NOVEL NEXT Chapter 117: Gospel
Xia Country, Ming City, Yanhe Road Courtyard.
Under the apricot tree, Yang Qinglan lay on a rocking chair, her entire body relaxed and lazy.
After consecutive trips to Prague and the Indian Ocean, she was even more tired than those who went on vacation.
Li Qianxia went to buy food, Li Changzhou was building a house in "Honey Pot World," and she was responsible for staying behind to prevent visitors.
Thinking of Li Changzhou's furious look on the way back, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
This matter...
From the perspective of the Special Warfare Bureau—I ask you for help, you set conditions, I meet them, you work for me, it's all fair and square.
Whether the conditions you achieved were useful or not, that was your own business.
Li Changzhou and the others were not people from the Special Warfare Bureau; the relationship was purely business, and the other party hadn't cheated, so the blame could only fall on their own foolish demands.
Remembering how Li Changzhou initially insisted on having the skill on the identity card, thinking he had taken great advantage of the Special Warfare Bureau, only to have the bureau benefit more, Yang Qinglan's smile deepened.
However, this time was not without gains.
She stretched out her slender, white hand and picked up the book "Bible·Knight" from the table.
[Name: One of the Evangelical Books]
[Type: Item]
[Quality: A]
[Special Effect: 1. Automatically grants the identity of "Holy Knight";
2. Spend Game Coin to learn the Evangelical Skills recorded in the book;
3. Holders of the Evangelical Book cannot harm one another;
4. When holders of the Evangelical Book join forces, the power of Evangelical Skills is enhanced;
5. Holders of the Evangelical Book can summon other unopened Evangelical Books]
[Minimum Use Conditions: Obtain the approval of the Evangelical Book—opening the book means being approved]
[Introduction: 1. Each page records one Evangelical Skill, you must purchase the previous page in order to open the next page, the higher the approval, the more pages can be opened;
2. Evangelical Skills do not occupy a skill slot;
3. The defense of the Holy Armor increases with the number of learned Evangelical Skills;
4. When the Holy Armor is damaged, it can repair itself slowly]
[Note: Keep your book safe, lose it and you lose everything, also, the complimentary outfits are quite nice]
She turned the book to the first page.
It depicted her.
Dressed in golden divine armor, her bottom half in a battle skirt, golden boots on her feet, with a red cape majestically flowing behind.
Her black hair tied back, her face pale and divine, golden eyes looking out from the book at herself.
She turned to the next page, which described the first Evangelical Skill.
[Name: Punishment]
[Type: Skill]
[Price: 100 Game Coins]
[Special Effect: When facing evil people, Strength +2, Agility +2, Charm (Divine Sense) +1]
[Chant: The Lord said, Vengeance is mine, I shall repay.]
A pretty impressive skill, and it only cost 100 Game Coins.
The "Rifle Mastery" Li Changzhou no longer used cost 100 Game Coins, while Li Qianxia's "Wolf Howl" cost 350 Game Coins, only increased Agility by 2, Perception by 1, and lasted just three minutes, with a one-second 'Intimidation' effect.
After discussion, the holder of this book was decided to be Yang Qinglan.
More isn't always better; Li Changzhou had too many skills to handle already, without the spare capacity to delve into any Evangelical Skills.
Li Qianxia was formerly a tennis girl, loved sports, and had no interest in maintaining any sort of majestic divinity.
Using her own words, the book was good, but the values did not align, and she hoped it would find someone more suitable.
That naturally left Yang Qinglan.
Unfortunately, all three were completely penniless now. Li Changzhou's white card still had 150 Game Coins, which was intended for him to upgrade the skills on the white card.
He didn't care, wanted to transfer the money to Yang Qinglan, but Yang Qinglan believed that "Punishment" wouldn't enhance the team's combat ability, so she declined it.
Yang Qinglan tried it, not purchasing the second page's 'Punishment', and indeed, he couldn't open the third page.
She also tried to summon the other Evangelical Books, to no response—it seemed they had already been perused by others.
"Bible·Knight" currently only served to gift her a set of armor—since she hadn't learned any Evangelical Skills, the armor could only withstand ordinary kitchen knives, better than nothing.
Just then, Li Qianxia returned with the Pizza Hut she wanted, and Li Changzhou also came out from the "Honey Pot World."
After the three of them finished eating, they each went back to their rooms and then met up through the tunnel dug previously, heading to "Honey Pot World" together.
Yang Qinglan dealt with cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, and crops like chili, eggplant, and potatoes, also training her nature-related skills;
Li Changzhou and Li Qianxia continued their training by the lake.
Li Qianxia's gun thrust could now produce a small drill turbine.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm!" She was so excited that she gulped down several mouthfuls of water.
◇
The next morning, the first workday and school day after the October holiday, was also the date written on the lecture tickets.
Li Qianxia collected today's chicken, duck, and goose eggs and suddenly said, "Should we name them?"
"We can name the dairy cows, but not the beef cattle, chickens, ducks, geese, or sheep," Li Changzhou commented while examining a bull's horns.
The bull mooed, its anger potent enough to kill a lion, but in his hands, it was like a little kid being forced to blow his nose.
"Why?" asked Li Qianxia, puzzled.
Yang Qinglan was milking the cows and explained calmly, "Because the dairy cows will be with us for a long time, the beef cattle will not."
"Ah," Li Qianxia sighed, "It seems from today, I must keep my distance from my brother, or else I won't be able to harden my heart to kill him later."
"You better harden your heart to keep your distance first," Yang Qinglan replied lightly, clearly skeptical.
