Ch. 52: Return

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING THE QUEST

[ GOING OUT WITH SOMEONE ]

YOUR REWARD IS NOW STORED IN YOUR INVENTORY

A date... when my gaze caught the notification, I couldn't help but mutter. My mind recalled last night's scene... I let out a long breath... I had done it with Keqing. It was the first time for me.

I had to do it... if not... no, forget it. It wasn't out of necessity, but just my selfishness.

My body slowly shivered, and I hugged my own body silently. I did it out of fear... my gaze kept falling on the Liyue Harbor that was slowly slipping away from my sight. I felt that it was all an illusion I had created for momentary pleasure. I was afraid of what punishment would befall myself.

A coward like me deserved to be a jerk.

At this moment, another notification appeared in front of me.

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING YOUR SPECIAL QUEST! YOUR ACHIEVEMENT IS OUTSTANDING. TAKE YOUR REWARD: LEGENDARY CRATE, COMMON CRATE, AND +250 EXTRA EXP.

My eyes were glued to that notification... great, provocation!

Putting that aside, this Special Quest was finally completed as well... although the price I paid was to commit a sin.

I sighed. Looking back, I had honestly guessed that this would happen. This system deliberately imposed its selfishness on me, moving me according to what it wanted. What a tool.

I checked the quest menu, and my gaze fell on the quests that had just appeared, or that I had yet to complete.

Now there were two more quests.

[ RETURN TO FONTAINE ]

[ ESCAPE FROM THE TREASURE HOARDERS ]

I just realised that there was also a quest just yesterday, I hadn't checked it because I was busy...

At this moment, a level up notification suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. Like a spam message.

CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 10

CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 11

CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 12

My body went silent for a moment. My eyes stayed on the text for a long time. My mouth, opening and closing.

Since when did I level up so much?!

How come... what could it be?!

It's because I killed the Abyss Order!? Is that really how much exp I get from killing Abyss Order? What if I kill a lot of Abyss Order? Will I become OP? Could it be that I'm actually the Protagonist in a script?

Then is it okay if I imagine my festive life at the end?

I mumbled as I joked and chuckled to myself in the reverie of the horse-drawn carriage.

The tapping of horseshoes accompanies the regular steps of the horse-drawn carriage that glides slowly. The rustling of the trees greeted my eardrums.

My eyelids closed for a moment, letting the breeze tickle my face.

My body followed the swaying of the cart, back and forth. The sound of creaking wheels and the occasional whinny of a horse broke the silence.

I gripped the wooden bench I was sitting on tightly. My lips were pressed tightly together. Then, I sighed.

As I realised, entertaining myself in this way was a futile endeavour.

I was beginning to lose my sense of humour.

I slowly raised my hand, and as the air around me shook, particles of light began to gather to form a faint glow.

The sparkles grew brighter, forming a spiral strand that spun rapidly above my palm.

In an instant, the sparkles died out and crystallised into a square container.

Its surface glistened beautifully, with intricate carvings that seemed to live and move in abstract forms. Its colour emitted a golden glow that reflected the image of my face on it. Legendary Crate.

My fingers touched the surface of the magical object, tracing the intricate carvings. Then, I opened it.

A crackle of dazzling light emanated from the crate as I slowly opened the lid.

My breath caught in my throat. I was stunned, stunned helplessly. My hand slowly moved, trembling as it touched it.

Item Name: Magic Wish Machine

Description: The Magic Wish Machine is an ancient artefact that has the extraordinary power to grant wishes up to three times over. However, if the requested wish is too excessive or exceeds the limit of this artefact's power, then the requestor will grant the wish in a strange and unexpected way.

After reading that, I put it into my inventory. Then, I took another object from the inventory.

My hand reached for the diary in my arms, gripping the cover as if it were a backrest.

***

The silence that fell made the sound of clinking kitchen utensils sound loud.

The aroma of cooking danced in the air, caressing the sense of smell of anyone who was there.

A middle-aged housewife is busy with the food she is cooking, her delicate fingers moving deftly to slice and stir.

Meanwhile, the head of the family sat on the sofa in the living room with an open newspaper on his lap, occasionally glancing at the wall clock to check the time.

Suddenly, the sound of small footsteps could be heard approaching. A six-year-old girl appeared in the kitchen doorway, her curls swaying with her movements.

She approached her mother who was standing at the kitchen counter, standing beside her and gripping the hem of her mother's house dress with her tiny fingers.

"Mom, when is brother Henri coming home?" she asked, looking up at her mother's face with an expectant look.

The mother turned her head, a soft smile on her lips as she gazed at her youngest daughter.

Her eyes then shifted to her husband who was still sitting on the sofa. "Brother will be home soon. Right, dad?"

The patriarch looked away from the newspaper, looking at his wife and child.

With a steady nod, he replied, "That's right, Henri should be home soon."

The silence that had enveloped the room was suddenly broken by a knock on the door. The housewife turned around, her smile growing as she looked at her little daughter. "Look, open it, maybe it's Henri," she said softly.

A smile curved the little girl's face.

With carefree steps, she turned and ran towards the door.

Her tiny body bent slightly as she tried to reach the door knob that was too high for her.

After several attempts, the door finally opened.

But instead of the anticipated figure of her brother, she only found an empty space behind it.

Her head swivelled to the right and left, searching for who could be knocking. But the scene outside the door was as familiar as ever.

When her glance fell, her pair of round eyes found something lying in the doorway.

It was a book, a diary with the name 'Henri' written on the cover, and beside it was a small pouch the size of an adult's palm.

***

Charles leaned against the wall of the old house. The layers of paint had peeled off, forming faint cracks.

His eyelids closed for a moment, absorbing the silence that surrounded the air.

Only the chirping of birds and the whistling of the wind were occasionally heard, accompanying the melody of nature in harmony with his breathing.

How long he was pensive, no one knew. What was clear was that when his eyelids opened, his gaze was fixed on the bright blue sky that stretched across the landscape.

His stare was dreamy, as if looking far beyond the horizon.

A long sigh slipped from his lips, bringing the puff of tobacco smoke at the corner of his lips to dance before disappearing into the air. The store-bought cigarette lit up a bit of tranquillity in his heart.

"Congratulations on completing the quest,

"Your reward is now stored in your inventory," he whispered, no smile, no celebration.

His face remained as calm as a flowing river. Wordlessly, he walked away from the old wall.

His silhouette slowly faded among the pedestrianised streets.

***

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