Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor- Zzzzz, Proofreader-adjective
After discussing, Ji Dong and the others felt that it was not only unreliable but also easy to mislead themselves by trying to guess what SCP item they would soon face.
However, not being able to obtain information about the SCP item in advance didn’t mean they couldn’t do anything.
They spent some time familiarizing themselves with all the knowledge about the SCP in the [Peach Blossom Spring] database, especially on how to gather intelligence and the roles and permits of relevant personnel.
On April 22nd, which was the seventh day since Ji Dong and the others returned to [Peach Blossom Spring].
That evening, after a whole day of training, when Ji Dong was returning to his room with Ren Jianmo, he received a message from the second-hand dealer, Yao Wanguan.
In the message, Yao Wanguan told Ji Dong that he had sold the collectible item [Thousand Days of Drunkenness] they brought out from the [Painted Wall of Souls]. After deducting the commission, there were still over 8,200 points left. “You can come to my shop anytime to collect this ‘little money’!”
Yao Wanguan, with a playful tone in his deep and magnetic voice, ended the message.
Ji Dong and the other four have been busy with training and gathering information lately, so they haven’t had a chance to spend their points. Each of them had a bunch of “money” in their hands.
So, after receiving Yao Wanguan’s message, Ji Dong felt quite tempted.
“How about we go to his shop tomorrow and check it out?”
Ji Dong looked at Ren Jianmo and said, “Perhaps there might be some collectibles that we can make use of?”
Ren Jianmo naturally agreed with his suggestion. He also thought that they might be able to get something useful from Yao Wanguan, whether it was collectibles or information.
So, Ji Dong excitedly sent a message to the other three companions.
After Ji Dong wiped away the floating communication box in mid-air, Ren Jianmo reached out and wrapped his arm around the waist of the little one from behind. “But right now, shouldn’t you be concerned about something else?”
Ji Dong couldn’t help but blush again.
Since the day they broke the ice, they had been sleeping on the same bed every night.
Although they hadn’t taken the final step, they had done plenty of kissing and touching.
However, Ji Dong still felt nervous, anxious, and shy when he held his lover.
He was still young, and his excess energy during adolescence was all spent on the recurve bow.
While other kids his age sneakily held hands with girls at school, little Ji Dong was sweating profusely on the training field, never having the chance to experience matters of the heart.
Ren Jianmo was his first love, his first confession, and his only lover with whom he exchanges kisses and warmth.
“I haven’t taken a shower yet.”
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…………
The two of them spent a little extra time in the shower.
By the time they came out, it was already 11 p.m.
Ever since Ren Jianmo started staying over at Ji Dong’s place, the AI assistant, Xiao Bai, thoughtfully added extra belongings to their owner’s room.
At this moment, Ji Dong and Ren Jianmo were lying face to face on the same bed, wearing properly sized-pajamas. Their noses were almost touching, close enough to feel each other’s breath.
After their intimate moment, Ji Dong’s forehead, nose, earlobes, neck, and the collarbone beneath his shirt were still slightly flushed. His eyes were also a bit watery, making him seem like a small animal that had been bullied, looking even more pitiful and adorable than usual.
Ren Jianmo reached out and gently rubbed his forehead. “Go to sleep, we have to wake up early tomorrow”.
Ji Dong nodded and obediently closed his eyelids.
In his heart, he silently counted to three hundred, then opened his eyes again.
Sure enough, Ren Jianmo was still in the same position as before, with his head tilted and his eyes lowered. His mismatched eyes gazed gently at Ji Dong.
“Why did you open your eyes again?”
Ren Jianmo’s beautiful fingers slid along the corner of Ji Dong’s eye, brushing through his temple. “Can’t sleep?”
“No,” Ji Dong denied, shaking his head.
A few days ago, when they started sleeping together, Ji Dong did feel nervous for a while.
Especially when they were face to face, Ji Dong would always stare at Ren Jianmo’s exquisitely beautiful face, which was so captivating that it felt like breaking the rules. His brain uncontrollably replayed every little detail of their close contact, and the more he looked, the more restless and impatient he felt.
But after a few days passed, he had already gotten used to it.
Although he still felt his heart race when he was close to his loved one, Ji Dong no longer lets those untimely thoughts affect his sleep.
What he does mind is something else.
Because Ji Dong had noticed that no matter when he falls asleep, the last thing he saw before drifting off is his lover’s awake face.
The next day, even if it was just barely dawn, Ji Dong would always wake up to find that Ren Jianmo had already gotten up before him.
——That’s right, just as I thought.
Ji Dong stretched out his arm and hugged Ren Jianmo’s back, leaning forward and burying his face in the crook of his shoulder.
“It’s okay, I’ll go back to sleep now.”
Ji Dong replied vaguely.
