Chapter 23
Author's Note: I made a slight modification — the country now corresponds to Spain, and I changed the original reference from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. No big deal.
More than one person was stunned.
[Strawberry Pudding: Aaahhhh!!!]
[I Won't Change My Name Until I Reach Elf Language Level Four: Aaahhhh! The country should ban such an adorable Cub!!!]
[autydf: “Ahh, bite me! Come on, bite me!]
[Yeah, Yeah Astor: “Lemons aren’t sour QAQ]
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Because Wen Xingze was the host, he had chosen the restaurant.
It was a distinctive local eatery that looked like a loft pub. With over a century of history, it had undergone several renovations. On the photo wall, there hung a snapshot of the owner from the 1960s posing with Elvis Presley.
In the evening, the restaurant was bathed in cozy light. Each booth had a small stained glass lamp. A singer sat in the center, cradling a ukulele, singing an unfamiliar Spanish folk song.
The locals loved music and flowers.
If you were to ask Wen Xingze who he enjoyed dining with the most, despite feeling apologetic to his Blood Clan family, it was undoubtedly Chi Yan.
Chi Yan wasn’t much of a talker, but being around him didn’t lead to boredom. Wen Xingze suspected that Chi Yan might have a little nephew or niece; otherwise, why would he be so attentive at the table?
This restaurant specialized in authentic Spanish cuisine, a hit among the locals. They excelled at using novel and daring ingredients like citrus, lemons, pomegranates, and almonds.
Perhaps due to an upgrade in his vampire filter, Wen Xingze was shocked to find that he now preferred his steak cooked rare. Everyone knew that a rare steak was practically raw except for the seared surface, sometimes even with streaks of blood.
The restaurant’s steak was decent, and Wen Xingze enjoyed it. However, he worried that if this trend continued, would his level 3 or even level 4 vampire filter develop into a desire to bite people?
But the Blood Clan parents didn’t bite humans. Wen Xingze remembered clearly that they consumed blood from farmed animals, rigorously following health-conscious practices and pasteurization.
Apart from that, Wen Xingze had a fondness for a particular snack: golden-brown, breaded pork tenderloin and ham dipped in egg, topped with cheese and mashed potatoes, tomatoes, and vegetables. It came with a side of creamy cold soup, sherry vinegar, and a semi-soft-boiled egg—smooth, rich, and fresh.
“You can’t find anything this delicious elsewhere,” Wen Xingze truly loved food. However, as an idol, he had to restrain his appetite. Plus, his past poverty made him appreciate every tasty morsel even more. “So delicious, it makes life worthwhile.”
Chi Yan helped Wen Xingze cut the pie on the baking tray. “Have the secretary buy the restaurant.”
Wen Xingze thought Chi Yan was joking. “Hahaha, you’re quite humorous.”
Chi Yan: “…”
Life in this country was indeed leisurely. The scenery was beautiful, and the food was delightful. Wen Xingze was reminded that he still hadn’t found a suitable place to rent.
Chi Yan handed Wen Xingze a slice of pie, glanced at him, and said, “My place is a duplex. It can accommodate two people.”
Wen Xingze: “?”
“It’s a total area of six hundred square meters, right in the city center, convenient transportation, and it comes with a garage,” Chi Yan considered for a moment, then added, “There’s also a rooftop garden and a swimming pool. The housekeepers and chefs don’t live on-site.”
“I also have other properties too, including flats and villas.”
Wen Xingze wondered if Chi Yan was intentionally provoking him.
Wen Xingze didn’t know how to respond. After a moment, he sincerely said, “I will work hard in my acting career. I hope that after twenty years of effort, I can reach your level.”
Chi Yan: “…………”
Chi Yan appeared somewhat frustrated. He didn’t say anything further and expressionlessly picked up his fruit wine.
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After dinner, the two of them strolled along the streets after nightfall. Initially, a Rolls Royce Phantom followed them, which puzzled Wen Xingze. He casually mentioned it to Chi Yan, who sent a quick text message. The Rolls Royce turned at the next intersection.
Wen Xingze: “…” So it was Chi Yan’s car — a frustratingly wealthy person.
Wen Xingze suggested, “If you have something to attend to, perhaps we should head back today and plan another meeting?”
Chi Yan furrowed his brow, revealing an unwilling expression. For him, this emotional display was already quite rare.
However, Wen Xingze didn’t notice because his attention was entirely captured by a doll in a shop window. Initially walking in a straight line, he suddenly changed direction.
“——I want this,” Wen Xingze leaned against the glass display, eyes wide with excitement, and swallowed nervously. “It’s a limited-edition SpongeBob SquarePants plush toy, officially out of production…”
Wen Xingze adored SpongeBob SquarePants.
