Chapter 147: Workbench Level 2

"These are the vegetables you asked for, and this is a watermelon I'm giving you as a friendly gift." She blinked, "Consider it a personal present; you must remember me."

Hu Lai Lai opened the lid for Cheng Shuili to inspect; the vegetables inside were very fresh, the leaves still spread out, clearly the best selection.

Cheng Shuili thanked him sincerely.

Hu Lai Lai gently closed the lid, handed the box to a nearby server, and carefully instructed, "Hold this for the human miss, take her to the vehicle and then return. Understand?"

The server took the box with both hands, bent over and lowered his head, showing extra respect to Hu Lai Lai.

Seeing that it didn't look like a usual superior‑subordinate relationship, Cheng Shuili was curious; these beastfolk surely didn't have a class system, right? That would be feudal superstition.

She was thinking that when another server, cradling a purple velvet box, jogged over and handed the item to Hu Lai Lai.

It must be the Creation Heart worth 70,000 Game Coins.

Cheng Shuili tallied in her mind: the first visit to the Ten Thousand Beasts Trading House she spent 3,999 Game Coins for a staff badge; the second time she bought rice at a base price of 6,000 Game Coins; now, on her third visit, she had already spent 80,000 Game Coins.

Spending a total of 100,000 Game Coins would make her a Tier‑3 VIP of the Ten Thousand Beasts Guild, granting a 40% discount.

Half a month ago, when Cheng Shuili first heard the news, she thought it would take a year or two to accumulate, but she didn't expect to achieve it so quickly.

After Hu Lai Lai confirmed the item was fine, he handed the precious "Creation Heart" to Cheng Shuili with both hands.

To be safe, Cheng Shuili shoved it straight into the Abyssal Ring.

The two didn't linger at the Jiao Yi Zhan; everything that needed to be known was known, everything that needed to be bought was bought.

Cheng Shuili was in a hurry to return and upgrade the workbench, unwilling to stay any longer.

Su Rui had no objection; she was never interested in the Jiao Yi Zhan's trinkets, and now that she'd lost her sense of taste, she was even less interested.

The server arranged by Hu Lai Lai escorted them all the way, placed the box on Cheng Shuili's vehicle himself, and left after bidding farewell to the two.

He was a very polite beastfolk.

Cheng Shuili nodded and watched him return to the Jiao Yi Zhan alone.

As soon as Su Rui got in the vehicle, she headed straight for the cockpit; one reason was that she'd gotten used to it over the past few days, the other was that she could contribute so little to Cheng Shuili.

Driving counts as one, handling the supply crate counts as another.

Aside from those two tasks, nothing else of Cheng Shuili's required her involvement.

Su Rui placed her hands on the steering wheel, and while looking ahead she suddenly recalled the daily ritual of fetching mineral water each morning.

Each night, by dawn she felt as if she were about to die, but after drinking the 500 ml of mineral water she could instantly feel herself "come back to life."

It was as if what she drank wasn't water at all, but a miraculous cure.

Su Rui sighed; it was indeed wondrous, yet each time she drank the mineral water it reminded her that she was no longer human, now merely a servant.

The human behind her who gave her the water was her master.

This feeling of total disconnection from modern civilization often made Su Rui wonder if she was dreaming.

But the lost sense of taste and the body that needed no rest kept telling her repeatedly that this wasn't a dream.

Su Rui originally planned to drive Cheng Shuili's vehicle for 80 days, earn 800 Game Coins, settle the debt for buying her out, and then finish it all in one go.

But now…

Su Rui suddenly felt a strange hope.

If a servant still had a chance to become human… if it only required consuming some item…

Following Cheng Shuili would be the most likely way!

Su Rui calmly pressed the accelerator, thinking to herself: I hope that day truly comes.

Cheng Shuili, once in the vehicle, headed straight for the workbench!

This time the Game Coins were really spent too much; she could hardly remain indifferent!

Cheng Shuili had forgotten how to open the workbench's upgrade page, and after fumbling around the system menu for a while finally found it.

【Current workbench level: lv1】

【Materials needed to upgrade to level 2: Creation Heart×1, Iron Block×15, Iron Nail×20, Insulation Material×6, Heat‑shield Material×2, Plastic×18, Rubber×6.】

【Current blueprints owned: Primary Condensed Water Device, Simple Hunting Trap, Energy‑saving Air Conditioner, Simple Sunroom (additional blueprint: Flower Pot), Fully Automatic Smart Washing Machine, Fuel Purification Device!】

All other materials are available!

Cheng Shuili carefully pinched out the precious Creation Heart; its feel and the crystal surface were completely different, somewhat soft to the touch.

It felt like a real heart.

She placed it on the workbench, then brought over the other materials one by one, set everything in place, and clicked the upgrade button on the system page.

The workbench suddenly emitted a hum, and pale blue light patterns appeared on its surface.

The Creation Heart on the tabletop seemed drawn by some force, slowly levitating to mid‑air as a multicolored aura began to flow over its crystal surface.

The materials piled nearby were linked by invisible threads; the iron blocks first broke down into tiny metal particles, forming a silver vortex in the air.

The insulation and heat‑shield materials turned into white and gold specks of light, swirling around the Creation Heart like stardust.

Overall, it looked quite nice.

But that's not why it sells for 70,000!

Cheng Shuili still felt a pang at the price, yet the scene was truly beautiful; she was indignant inside, but her eyes stayed fixed.

She wanted to see a return on investment!

The Creation Heart's pulsation grew more evident; each beat caused subtle ripples in the surrounding air.

The plastic and rubber suddenly softened, flowing like liquid to envelop the metal particles, weaving a translucent cocoon above the workbench.

Cheng Shuili involuntarily held her breath.

With a light "click," the light cocoon shattered into countless specks of light.

The upgraded workbench finally appeared before Cheng Shuili,

The ordinary mahogany tabletop has been completely renewed; now the white surface is twice as large, and three extra storage tiers have been added to the side, looking more in sync with Cheng Shuili's vehicle's interior style.

But…

That's not the point!

Cheng Shuili opened the Workbench page and checked what new functions appeared after the upgrade.

She searched while praying in her heart that the value of these seventy‑thousand flowers must increase a bit!

She flipped through for a long time, didn't find the new function, but found the materials needed for the next Workbench upgrade.

【Current Workbench Level lv2】

【Materials required for Level‑2 upgrade: Mechanical Heart×1, Iron Block×30, Iron Nail×40, Insulation Material×12, Heat‑insulating Material×8, Plastic×30, Rubber×30, Fiberboard×100, Alloy Component×100, Wire×100.】

【Current blueprints owned: Primary Condensed Water Device, Simple Hunting Trap, Energy-saving Air Conditioner, Simple Sunroom (additional blueprint: Flower Pot), Fully Automatic Smart Washing Machine, Fuel Purification Device!】