Stage 48: Running Out Of Time

As they stepped outside the building, Berry's excitement became too much to contain, and she squealed joyfully. "Oh my gosh... Oh my gosh! Are you some kind of magical fish boy?"

"What?" Lixin chuckled, finding her words amusing.

"What else could it be? Ever since I met you, one incredible thing after another has been happening. First, we are plunged into an underground tunnel. Even though it scared me at first, we stumbled across a fascinating quest. The monsters gave tons of experience and dropped incredibly valuable items. If that wasn't enough, the quest turned out to be a golden-ranked one. How unbelievable is that?"

Lixin understood her enthusiasm. A golden-ranked quest could only come from a random encounter or a butterfly-effect quest. Reflecting on it, he realized that his encounter with Zinnia was a random encounter.

He initially thought it was a simple fetch quest. However, now he could see that asking the librarian for a book on the Diis Aliis had triggered the random encounter quest.

His only concern was that the quest notification he got for it didn't tell him what type of quest it was. If Lixin got one in the future he might not recognize it and go into it unprepared like he did with this one. It looked like he would need to be one step ahead.

"I'm not magical, I'm just lucky," Lixin replied, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. "Unlike some people."

"Ugh, tell me about it. If it weren't for you, I probably would have never been fortunate enough to partake in a random encounter quest."

Lixin's eyes widened at her statement. "You knew it was a random encounter quest?"

"Yeah, didn't you?" Berry Fairy inquired.

Lixin shook his head. "No, I only realized it now."

"Didn't you read the quest information?" Berry Fairy asked.

"Yes, but I didn't see anything indicating it was a random encounter."

"Oh!" Berry Fairy exclaimed as if she had just unraveled the mystery of his ignorance. "You must have only read the notification and didn't check the quest tab. According to my brother, the notifications don't disclose the quest type; you can only find that out in the quest tab."

"Really? I had no idea," Lixin admitted with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Luckily you have me here to tell you."

"It is lucky, isn't it?" Lixin smiled. "Hopefully, you'll get to experience it soon as well."

Understanding his implication, Berry Fairy playfully stuck out her tongue. "Hey! Don't mock my lack of luck. Not everyone can be born with as much luck as you."

Lixin smiled back, but there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes. Contrary to what the Panda girl believed, he hadn't been born lucky. If he had, he wouldn't have endured so much hardship throughout his life.

Sensing a shift in his mood, Berry Fairy swiftly changed the topic. "So, what do you think? Should we seal the quest?"

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Lixin responded, "Yes, let's! Even though this is just a game, I also want Mrs. Mayflower to find closure."

"I feel the same," she said, nodding in agreement. "Okay let's do this."

With one last look at each other, they clicked Yes on the screen, effectively sealing the Random Encounter quest. Immediately after that, they were bombarded with notifications.

[Cora:] [You have sealed Zinnia's Plea Quest Line!]

[Cora:] [System Alert! Azalea Cove will be updated in 120 minutes RWT (Real World Time)/ 12 hours VT (Virtual Time)! Please log out or leave town before then!]

[Cora:] [You have gained: 3000 EXP]

[Cora:] [You have gained the title: A Friend of Zinnia! Would you like to equip it? Yes or NO?]

A Friend of Zinnia: As a thank you for fulfilling her last wish to help her and her mother move on, she wishes to help you in some small way, so she gifts you with some of her otherworldly powers. +20 for all stats and Language Acquisition.

[Cora:] [You Have Leveled up!]

[Cora:] [You are now level 9!]

[Cora:] [You have gained 5 skill points!]

A broad smile spread across Lixin's face as he read the title information and clicked Yes to equip it quickly. Although he wasn't sure what Language Acquisition could be used for, he had a feeling it would be something good.

"I can't believe it! I'm already at level 11," Berry Fairy exclaimed with surprise. "My brother took two days to reach this level and here I am at it in just one day. I can't wait to rub it in his face."

"Are you intending to rub the title in his face as well?" Lixin asked, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

Berry Fairy nodded her head vigorously. "Of course I am! +20 in all stats? That's worth bragging about, isn't it? You better not tell me you don't plan on showing off even a little bit!"

"Maybe just a little," Lixin replied. "It'll be fun to see my cousin's face after I tell him about it. I can already picture how shocked he'll look."

"If he's anything like my brother, it will truly be a sight," Berry Fairy giggled.

"By the way," Lixin began, a sense of urgency creeping into his voice. "We only have six hours left before the game updates. Do you have any unfinished tasks?"

"Not really. I just need to go back and talk to my Persona's aunt. I think after that I won't have any more storyline quests in this town since the reward is clues to where I need to head. How about you?" Berry Fairy responded.

"I'm still working on my main storyline quest too. I needed to gather some information for my Persona's guardian and bring it back to him. Speaking of that, I need to read Volume 2 of Truth and Discovery," Lixin explained, retrieving the book from his inventory.

"Oh, that's the book you were searching for," Berry Fairy remarked. "You never told me why you needed it."

"Well, you see..." Lixin began, launching into a detailed account of his Persona and the remarkable discoveries he had made so far.

Berry Fairy's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wow, no wonder you didn't care about the bow. You truly are a lucky fish."

Lixin chuckled in response.

"But seriously, your storyline is incredible. I thought mine was exciting, but you've surpassed me," Berry Fairy admitted.

"What's yours about?" Lixin inquired, genuinely curious.

"In a nutshell," Berry Fairy explained, "I'm a survivor from an ancient martial arts sect that vanished years ago, and I need to uncover the truth behind their disappearance."

Lixin was momentarily speechless, captivated by the intrigue of her storyline. "What are you talking about? Your storyline sounds so fascinating."

"You're just being kind," the Panda girl replied, slightly skeptical. "After all, you have dragons and demons in yours. It's ten times more epic than mine."

"No, I'm serious. Besides, you've only just begun your storyline. It can evolve into something even more epic later on," Lixin reassured her.

"You might be right," Berry Fairy acknowledged a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"I know I am."

~

Author Says:

MomoCatt: So you like her storyline better than your own?

Lixin: I never said that, but it is intriguing.

MomoCatt: It is but I still prefer yours.

Lixin: I just like being a fish.

MomoCatt: That reminds me, want to try some Braised Fish With Spicy Tomato Sauce?

Lixin: Seriously?!