NOVEL NEXT Chapter 66 - Freedom
Ah, what freedom?
Just when the new students thought they could finally enjoy their freedom, they realized they had nowhere to go. How could they call it freedom if they couldn’t roam freely?
Instructor Dudley had told them they were comrades, so they had to share both hardships and joys. Even though Hua Deli had completed his punishment tasks in the morning, he had to stay at the base with the others until everyone was done.
It was already four in the afternoon, and with just over an hour until dark, no amount of pleading would convince the instructor to let them go into the city. Instead, he lectured them, saying that if they had completed their tasks, they could have gone out in the morning.
Except for Ruo Manni and Gao Haitao, who cherished this training under strong mentors and didn’t feel much about the outside freedom, the other eight students were quite disappointed. They were used to the bustling city life and were working hard here for their cultivation, but that didn’t mean they didn’t feel bored.
The base’s network couldn’t connect to the broader internet, so they couldn’t play games or even send messages. They were unwilling to just sit in the dormitory.
In the end, with nothing to do and not wanting to return to the dorms, the new students surprisingly decided to explore the island together.
Ruo Manni actually wanted to go back to her dorm because she longed to relax in her jade pendant space.
In these past few days, the robotic butler had managed her space well, making it feel increasingly like home. Unfortunately, to avoid anyone discovering that she had a different kind of space device, Ruo Manni only entered the space in the mornings for a hearty breakfast and rarely went in otherwise.
When she first discovered she had a jade pendant space on Topaz Star, Ruo Manni cleverly ordered her favorite vegetable seeds immediately, thinking about leaving the planet soon.
The delivery system in this world was incredibly fast; some items would arrive in less than half an hour after ordering.
A few days ago, remembering those vegetable seeds, Ruo Manni entered the planting manual into the robotic butler and had him plant some vegetables in the empty space.
As a result, her water usage in the dorm increased significantly, but no one asked her about it, so she pretended not to notice. Instructor Dudley didn’t reprimand them for the water shortage or mention anything about conserving water.
Then yesterday, Ruo Manni was delighted to find that the seeds she planted had actually sprouted. Regardless of whether those seeds would grow, the sudden greenery in the previously empty space was a pleasant sight.
Perhaps this was what it felt like to build one’s own home. Looking at the little seedlings, Ruo Manni felt very happy and wished she could stay in the space a bit longer. Unfortunately, with her current schedule, she only returned to her dorm at bedtime, leaving no time to enter the jade pendant space.
To avoid making her companions feel that she was out of place, Ruo Manni had to spend her time with them. However, there wasn’t much to see on the island, and before they knew it, they found themselves in front of a beautiful villa at the other corner of the island.
“This villa belongs to the Crown Prince, right? Brother Li, can we go in and take a look?” Sheila said, carefully examining the villa.
“It’s not a day off, and there’s no one inside—only the robotic butler,” Hua Deli replied disinterestedly.
“Brother Li, have you ever been here?” Sheila pressed on.
“What is this place? Of course, they wouldn’t just let anyone in,” Dean Atchison replied somewhat irritated.
“But you’re the Crown Prince’s cousin. You could totally stay here while training on the island.”
“You think my cousin Xiahai is someone who allows us to act special? He’s the strictest with us and never permits any exceptions. We’re here for intense training, not for fun,” Dean Atchison said. “Let’s go; you’ve all seen villas before—what’s so interesting?”
“Ruo Manni, you’ve never seen such a beautiful villa, have you?” Sheila suddenly turned to Ruo Manni.
Ruo Manni wanted to snap back at Sheila, wondering why Sheila had to drag her into this. Did she think she was some easy target just because she was from a poorer background?
“I haven’t seen one, so what? Is it illegal?” she replied lazily, not wanting to engage in banter with Sheila.
Her response seemed to catch everyone off guard, and they all looked at her in disbelief, with Sheila appearing almost choked.
“What? Is there really a law in the empire against not having seen one?” Ruo Manni asked, her interest piqued by Sheila’s exaggeratedly panicked expression.
“No, no,” Sheila’s voice sounded as if it were being squeezed out from her teeth.
“You scared me! I thought I had broken the law,” Ruo Manni said, letting out a big sigh of relief and dramatically patting her chest.
Noticing that a smile had uncontrollably appeared in Mina-Olli’s eyes while she was teasing Sheila, Ruo Manni cheerfully said, “Mina, how about we go to the beach and enjoy the sea breeze?”
“Alright,” Mina-Olli agreed.
In the end, the bored new students wandered along the beach, stepping on small creatures in the sand and kicking at the waves that crashed ashore. Eventually, they turned back once it got completely dark.
“No matter what, we can enter the War Realm tonight. I haven’t been in for ten days, I wonder how far my ranking has dropped,” Dean Atchison said excitedly.
“What’s your ID name, and what was your rank before?” Su Forty-three, who had been somewhat absent-minded, suddenly perked up, his eyes shining with enthusiasm like a true gamer.
Dean Atchison was about to reply when he suddenly remembered something. He glanced at Hua Deli before saying, “Anyway, we can’t team up until we hit level ten, so let’s wait until then. It’s good to keep a bit of mystery, right?”
Speaking of the War Realm, the previously lethargic companions immediately perked up, discussing and sharing their experiences.
By around nine o’clock that night, everyone quickly scattered back to their dorms, clearly eager to enter the War Realm.
Since it was still early, Ruo Manni entered her space, enjoyed a hearty meal, and took an enhanced herbal bath before heading into the holographic gaming pod. She even set it to allow her to sleep an extra hour after logging off.
Having been absent for nearly ten days, Ruo Manni was worried about her ranking dropping significantly. However, when she checked, she found that she had only fallen one spot, from second to third, while Hua Feitian, who had been in first place, dropped to second.
Ruo Manni knew that Hua Feitian was Hua Deli and that it was not surprising for him to fall behind after ten days of inactivity. But who was this sudden newcomer, the imperial prince, who had taken the first place? She couldn’t recall any mention of him in the novel.
In the story, Hua Feitian had consistently held the top spot, while she didn’t remember who occupied the second, third, or fourth positions. The female lead, Xianxian Yufei, started in fifth place but eventually climbed to second due to the protagonist’s halo effect.
Yet in reality, an imperial prince had suddenly emerged to dethrone Hua Feitian. Ruo Manni, the unexpected variable in third place, knew that if she hadn’t taken so much time to complete coin tasks and study mecha manufacturing, she would have surpassed the male lead by now.