... ha... hurry up and lead the way. We should finish this task and leave this world as soon as possible."

[You got it, Host!]

After running for about ten minutes, Mo Qianxun saw John Lin sitting by a campfire.

"Hi, Mr. John, we meet again." Mo Qianxun’s pale, frozen face forced a stiff smile.

"Hisss... Miss Mo, come quickly to the fire and warm up! Where is your winter coat? It’s so cold out, how could you be wearing so little? What if you get frostbite?" John Lin pulled Mo Qianxun toward the campfire.