——That’s right, he never falls asleep before I do.
April 23rd, 9:00 in the morning.
Ji Dong, Ren Jianmo, Mo Tiangen, and Fan siblings gathered in front of Liange and headed to Yao Wanguan’s shop, “Between the Maple Leaves.”
“Not bad, not bad, everyone is alive!”
As soon as the door opened, a huge stork with a whale-like head greeted them, spreading its wings as if it intended to give them a warm hug.
Everyone instinctively took a step back and silently agreed to go around from both sides, casually avoiding each other’s embrace.
Yao Wanguan withdrew his “hands” with a hint of disappointment.
“Alright, alright, let’s talk business first.”
The giant stork then evenly distributed the 8,240 points he earned from selling [Thousand Years of Drunkenness] amongst the five of them. He then invited them to the counter, serving each person a cup of tea, and began inquiring about their experiences in the [Film] this month.
“Your last [Film] had a difficulty level of B, right?”
Yao Wanguan said, using the pointed feathers of his wings to hold the teacup, raising it high. He then opened his beak and poured the entire cup of hot tea with a splash. “So, did you get anything interesting? Something I can sell on consignment?”
Ji Dong shook his head, “Sorry, this time we don’t have anything to consign.”
They didn’t return empty-handed this time.
However, the reward of [Dr. D’s Universal Enhancement Elixir] had already been consumed by them, so naturally, there is nothing to consign.
“Oh, well then.”
The giant stork shrugged his shoulders and didn’t continue to inquire further.
He decisively changed the topic and started promoting the new collectibles he acquired in the past two months.
Yao Wanguan, the cunning merchant, truly lived up to his reputation as a skilled second-hand dealer. His professionalism was top-notch, and he remembered every single item he had just acquired. As soon as he started talking, it was like a floodgate had opened, and he went on and on without stopping, rattling off seven or eight things in one breath.
Taking advantage of the moment when Yao Wanguan took a breath, Ji Dong finally seized the opportunity and decisively interrupted him, saying, “This time, we want to see collectibles related to the SCP.”
“Wow, no way! Did you guys draw a [Film] from the SCP category?”
After listening to the explanation from Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen, Yao Wanguan widened his eyes in astonishment. “You guys were only at B-level difficulty, right? How did you end up with an SCP [Film]?”
He distinctly remembered that two months ago, when Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen first stepped into his shop, they were just F-level rookies.
Ji Dong explained, “Starting next month, we’ll be moving up to A-level difficulty.”
Upon hearing this response, Yao Wanguan’s eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of their sockets.
His beak opened and closed twice as if hesitating about what to say. Finally, he managed to squeeze out, “Really? Well then, I wish you good luck.”
Meanwhile, the giant stork, with a gaze towards Ji Dong and Mo Tiangen, was filled with inexplicable pity.
This cunning merchant had no idea that the [Peach Blossom Spring] forced them to level up. In his eyes, these two had only experienced four worlds and dared to challenge A-level difficulty. It was as if they were seeking death.
To make matters worse, they even drew a recognized high-risk SCP [Film]. In Yao Wanguan’s mind, he had already concluded that after the 15th of next month, he probably wouldn’t see some of them again.
Thinking about this, the giant stork glanced at Ren Jianmo.
He secretly felt a sense of regret.
It was rare for the King of Lanling to have four teammates willing to cooperate…
…But, it seemed that he would soon return to being a lone wolf.
“Speaking of the SCP [Film]…”
The merchant quickly snapped out of his unnecessary melancholy and regained his usual business-like state.
“I have a little something here that you might find useful.”
As he spoke, he began rummaging through his bag.
Before long, Yao Wanguan pulled out a key and opened a hidden compartment on the wall.
“Look, it’s this.”
Yao Wanguan took out a pocket watch from the hidden compartment and waved it in front of everyone.
It was a practical piece that had been obsolete for at least a century, the kind you could only see in vintage movies – a vintage-style pocket watch with a Rococo design.
It was about the size of half a palm, seemingly made of brass, with intricate patterns carved into every inch of its casing. The chain was a string of pale yellow pearls, exquisitely crafted like a work of art.
“This thing is called an [Energy Meter], a collectible brought back by a team of participants from an SCP [Film].”
Ji Dong and the others immediately became interested.
Since it was a collectible brought back from an SCP [Film], it likely means that this was a legendary SCP item.
Mo Tiangen immediately asked, “What is this pocket watch used for?”
“Don’t be fooled by its appearance as a pocket watch, it has nothing to do with telling time.”
Yao Wanguan placed the pocket watch on the counter and opened the outer cover with a snap.
Ji Dong and the others stretched their necks, curiously leaning in to see.
And then, they saw the most peculiar dial design they had ever witnessed in their lives.
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