As he reached for his wallet, he opened it and realized that after paying for dinner, he didn’t have enough money. To curb his impulsive spending and prevent his family from overspending, Wen Xingze had set a budget plan for himself and his parents — everyone would save money, ensuring that his parents wouldn’t feel he was distancing himself from them.
After all, during their craziest spending spree, Wen Xingze dared not even window-shop. If he lingered too long near a display, the entire store would be bought out in the next moment.
Moreover, tonight was special. It was the monthly system maintenance for Cub Raising Program, and after 6 p.m., the live broadcast system would be offline. Even the Dragon Clan parents couldn’t use WeChat.
So, most likely, his parents weren’t watching the live stream now.
Chi Yan opened his wallet, pulled out a black card, and was about to call his secretary to handle the acquisition of the shop when he suddenly heard Wen Xingze say:
“…If I’m really out of money, I’ll have to find a job.”
Having experienced poverty for a long time, Wen Xingze didn’t panic when faced with financial difficulties. He was the type who could work or perform anywhere to earn money.
Work?
Working together meant they could spend the whole night in each other’s company.
Chi Yan’s hand paused.
Before Wen Xingze could react, Chi Yan swiftly put away the black card.
“Teacher Chi, could you lend me some money? I’ll pay you back once we’re home,” Wen Xingze requested.
Chi Yan coughed lightly into his fist, feigning nonchalance. “I’m also broke.”
Wen Xingze eyed him suspiciously.
The contradiction lay in the fact that although Chi Yan was a skilled actor, he was genuinely, truly, and extremely terrible at lying. His guilt was practically written on his face.
Wen Xingze glanced at the wallet in Chi Yan’s hand. “But in your wallet—”
In truth, if Chi Yan had straightforwardly declined to lend him money, Wen Xingze wouldn’t have said anything. However, Chi Yan’s playful behavior amused him, and he couldn’t resist playfully pretending to snatch the wallet.
Suddenly, Chi Yan pulled Wen Xingze into an embrace.
Wen Xingze: “…”
Then Chi Yan reached over, leveraging his height advantage to reach across Wen Xingze’s shoulder. He tossed the wallet containing the black card and the phone into the trash bin behind him.
Whoosh—
The wallet and phone followed a graceful parabolic trajectory, landing neatly in the bin—a perfect three-pointer.
Coincidentally, at that moment, the garbage truck hummed its way over. Its automated claws lifted the trash bin, emptied it, and then drove away.
Wen Xingze: “…………”
Wait, what???
“Nothing now,” Chi Yan said matter-of-factly.
Wen Xingze was utterly shocked.
This was genuine, no-money-left territory. Not only was he broke, but he’d also discarded his means of communication, his phone…
“Do you really want to work?” Wen Xingze murmured.
Chi Yan didn’t hesitate: “Yes.”
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Half an hour later.
In the bustling streets of Spain, two enormous mascots distributed flyers.
Considering Chi Yan’s fame, they had to take these faceless gigs.
And since Wen Xingze held a tourist visa, he couldn’t work unofficially. However, this type of short-term gig, where no contracts were signed and payment was hourly, was permissible as long as they weren’t caught.
Wen Xingze no longer expected to earn much money. He was purely sacrificing himself to accompany Chi Yan. It seemed Chi Yan genuinely wanted to experience an ordinary person’s life.
Wen Xingze was Pikachu, and Chi Yan was Rilakkuma.
“Pika pika! Eighty percent off at the burger joint!” Pikachu, just as lively as its appearance, held a small megaphone and blared out the ad, “Newly opened burger place!”
Rilakkuma, on the other hand, remained silent. Sporting an adorable, disgruntled bear face, its movements were a bit clumsy. Rilakkuma clutched a bunch of free cartoon balloons, trailing closely behind Pikachu.
Despite this, the cute mascots drew the attention of children all over the street. Pikachu excelled at interacting with kids, even getting hugs and posing for photos.
Rilakkuma was surrounded by a group of children too. It looked utterly helpless, and Wen Xingze suspected Chi Yan had never been swarmed by so many kids before.
Rilakkuma glanced at Wen Xingze, seeking help.
Finally, Pikachu patted Rilakkuma’s head, leaned in, and posed for photos with the children.
—Too bad they couldn’t use their phones while working. Wen Xingze really wanted to record Chi Yan in the mascot costume; he was just too adorable, hahaha.
And they were having fun.
Wearing the mascot outfits felt like becoming someone else. The sea breeze was slightly salty, and the world felt both close and distant. Even Chi Yan seemed like a familiar yet unknown stranger, unexpectedly revealing a vulnerability Wen Xingze had never seen before.
The costumes were a bit warm, and after just an hour and a half of work, they needed to change. Their combined wages could buy half a SpongeBob SquarePants plush toy… Wen Xingze decided to give up—for now.
