NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78 - Boys
Mai Dongzi chose a single table by the window and sat down. Outside, there was a large, flat square, and she saw two mechas engaged in a fierce ground battle in the distance.
Because her view wasn’t very clear, she used her spiritual power to “see,” and she happened to catch a glimpse of one mecha knocking the other to the ground.
The fallen mecha used the momentum of its fall to slide and kick, striking the leg of the other mecha and causing it to stumble and fall backward.
However, just as the mecha began to fall, its mechanical arms swiftly rotated backward, extending out to support itself. It pushed against the ground with both hands and, halfway through its fall, managed to stand back up.
The mecha that had originally been knocked down also took the opportunity to get back on its feet. The two mechas resumed their fight, throwing punches and kicks at each other like two giant children brawling.
Even though the mechas stood nearly five meters tall and were quite agile, they weren’t as nimble as human bodies. In this way, their punches and kicks didn’t cause much damage. It seemed to be just training to improve control over the mechas.
However, for Mai Dongzi, who had never even touched a mecha before, they were incredibly fascinating. She was thoroughly engrossed in “watching” them.
She didn’t snap out of it until the mechanical server that had previously greeted her slid over with a tray covered by a transparent lid.
The tray was divided into sections, containing a portion of vegetables, a portion of fruit, a portion of beast meat, and two light green buns.
The dishes looked simple, but the portions were substantial. Based on Mai Dongzi’s appetite from her previous life, it would take her at least a whole day to finish it all.
But this was just one meal’s worth for her, and the mechanical server also mentioned that if the portion wasn’t enough, she could request an extra serving.
The mechanical server placed the tray on the table in front of Mai Dongzi and then removed the transparent lid.
The moment the lid was lifted, a delicious aroma filled the air.
She was already quite hungry, and after smelling the mouth-watering scent, she no longer had any interest in watching the two mechas sparring back and forth.
The tray came with a knife, fork, and chopsticks. Mai Dongzi picked up the chopsticks and grabbed a bite of vegetables first.
She didn’t know what kind of vegetables they were, nor did she know how the chef had cooked them, but they tasted fresh, fragrant, and delicious. She really enjoyed them.
Mai Dongzi then tasted the beast’s meat and immediately identified it as coming from a level-three mutated beast. The meat had been roasted and seasoned, and she could only say that it was extremely delicious.
The light green bun was not like the buns Mai Dongzi had eaten in her previous life; it had a slightly salty taste but was very flavorful. Especially when she took a bite of the beast meat and then a bite of the bun, chewing them together, the taste was extraordinary.
Mai Dongzi had just eaten a few bites when two young men in their early twenties entered the cafeteria.
With her slightly extended mental powers, Mai Dongzi had already sensed these two young men heading toward the cafeteria, and when they entered, they noticed her.
The two young men paused for a moment when they saw Mai Dongzi.
These two were about the same age as Ren Guang, but they were already level-six cultivators. Even without an introduction, Mai Dongzi knew who they were.
Mai Dongzi put down her chopsticks, stood up, and politely greeted the two young men with a bow, “Hello, seniors. My name is Mai Dongzi, and I just arrived yesterday.”
“Oh, so this time it’s a junior who came. Hello, junior,” one of the young men, who seemed more outgoing, responded first.
The other young man, who seemed calmer, also nodded politely to Mai Dongzi. “Hello.”
Mai Dongzi was slightly surprised to see these two young men respond so politely. In the original host’s impression, these “chosen ones” going through their rebellious phase were often arrogant and dismissive, always looking at others as if to say, “Don’t bother me, mere mortals.”
However, she quickly reconsidered. Although these young men couldn’t discern her psychic abilities, they could certainly see her level-six warrior cultivation and level-three wood-type ability. Given her age, having these two cultivation levels was more than enough to outshine these two young men. So, how could they possibly act arrogant and dismissive toward her? Moreover, she was a girl.
Even after two thousand years, boys and girls still formed different groups. Generally, in the absence of animosity or conflict, interactions between boys and girls of the same level were quite friendly.
As a result, the two young men chose to sit next to Mai Dongzi, showing a genuine interest in continuing their conversation with her. While waiting for the boys’ food to arrive, Mai Dongzi took the opportunity to ask them about the situation of the trainees currently at the training center.
“With you included, there are a total of five people. The two guys currently training with the mechas in the training grounds are around your age—one is 17 and the other is 18. Both are early-stage level-five cultivators with 2S-level cultivation potential,” the more cheerful young man said.
The quieter young man, who had sat down and opened his light brain, seemed to be looking at something. After the cheerful young man finished speaking, the quieter one looked up and asked Mai Dongzi, “Are you Lucy Xi?”
The cheerful young man blurted out in surprise, “You’re the fake heiress?”
Great. These two young men, even if they weren’t fans of the survival game show, were certainly netizens who had followed the heated discussions about the real and fake heiresses online. They might have even participated in the online debates.
However, judging by their somewhat excited reactions, it didn’t seem like they had ever been among those who had criticized Lucy.
“We both watched your survival game livestream,” the cheerful young man explained, clearly having realized the potential awkwardness of their previous comments. “When the whole real and fake heiress thing blew up online, our teacher told us not to believe everything at face value. If things blew up that much, there was definitely something off about it.”
The cheerful young man felt a bit embarrassed about his earlier outburst.
“My teacher also said that if you look at who suffers the most in the whole situation, that’s usually the most innocent person,” the other young man added.
“I’m not angry. I know I’m not useless. The more vicious the insults on StarNet, the more everything will turn around once the truth comes out,” Mai Dongzi said, pretending to be enigmatic.
Though the two young men seemed curious about why she had been rumored to be a “useless person,” they ultimately didn’t ask. Instead, they started talking about the mutated beasts she had killed on the show.
This brief exchange helped to dissolve the initial distance between them, where they had been polite but still felt like strangers.
In their subsequent conversation, they briefly discussed their own training experiences. Both of them had their own instructors. When their instructors weren’t around, they would complete their assigned training tasks and then team up for sparring.
“There are currently thirteen trainees in the training center. Normally, we all train on our own, but whenever there’s a holiday, we have to compete in a match. Those with lower levels of cultivation are at a disadvantage, and our instructors are always present to watch us fight,” said the cheerful young man, Ye Zhengyan.
“Mai Dongzi, your cultivation level isn’t lower than anyone else’s, so there’s no need to worry,” added Booker Qiao.
When Mai Dongzi mentioned that she had changed her name, both young men immediately showed an expression that said, “I understand your reasons and get where you’re coming from,” and they promptly started calling her by her new name, Mai Dongzi.