"No biggie!" Li Qianxia snapped her fingers.
"Alright then," Li Changzhou discarded the bull, "starting today, you are not allowed to treat me for a year."
"Ah—" Qianxia's face fell, "How about just for one day?"
"You can't even last one day..." Changzhou despaired.
After drinking milk, eating eggs, and sharing grilled fish, the three of them went to class together.
It had been a while since they'd been in class, and everyone was a bit excited, boasting to each other.
They talked about where they had gone, how many tiers they had dropped in League of Legends, how they were killed by cheaters in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and even getting banned by the officials; overall, it was quite interesting.
After the afternoon classes, the law class didn't rush to disperse, and the counselor came in and held a half-hour meeting.
Reminding everyone to go back early in the evening, not to go to secluded places, and to contact campus security or call the police immediately if something happens.
Additionally, starting this week, disaster prevention drills would be conducted every Wednesday and Friday.
This sparked a round of discussion among the students.
The scale of the game called "Value" was too large, no matter how harmonious, some rumors always leaked out.
In response, the officials simply adopted a 'neither confirm nor deny' attitude while simultaneously organizing training for everyone in case of major crises, and they let out some rumors.
The vast majority of people knew the world was about to change.
Worried for one day, two days, three days, then... those who needed to work went to work, those who were studying went to school, those who had mortgages continued paying them, and those who hadn't bought houses were still waiting for the day the prices would drop.
Panic buying of food occurred in different cities to varying degrees.
But overall, to most people, the game called "Value" was like a major event in the news, whether good or bad, they were actually powerless.
Others buried their heads in their own lives, unaware of the changes in the world, but honestly, they didn't care either.
After the class meeting.
"Qianxia." Li Changzhou called out to Li Qianxia.
"Brother, you go first, I'll chat with Lulu and the others for a bit longer! I'll be right there!" Qianxia was with her girlfriends.
Li Changzhou, carrying his books, walked out of the classroom heading toward Si Ming Building; Yang Qinglan's class had ended earlier, and she was waiting for them in the classroom.
Walking in the empty teaching building, Changzhou pulled out the lecture tickets.
The address was at Ming City University, tonight at 7:30 PM, in the Ming En Lecture Hall.
Entering Classroom 403, he put away the tickets and saw Yang Qinglan sitting in the middle by the wall, resting her head on the table, asleep.
This position was relatively hidden; if one didn't know there was someone there, at first glance, they would subconsciously overlook it.
Changzhou tiptoed closer.
The magnolia-blossom-like crystal-clear profile of her face was partially obscured by strands of black hair.
She was already beautiful, but her sleeping expression made her look even more like a sleeping beauty,
Changzhou quietly watched her.
Yang Qinglan was a perfect girl; the first time he saw her on the bus from Life Square to the Technology Park on Route 5, he thought, 'If only I were wealthy.'
She was the first girl to make him feel that way.
Listening to her even breathing, Changzhou couldn't help but reach out, using the tip of his finger to move a strand of hair that had fallen onto her pink lips.
"Brother? Qinglan?"
Qianxia's voice echoed down the empty corridor.
Changzhou withdrew his hand like lightning.
Qianxia entered through the back door, "Here you are? Qinglan, sorry to keep you waiting, did you fall asleep?"
Yang Qinglan slowly sat up, "Yeah."
"Huh? Are you warm? Your face is a bit red." Qianxia asked.
Yang Qinglan's skin was very fair, so even a slight flush made her look rosy and radiant.
She touched her cheek with the back of her right hand, and indeed, it was warm.
Then, she noticed Changzhou's gaze.
She moved her right hand, covering her lips and nose, revealing the pale palm facing Changzhou.
"What are you looking at?" Her tone was flat, but her voice seemed a bit nasal, and her eyes appeared somewhat moist.
"Nothing, cough." Changzhou wanted to scratch the corner of his eye, raised his hand halfway, then lowered it.
"Let's go! Hurry up and grab the front seats, we can eat after the evening lecture!" Qianxia urged.
Yang Qinglan put down her hand, stood up, and directed Changzhou, "Take the books."
"Oh." Changzhou took Yang Qinglan's textbooks in his hand.
Qianxia snickered, whispering to Yang Qinglan in a deliberately low voice, "Doesn't my brother look like a loyal dog following us around?"
Loyal Dog·Li Changzhou, followed the two women, and when he closed the classroom door, he swung a fist.
That message from yesterday, "Miss Yang's reply: No need, thank you, goodbye." was definitely a joke!
'Yang Qinglan definitely likes me!' Changzhou was confident.
Once he had money, once he was the number one in Xia Country, once his life was stable, he would confess right away!
The Ming En Lecture Hall was the largest lecture hall in the entire school; it could accommodate at least a thousand students at the same time. Previously sitting in the middle, one could hardly see the professor's face.
This time, the three of them rushed over before dinner, and not only did they not get middle seats, they even missed out on the relatively better last row; they could only squeeze into a small corner by the wall.
"Brother, Qinglan, don't you think this spot is perfect for something?" Qianxia excitedly whispered.
The classroom was noisy, filled with all sorts of people, students being in the minority.
Everyone was speaking softly, but collectively, their voices filled the entire lecture hall.
"Don't talk nonsense." Yang Qinglan's tone was slightly displeased.
"What are you thinking about? I meant sneaking some snacks and playing cards!"
Yang Qinglan didn't scold Qianxia.
Changzhou gripped the armrests tightly; the chair behind him became the ground, holding him firmly in place.