Chapter 8: Activation in Progress

At the edge of the woods, Mo Qianxun and General Zhao walked ahead.

“Placing the interdimensional entrance here—it’s bound to be discovered sooner or later,” General Zhao observed the surroundings. The spot was close to the highway, with dense trees and thick foliage that blocked out the sky—a perfect place for a picnic.

Mo Qianxun nodded; she had initially thought the same.

About five meters from the entrance, General Zhao noticed an invisible wall blocking their path, while Mo Qianxun passed through effortlessly.

At that moment, Hu Meier appeared, this time accompanied by only an old man; her previous companions were absent.

“Sister Meier, your takeaway!” Mo Qianxun handed over the bag of food.

Hu Meier smiled as she accepted it and introduced, “Qianxun, this is the Sixth Elder of Qingqiu. He’s here to make a little deal with you.”

Mo Qianxun glanced at the elderly man dressed in brown beside Hu Meier and nodded politely. “Hello!”

“Young lady, the old fox wants to strike a deal. If you can supply us with a certain number of roast chickens regularly, we’ll reward you handsomely!” The Sixth Elder stroked his chin, eyes gleaming with sly confidence as he looked at Mo Qianxun.

After a brief silence, Mo Qianxun turned toward General Zhao’s group and pointed in their direction. “Sixth Elder, that’s our country’s general. He’s here representing the state alongside me. If you have a large transaction in mind, it would be better to discuss it with him.”

Hu Meier and the Sixth Elder looked over, and admiration shone on the Elder’s face. “These people are righteous, radiating a golden aura of virtue. Especially the man in front—though his hands bear blood, his aura surpasses all others combined. It seems he has done many good deeds and saved many lives.”

Mo Qianxun glanced at General Zhao and thought to herself that she could only perceive his righteousness; wherever he stood, a strong sense of security followed.

“Since he can’t come over, please pass along our request,” the Sixth Elder smiled warmly. “Could you sell us a hundred roast chickens first? We’re willing to pay with two bottles of Rejuvenation Pills, ten stalks of Nine Nether Grass, and ten mid-grade spirit stones.”

Mo Qianxun hesitated briefly. “Alright, I will definitely relay your message.”

The Sixth Elder nodded with satisfaction.

After Hu Meier and the Sixth Elder left, Mo Qianxun informed General Zhao of the proposal.

General Zhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “No wonder they call foxes cunning!”

Back at the military camp, General Zhao explained, “Considering the six stalks of Nine Nether Grass, Hu Meier has always given you one so easily, which means it’s not that precious in Qingqiu. Conversely, since they’ve directly placed an order for a hundred roast chickens here, it suggests our roast chickens are valuable to them.”

Mo Qianxun nodded. “Indeed, Sister Meier told me that after eating our roast chicken, her cultivation bottleneck shifted. In other words, our roast chicken can enhance their cultivation.”

General Zhao smiled. “Exactly. So, do you think we can accept their terms?”

“No, it’s clearly a loss for us!” Mo Qianxun quickly shook her head.

“In that case, they’ll definitely place orders again tomorrow. Here’s my phone number. When they mention this again, call me, and I’ll handle the negotiations,” General Zhao wrote his number on a piece of paper.

Mo Qianxun quickly saved it on her phone and then noticed the Takeout App flicker briefly.

Curious, she tapped it and opened the system’s virtual avatar, seeing the little digital figure lying asleep beneath a progress bar that read: Activating...

“You were right—the system is activating, now at 70%!” Mo Qianxun excitedly showed the screen to General Zhao.

General Zhao’s eyes lit up at once. “Excellent!”

The two stared intently at the virtual figure.

When the progress bar reached 100%, their eyes sparkled with excitement, almost overflowing.

Takeout System 008 had finally gathered enough energy to restore its consciousness and, upon opening its eyes, saw two enlarged faces staring down.

It shut its eyes immediately.

Just an illusion, it must be an illusion!

Seeing the avatar’s reaction, Mo Qianxun and General Zhao realized they might have scared it and awkwardly cleared their throats, stepping back slightly.

Carefully, 008 opened its eyes again; the enlarged faces were gone—good.

It stood up and gave Mo Qianxun a thumbs-up.

[Host, I can finally communicate with you properly!]

Looking at the virtual figure on her phone, Mo Qianxun suddenly found it adorable—the avatar was a chibi-style ancient nobleman, utterly cute.

“You’re doing well. I still don’t know your name!” she said.

008 clenched a fist and cleared its throat. [Allow me to introduce myself. I am Takeout System 008, created by the Multiverse Corporation. Our mission is to ensure every order is delivered on time and intact. Our motto: Mission Accomplished!]

Mo Qianxun was instantly charmed by the little fellow’s antics.

[Wait, that’s odd. According to the system, the host should be an orphan. Then who’s this handsome uncle?] 008 looked at General Zhao with a puzzled expression.

General Zhao chuckled dryly, amused by the little system’s curiosity.

“008, don’t get upset. I’ve already handed you over to the state,” Mo Qianxun said guiltily, since she hadn’t consulted 008 beforehand.

Unexpectedly, 008 didn’t mind at all.

[Oh, handed over? That’s no problem. This situation was anticipated! Our company has released other types of multiverse systems before, and many hosts, like you, chose to submit themselves to the authorities. The results turned out quite well.]

“You have other systems?” Mo Qianxun asked.

[Yes, our company has created various multiverse trading systems and randomly deployed them throughout the universe.]

“Impressive!”

General Zhao’s expression grew serious. “So, does that mean there could be other systems in our world?”

008 shook its head. [No, systems communicate through signals. For example, once I bind to a host, I emit a special signal marking this world. Other systems detect this and avoid entering.]

Mo Qianxun’s eyes lit up instantly. “Isn’t that like a dog peeing to mark its territory?”

008: …Why does my sophisticated marking method sound so awkward coming from you?