Chapter 146

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

"Host, congratulations on returning to the Consciousness Space."

Shen Yao looked at the System drifting back and forth in front of her, its entire body constantly blooming with ethereal, multicolored little flowers, and felt utterly speechless inside.

"Rewards, let's finish the proper business first, then discuss the rest."

"Understood, the relevant rewards have been fully distributed. Please check them promptly, Host."

The System was fast to an absurd degree; Shen Yao looked with a face full of surprise at the System, whose colors had deepened and edges had become distinct, and inexplicably felt that this Mission World's System had not merely passed its assessment — it had most likely gained even more benefits.

It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to wheedle a few more rewards out of the System's hands.

Opening the System Package, Shen Yao saw nine One Cubic Meter Small Spaces sent over in one breath by the other party.

The original 3×3×3 space had become a 4×3×3 space, larger by more than a little.

Besides that, there were also numerous System-produced Pills; some were the old familiar kinds, but there were new ones as well.

Like one Beauty Pill — its description was simple, but its actual operational scope was very high, even able to let a person change their external appearance without pain.

"You really made contact with other Systems?" Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, feeling the System wasn't telling the truth.

"Made a bit of contact, but can't exchange for more Pills yet; still need the Host to continue completing Missions," the System spoke lightly, not knowing whether it was truly stupid or playing dumb (most likely its IQ genuinely wasn't enough), and incidentally showed Shen Yao some of its new functions after passing the assessment.

Shen Yao cooperated with the System and chatted for a while, finally forcing the truth out — making the System hurry up and honestly confess whether it had reaped a rich harvest in the previous world.

System: ……

"Host, the rewards the System issued to you have already exceeded normal standards."

The implication being that no matter how much it harvested, it had nothing to do with Shen Yao.

"System, you can't put it that way; the Missions issued were done by me."

She rightfully deserved more benefits; otherwise it would deal a blow to her enthusiasm, which would be disadvantageous for completing the upcoming Mission arrangements.

System: ……

The System stingily sent Shen Yao more Pills, and even agreed to let Shen Yao autonomously choose a Mission World once.

"Can it be specific down to concrete world requirements?" Shen Yao felt that if it were truly like that, she certainly wouldn't stand on ceremony.

The System denied it, "Of course not; you can only choose a general background.

For example: parallel worlds, Novel Storybook Worlds, plot-derived worlds — these sorts."

When all was said and done, the System still had to follow certain Procedures set long ago.

"It seems as long as I complete Missions beautifully enough, you'll unlock more Permissions."

That was very good; Shen Yao's imagination ran wild, thinking of some interesting things.

Perhaps one day she could even go on a Mission to a world she had once fantasized about.

She didn't immediately have the System pull up Missions; instead, she first took advantage of the Consciousness Space's convenience to sort through the rewards she had newly obtained.

Including some items harvested from the previous few worlds and the last world.

After all, the Era World's Spiritual Energy was comparatively scarce (one could even say nearly non-existent), but quite a few Spiritual Plants from the Cultivation World were still taken out.

These Spiritual Plants, after continuous cultivation in the Era World, had become different from their original appearance.

But this did not hinder the contributions they made for the Era World.

You must know that among the inner workings of the Pharmacy Shen Yao ran, quite a few things were semi-finished Spiritual Plants she had smuggled over; their existence was the main reason the Pharmacy could maintain its miraculous reputation.

What should be prepared still had to be prepared in advance; who knew, the next world might be similar to the Era World.

Shen Yao, deeply versed in all manner of Survival Strategies, only hated that she hadn't prepared enough.

Following her previous life's standards, Shen Yao readied double portions of everything she could prepare and stored them in the space, then turned her gaze toward the System drifting to and fro in the Consciousness Space.

"Time to take a look at the next Mission World; you said I could choose.

Then, by my previous life's standards, set it in a Modern World with developed technology.

No need for parallel worlds; best if it can be a Novel Storybook World."

Having stated her simple criteria, Shen Yao signaled the System to proceed with the selection.

System: ……

"Host, this is a one-time opportunity; are you sure you want to actively choose a Novel Storybook World?"

"Of course; parallel worlds have too many restrictions, not good for unleashing my abilities."

Shen Yao felt building a career was too satisfying; if possible, she still wanted to try it once.

Parallel worlds derive from the Reality World; though not completely identical to reality, the framework doesn't change, and some Family Rules must be obeyed.

"Novel Storybook Worlds have large development space, easier to complete Missions."

System: …… Doesn't believe it; Missions this simple, no difficulty for the Host — rather, it's for the rewards, after all rewards are intimately related to the quality of the Offspring.

