Chapter 136: Just to Make Friends? (Rev)

In a sense, yes.

Shen Zexi's tone carried a resigned calm, his face lacking the usual gentle smile, merely mechanically sorting books.

"This afternoon Ying Duo forced them onto me; I later went to the library to ask, and all those books were taken by him, and... he ran away so fast that he never completed the borrowing procedure."

In other words, these were effectively "smoothly" taken by Ying Duo and then "gifted" to him.

"Ying Duo?!"

Qi Hengyu choked on a mouthful of water, began coughing, his eyes bulging.

"Why did he give you so many books?"

He really couldn't connect that guy lugging a Cannon Barrel, tossing bombs and scattering Ying Guang Lu like candy, with the mountain of books before him.

Shen Zexi shook his head, recalling Ying Duo's mutter, and speculated:

"He seemed to have mentioned a term... 'affection level'? He might be trying to use this method to get closer to me?"

"Affection level?" Qi Hengyu looked bewildered, "What is that thing?"

Shen Zexi gave him a look and explained:

"It's probably a concept derived from some interactive games, representing a numerical value of intimacy between characters."

"It can be raised by giving gifts, joint actions, etc.; reaching certain thresholds unlocks more interactions or... party invitations?"

Shen Zexi gave a simple analogy, "It's like you help someone a great favor; they trust you more and are willing to share more, only the game quantifies it."

After speaking, he paused, then oddly asked back:

"You've never played this kind of game?"

Qi Hengyu scratched his messy hair, listening with a dazed expression.

"Games? Only those living in Tianmian City, or the idle folks in the Dome city, can afford to play that, right? In our Slum we don't have the spare cash or time for that."

However, he hasn't never been exposed to games at all.

Even in the Slum there are some shady shops with a few arcade machines, but he only plays simple fighting PvP games; anything like a slow-paced cultivation game certainly doesn't exist.

Shen Zexi fell silent for a moment, realizing this was a cognitive gap caused by different upbringings.

He was about to say something when Qi Hengyu suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Wait! Affection level? Getting closer?"

He suddenly recalled the afternoon Xunlianchang incident, "That guy suddenly came over to spar with me today; could it also be to grind that 'affection level'?"

Shen Zexi was even more bewildered by the remark.

"He came to spar with you? How did it go?"

"This afternoon, at the Xunlianchang."

Qi Hengyu's speech quickened, tinged with disbelief.

"That brat suddenly rushed over and threw a punch at me, then I gave him a few pointers on power generation, and he actually followed them, training with real vigor."

He paced back and forth a couple of steps, gesturing with both hands.

"I found it odd at the time; the kid, though expressionless, learned quite fast... Could it be that he was grinding that 'affection level'? Seeking a fight... no, a duel, as he thought it was a way to get closer to me?"

Shen Zexi, after listening, wore an even more indescribable expression.

"Giving books to someone focused on theoretical research, and dueling with a simple-minded, physically strong person..."

Shen Zexi analyzed slowly, his tone bearing the awe of a scientist discovering a peculiar behavioral pattern.

"His logic is indeed self-consistent; Ying Duo is merely trying to establish contact with us using the method he deems appropriate."

"However, this way of getting closer is overly direct and purpose-driven, quite reckless, yet for those accustomed to Ying Duo's style, it might already count as a gentle approach?"

"Hey, at a time like this, don't subtly put me down, okay?"

Qi Hengyu rolled his eyes, then spread his hands and plopped back onto his bed, the mattress board creaking under the strain.

"So this guy went around in such a big circle, both delivering books and proactively seeking a fight, just to make friends?"

He said the phrase 'make friends' a bit awkwardly; Shen Zexi didn't answer immediately, merely picking up a book and leafing through it casually.

Ying Duo seemed unsure of his preferences, taking a copy of almost every genre.

"Perhaps."

Shen Zexi whispered softly, his voice blending into the night.

"It's just that his way of expressing 'friendliness' differs from our understanding."

——————————————

Got it, so that's how it's played.

Ying Duo sat on his own bed; since Luo Jinyou was still in the infirmary, he was alone in the dormitory.

He was simultaneously grinding the 【Modification】 skill proficiency, replenishing his ammo, and opening the affection level panel.

It was plainly visible that, besides Qi Hengyu's affection level toward him increasing during the day, Shen Zexi's affection level also inched forward slowly.

Ying Duo finally understood how to grind this affection level, deducing it from his previous gaming interactions with Luo Jinyou.

Currently, grinding affection level mainly involves two methods:

Either unlock the NPC's related storyline, or do activities the NPC enjoys together; both raise affection level.

He now has a way to grind affection level, yet he encounters obstacles in other areas.

Chen Mo Zhi's affection level interface never activated; he couldn't even locate that person in the Academy.

That's odd.

Ying Duo practically ran through the teaching building, training area, library, even the infirmary and cafeteria—these usual 'NPC spawn points'—yet Chen Mo Zhi seemed to have evaporated from the Academy.

Could it be that this character's panel requires completing some hidden quest as a prerequisite?

Ying Duo, unwilling to give up, circled the Academy's peripheral, more remote zones several times—abandoned greenhouse corners, herb plots near the rear mountain forest, even climbing the seldom-used old observation tower for a glance.

No, nowhere at all.

He also scavenged a massive heap of miscellaneous materials along the way; his backpack was already insufficient, and he used the materials to expand its slot count once more.

When Ying Duo was standing on the bustling main thoroughfare, he noticed two "passerby NPC" characters sitting on a nearby bench, chatting idly.

"... So, that means the young master of the Chen Family never comes to school on weekends?" a student said.

The other student nodded.

"Yes, otherwise how could we dare discuss him? I heard the Chen Family's rules are strict; if he loses this entrance assessment and goes home, he'll get scolded, right?"

"Who knows? As soon as the entrance assessment ended, I saw him leave school directly that afternoon, looking very grim."

"But that's how he usually is, right? It seems that if he dislikes someone, he'll quietly take care of them..."

"I heard they gained the advantage so quickly this time because he ordered that woman beside him to use scheming tricks, and in the end they still lost."

Ying Duo immediately changed direction and walked up to the two students to ask.

"Where is Chen Mo Zhi?"

The two students were taken aback by his question, their eyes falling on Ying Duo's distinctive Ying Guang Lu hair, and they answered tentatively.

"If you're looking for Chen Mo Zhi, he went home after the assessment; he'll only return when class time starts."