But it might get snatched up tomorrow; after all, SpongeBob SquarePants fans could circle the Earth thirty times. Wen Xingze was supremely confident in SpongeBob’s popularity.
He went to change clothes first. Emerging with a Pikachu headpiece, he noticed that Chi Yan hadn’t changed yet. Rilakkuma stood at the neighboring shop’s cash register, clutching the rare SpongeBob SquarePants plush toy, and looked at the store owner.
The shop was privately owned, and a poster of Chi Yan from his movie “Late Spring” adorned the wall.
“Could you make it cheaper?” Rilakkuma said gloomily.
The shop owner scratched his head. “Customer, this is already the lowest price.”
Rilakkuma remained rooted in place, persistently repeating, “Please make it cheaper.”
The shop owner sighed, tapping out a number on the calculator: “I can lower it by this much.”
Wen Xingze: “…”
At that moment, Rilakkuma seemed nearsighted. He leaned over the calculator, scrutinizing it for quite some time. Then, he bowed deeply to the shop owner. “Please, can you make it even cheaper?”
Shop Owner: “…”
Wen Xingze: “…”
The shop owner, clearly flustered by Rilakkuma’s haggling, sighed, “It’s already quite cheap.”
Relaxed Bear hung his head, looking utterly dejected but unwilling to give up. After a pause, he handed three balloons to the shop owner. “Please.”
“The lowest we can go is this price,” the shop owner stated, mentioning a figure. “This is our cost price.”
Wen Xingze listened carefully and realized that the amount was just slightly more than what they had. It was embarrassingly close.
Wen Xingze had already decided to step outside and call off this bargaining session. But just then, Rilakkuma seemed to make a solemn decision.
He slowly extended his hand and removed the mascot headpiece.
The man’s expression remained calm, and the light cast shadows on his brows and eyes, giving him a deep, enigmatic look recognizable to any film fan. Chi Yan must have been feeling the heat too; sweat dotted his nose, and his forehead glistened.
He only took off the headpiece, still wearing the plump bear mascot suit. In a soft voice, he said, “Could you make it a bit cheaper?”
Wen Xingze: “…”
Shop Owner: “…”
The shop owner’s gaze turned bewildered, as if he were in a dream. He looked at Chi Yan, then at the movie poster on the wall. After about ten seconds:
Shop Owner: “!!!”
“Please give me an autograph, and you can take the SpongeBob SquarePants plush directly,” the shop owner sobbed with joy, covering his mouth. “And do you want a Squidward too?”
Chi Yan replied, “Thank you.”
With that, he put on the headpiece and miraculously signed the autograph while still in the mascot suit. In the end, he left the money behind and only carried away the SpongeBob SquarePants plush.
However, Chi Yan’s luck was truly fickle tonight.
As he stepped out of the store, he encountered a little boy who stared fixedly at the plush in Relaxed Bear’s arms. The boy turned to his parent and said in Spanish, “I want this yellow toy.”
Though Wen Xingze didn’t understand the language, he deduced the boy’s meaning from his expression and gestures.
Rilakkuma hesitated, then slowly moved the plush behind him and shook his head.
Little Boy: “…”
The little boy pouted. “I want this yellow toy!”
The parent looked apologetically at Rilakkuma. “Could you—”
Rilakkuma handed a SpongeBob SquarePants balloon to the little boy, who swatted it away and burst into tears. “I just want the plushie!”
Rilakkuma looked utterly lost.
Wen Xingze, clutching the balloon flying toward him, felt annoyed with the bratty kid. He casually placed the Pikachu headpiece aside, walked over to Rilakkuma, and cradled the SpongeBob SquarePants plush in his arms. In English, he addressed the little boy:
“This toy is mine.”
The child, probably not used to such shameless adults, stopped crying. He seemed a bit startled and, as a compromise, looked at the Squidward balloon. “What about the balloon?”
Wen Xingze held the balloon firmly. “This balloon is also mine.”
The child stared blankly at Rilakkuma.
Wen Xingze: “And this Rilakkuma is mine too!”
Wen Xingze: “…”
With that, he stormed off, dragging Chi Yan by one hand and clutching the balloon with the SpongeBob SquarePants plush toy in the other. He resembled a victorious Roman gladiator, returning triumphantly from the arena.
Little Boy: “…”
Little Boy: “Waaah—”
Ding! Blood Clan parents who completed the PK task to spend 72 hours alone with the little one on the summer island will activate the experience starting tomorrow at 9 a.m. During this period, the live broadcast system will be offline, and any private communication with the little one will be disabled!
Within three days, the duration of the Blood Clan’s mailed item, the ‘Soul Casket,’ will increase to twelve hours per day. Each additional soul added will reduce the duration by half an hour.