Shen Yao gave a fake smile, "Speak of the Novel Storybook World first; don't waste time."

The moment her words fell, an Electronic Screen appeared before Shen Yao.

The System's voice drifted out, "Novel Storybook Worlds are divided into different difficulties based on the completion degree of their content and plot.

Among them, those possessing a complete Storyline are the simplest; the hardest are those with only a story background and no main plotline whatsoever."

One Novel Storybook World after another of varying difficulties appeared on the screen before her eyes.

Some had story synopses, some had only a few brief sentences, and some had nothing at all.

Shen Yao could be said to have had her eyes opened; so the resources the System could mobilize were this many.

Then the various worlds she had experienced — were they truly randomly drawn and not deliberately chosen?

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow, and in the end chose a novel storybook world that contained only background content.

System: ……?!!!

"Hurry up, don't dawdle; the one who suffers if the mission speed is delayed is you."

She stood up and moved her muscles and bones (it seemed there were none), and Shen Yao urged the system to hurry up and do proper business.

The system swallowed the words it wanted to say and silently opened the transmission channel.

……

The world spun; Shen Yao experienced the familiar urge to vomit and understood she had already arrived at the mission world.

A remote countryside town in H Country

Students currently in PE class surrounded a girl who had fainted, chattering away.

"Alright, quiet down, send classmate Shen to the stairs to sit first. The rest of you, continue running."

She seemed to be propped up and dragged to her feet by someone, her body uncontrolled.

Shen Yao struggled to open her eyes, but in the end could only see blurry human figures.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was hoarse, her throat burning with pain.

"Shen Yao, you're awake, does your head still hurt? You just fainted, it was so scary……"

The girl supporting her excitedly patted her own chest, muttered a few words to herself, then left an unopened bottle of mineral water, turned her head, and hurriedly joined the running ranks.

Shen Yao: ……

Leaning her head against the iron railing to one side, Shen Yao hurriedly asked the system for recovery pills.

She turned her head to block others' gazes, swallowed the pill in her hand, and only then let out a breath of relief.

The unopened water was twisted open; she opened her mouth and sipped two mouthfuls to relieve her hoarse throat.

Shen Yao tilted her head back and blinked her eyes; only after confirming her physical discomfort symptoms had weakened did she have the mood to observe the surrounding environment.

It was a sports field; the inner circle was laid with fake grass, the periphery a plastic track.

"System, original host's memories"

Shen Yao didn't waste words either, hurriedly making the system do proper business.

The system didn't drop the chain; the memories were packaged and delivered. Because the original host wasn't old, there was little useful content; Shen Yao only spent ten minutes sorting out the ins and outs.

Shen Yao, fifteen years old, a left-behind child, studying in the third year of junior high in Linping Town.

Shen Yao: …… Truly unexpectedly simple

She took a deep breath, Shen Yao stood up, found the PE teacher not far away and asked for leave.

After this class ended, there was still a self-study period; Shen Yao planned to leave first, find a place to properly supplement the relevant information of this world for herself.

The PE teacher did not make things difficult for Shen Yao, waved a hand letting her leave, while he himself sternly required the remaining classmates not to slack off.

Instantly, a wave of wails rose behind Shen Yao.

Shen Yao quickened her pace; by the time she left the school, only twenty minutes had passed.

She fished out a dilapidated phone that could only make and receive calls, glanced at the time — three-thirty.

"Two hours of computer"

She handed five yuan to the internet cafe young man; Shen Yao took the machine tag and walked inside to sit down.

"A world like this is truly fragmented," clearly still in the early 2000s, yet possessing technology development comparable to around 2020 — worthy of a novel storybook world.

"Host, everything here is so strange," the system showed its face, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

"Strange what? Only a world like this can let us complete the mission even more excellently."

The computer booted up; the news that popped up was not major state affairs, but one senior financial consortium after another.

That's right; this is a society ruled by financial consortiums; even the national government has to serve the financial consortiums.

Lines of various information appeared on the search engine; Shen Yao patiently clicked into them one by one, confirming that her food, clothing, housing, and transport were all monopolized by financial consortiums.

Two hours of browsing made Shen Yao even more deeply aware of the hidden meaning of the two words "financial consortium".

Ha, not bad, not bad.

"Looks like completing the mission this time will be even easier; the existing financial consortiums have already formed scale; to break through classes one must join them."

"But that won't be easy; dividing the cake — who would be willing?"

"Then make them willing; just prove it's one of our own people."

Shen Yao answered the system while committing the information she saw to memory.

When the two hours ended, she shouldered her schoolbag and turned away without looking back.

Linping Town is not large; the entire small city has only a few bus routes.

Shen Yao currently lives with her grandfather and grandmother, right on the town outskirts.

Creak——

The tightly shut dilapidated iron gate was pushed open; the elderly person busy planting vegetables and catching bugs in the courtyard looked up, "It's Yao Yao returned, quickly come inside and rest."

Shen Yao shook her head, placed her schoolbag on the wooden stool to the side, and herself rolled up her sleeves to help.

"Grandmother, the town's high school is no good; I want to go change to a different place to study."

The elderly person, namely Jin Chuan Zhu, was silent for a long while before speaking, "Want to go to your father and mother's side?"

Shen Yao gave an "mm" and nodded, "The high school there can get into university."

Jin Chuan Zhu sighed, "Yao Yao, be obedient; your father and mother raising you several children is not easy; isn't staying in Linping good? You can also get into university."

Shen Yao's face was full of sorrow, "Grandmother, Eldest Young Master and the others are all by father and mother's side; only I have always studied in town; I want to go over."

Jin Chuan Zhu: ……

"Alright then, I'll go to your Aunt Zou's house later to make a call and talk it over.

You child, why won't you listen to persuasion; staying in Linping is such a good thing."

Jin Chuan Zhu muttered softly, clearly disagreeing with Shen Yao going to a more developed city.

But Shen Yao didn't think so; she understood Grandmother's meaning.

She herself had not been liked by her parents since childhood; going there would not only cost more money but also require enduring their daily disdain, and even among five brothers and sisters she ranked only Third Brother, with no support above or below.

But compared to staying in a town with no development whatsoever, she wanted to take a shortcut and could only go to a more developed city.

So what if Father and Mother disdain her? With so many treasures in her space, would she still worry about going hungry? She just needed to find a suitable excuse to take them out and use them.

The town city won't do; she must leave.

Because of Shen Yao's sudden request, the whole family ate dinner in great silence.

Grandfather and Grandmother at the table had stern expressions; normally, the original host might have already yielded or simply given up on the request.

But Shen Yao is not the original host; they share the same name and surname yet have different personalities.

She quietly finished her meal, and before leaving did not forget to remind Jin Chuan Zhu not to forget to call her father and mother.

Jin Chuan Zhu: …

"This, this this child, old man," Jin Chuan Zhu pointed at the closed room door, looking at Shen Dacheng beside her who was shaking his head and sighing with a helpless face.

"Call then; if she wants to go let her go," Shen Dacheng was not as agitated as Jin Chuan Zhu.

"It was originally Jiabao and his wife who created this karma; born of the same parents, Xiao Hao and Xiao Jie can be raised by their side, yet Yao Yao has grown up in the town since childhood.

Old woman, you yourself feel your heart and think, has Yao Yao not been wronged?"

Jin Chuan Zhu was so angry she patted Shen Dacheng, "I just worry Yao Yao will be wronged so I won't let her go.

Jiabao and his wife are biased; every year they come back once or twice and never buy anything for Yao Yao.

If Yao Yao really goes there, who knows how they might bully her.

Raised for over ten years, I'm reluctant to let her go," tears unconsciously welled up.

Although Jin Chuan Zhu's thinking is somewhat old-fashioned, she also genuinely thinks for Shen Yao's sake; going to Shen Jiabao and Fan Meijuan's side is of no use at all.

Shen Yao stood at the doorway, a single not-very-sturdy wooden door separating the two sides.

The words coming from the table outside Shen Yao heard clearly.

But Shen Yao's heart did not change in the slightest, because the original host had heard these words countless times.

One doesn't know whether Jin Chuan Zhu deliberately said this, or whether Shen Jiabao and his wife (the original host's parents) truly disliked the original host; anyway, the original host lived fifteen years, and her sense of presence in the Shen Family could be said to be low to the point of non-existence.

"Host insists on going? Perhaps you can slowly plan here first."

Although the town's high school is not very good, as long as I am strong enough I can still test into university.

"That way is not cost-effective; every year the college entrance exam admission score lines, some universities also allocate enrollment quotas.

Going to Shen Jiabao and his wife's side, not only would testing into university be very easy, even daily conduct wouldn't need to be concealed too much."

The original host always grew up in the small town, and the time spent with Shen Jiabao and his wife all told barely adds up to less than a year.

And the vast majority of this year was still concentrated when the original host was just born.

Such a rare opportunity, going there she can do more capable things.

She can even use the excuse of making money to take space items to subsidize the household (referring to Grandfather and Grandmother).

But staying in the small town won't work; leaving aside the economic consumption issue, pure companionship alone is enough to make her feel stifled.

After all, Shen Yao has never been some pitiful little thing, and even more cannot use a tragic persona.