This time, the lottery ticket also grants an extra 'Immersive Learning Mode Card (24h1),’ and the singing skill tree has been unlocked!"
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Lancer Star, Shallow Sea.
The short-sighted invaders had already fled, and the Merfolk didn’t bother pursuing them. They had more important matters to attend to.
…Watching the Cub.
Every simple movement or action by the Cub fascinated them, keeping their attention for a long time.
However, the Merfolk were sorely disappointed when, just as they felt time had barely passed, the screen went black. No matter how much they clicked, they only received the message: “System under maintenance~.”
And it got worse.
According to the system, they wouldn’t see the Cub tomorrow morning or for the next three days because the Blood Clan had won the PK task.
Like all non-Blood Clan citizens, the Merfolk felt an anxious burning sensation.
Unfortunately, the Light Tower had bolstered its security system. They couldn’t threaten the energy source like the dragons, nor did they possess the leverage the Blood Clan had discovered long ago.
The Clan Chief, Zhi Xia, who only stayed on the main star for a very brief period each year, happened to be here now. The High Priest, Wu Zhu, carried a lantern and followed the dedicated path upward. (Note: This is the same Xia mentioned in the previous chapters. I think this is the first time the author's mentioning her surname, unless I missed something. Sorry for the confusion!)
Zhi Xia was an odd mermaid; she preferred the sky over the ocean.
And so did Wu Zhu.
Perhaps it was because they had encountered the Emperor when they were very young. The Emperor had rescued them from an auction house, and they had spent four months living aboard his starship. Their first impression of “happiness” was the sky.
Zhi Xia’s residence on Lancer Star was a boundless floating pool in the sky. When she looked up, she could see the stars.
Wu Zhu: “Clan Chief.” Wu Zhu set down the lantern by the pool’s edge, noticing the shark-like mermaid’s smoke-blue tail fin. “What are your thoughts?”
“Wu Zhu.”
Zhi Xia surfaced from the pool’s depths, surprisingly not as furious as Wu Zhu had imagined. It was quite rare for her.
Wu Zhu: “It seems you’ve already come up with an idea.”
Zhi Xia: “Not me, the Elders.”
Hearing the term “Elders,” Wu Zhu felt a bit surprised but didn’t show it on his face. Zhi Xia gestured for him to follow her. The dolphin attendants were already waiting by the exclusive passage, their cheerful voices echoing.
Descending to the deep-sea Atlantis from the exclusive passage took only two hours. Soon, they arrived at the temple.
Even Wu Zhu, as a High Priest, had never entered this temple because only the Elders held the temple’s key.
The three Merfolk Elders were known for their old-fashioned temperaments. Wu Zhu had only glimpsed them a few times and couldn’t say much about them.
One of the Elders was already waiting at the temple entrance.
Although an Elder, he looked no different in age from Wu Zhu and Zhi Xia. With a light blue fish tail and pupils, long black hair, and a veil of jellyfish silk covering his face, he wore a string of fresh red pearls around his pale neck.
He was surrounded by many attendants and fish, with lantern fish leading the way, riding atop a whale.
“Didn’t the Elders dislike the Emperor?” Wu Zhu whispered to Zhi Xia. While it wasn’t so much that they disliked the Emperor, the Elders seemed to detest all outsiders. Long ago, the Merfolk were like the Blood Clan, a reclusive race that avoided the world.
The Elders had even declared that they would never set foot on the capital star.
“Is that so?” Zhi Xia adjusted her long hair and casually remarked, “But they were the first to reserve the public beta test slot for Merfolk, and they’ve spent quite a bit.”
Wu Zhu: “…”
So the Elders were also peculiarly fond of certain things.
As the Elders descended slowly, Wu Zhu and Zhi Xia refrained from speaking further. The Elders seemed disdainful of conversing with them. One of them reached into the string of red pearls, pulled one out, and placed it in the recess on the temple door.
A dull, rusty sound echoed from the depths of the sea.
The long-sealed temple doors slowly swung open, revealing—
Treasure.
The vast temple was entirely filled with various riches: massive pearls, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, antiques, ores, energy stones, mother-of-pearl… The door had barely opened before a heap of treasures spilled out, nearly burying Wu Zhu and Zhi Xia.
Wu Zhu absentmindedly picked up a dagger adorned with black pearls, recalling that he had seen a similar one at an auction, fetching a price of over a hundred billion star coins.
A billion would be enough to buy a prosperous little planet.
Oh, almost forgot.
The Merfolk were now like interstellar billionaires.
Wu Zhu took a deep breath: “…”
Wu Zhu: “So, what’s the method you mentioned?” How would they deal with the Light Tower again?
“Financial power.”
The Elder’s tone was icy.
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Thanks for the hard work!
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