Magic Farm 83
by CristaeChapter 83: We’ve Met Before
The professional version of the communication orb, once bound with spiritual power, proved to be remarkably stable.
So stable, in fact, that the voice on the other end sounded as though the person were speaking right beside him—crystal clear.
And… very familiar.
Qi Yu had an excellent memory, especially since he’d begun cultivating his spiritual power; when reading, he could already achieve photographic recall.
Voices, naturally, were no exception.
“Your voice sounds really familiar. I feel like I’ve heard it before.”
Dan Xingyu’s ears inexplicably grew warm. If he didn’t know what kind of person was on the other end, he might have read too much into it.
Still, the game boss’s voice was clear, clean, and, surprisingly, sounded very young.
He replied softly, “Maybe it just sounds similar.”
No, that wasn’t it.
Qi Yu asked, “Yesterday, did you have a red resource zone card?”
Dan Xingyu was startled. “How did you know?”
He was sure he hadn’t mentioned this to Qi Yu yet.
Qi Yu’s voice rose a little, “Did you meet a mage in a dark green cloak?”
Dan Xingyu: ?
He was stunned. “You were there yesterday too?”
“So we’ve already met, Shenben Wuxiang.” Qi Yu spoke with delight.
“I was that mage.”
He recalled the scene from yesterday, feeling a bit happy. “You even said I looked cool.”
Dan Xingyu froze, trying hard to recall everything from the day before.
But he’d been in a hurry to get to the resource zone, and hadn’t spared much attention for a passing mage.
He only remembered a brief glance—the other person shrouded from head to toe in a cloak, very mysterious.
How could it be such a coincidence?
“How could it be such a coincidence?” The same question echoed in his ear.
He heard Qi Yu’s regretful voice: “If I’d known it was you, I would have talked to you more.”
“You’re the first Blue Star friend I’ve met in the survival game world.”
For the first time, Dan Xingyu felt his mind couldn’t keep up. He began to frantically recall what he’d been wearing in the resource zone yesterday.
Thankfully, he hadn’t dressed too outrageously—at least not enough to embarrass himself.
Wait!
He suddenly stiffened.
The cloaked mage was I Love Survival Games, but he himself hadn’t worn anything to hide his appearance.
Did that mean Qi Yu had seen him clearly?
He grew unconsciously nervous.
No matter how young someone looks, no one at twenty-eight could possibly pass for eighteen, right?
Had Qi Yu already realized he’d lied?
“Shenben Wuxiang?” Qi Yu looked at the little orb in his hand, puzzled. Was the signal still not stable enough?
Why was there no response from the other side?
Shenben Wuxiang usually talked a lot.
A voice finally came through:
“When you saw me yesterday, what did you think?”
If a friend compliments me for being cool, of course I have to return the favor.
Qi Yu answered without hesitation, “Your eyes are beautiful—bright and sparkling, as lovely as mist star flowers.”
He’d noticed it at first glance.
Dan Xingyu: “……”
He couldn’t help but smile, muttering quietly, “Who wants to hear that?”
Still, the familiar feeling seemed to return.
The inexplicable tension in his heart eased, and he breathed a sigh of relief, taking the initiative: “What I mean is, when you saw me, didn’t you think I looked younger than you expected?”
Qi Yu genuinely hadn’t thought about it.
After all, he’d met President Sean, who was seventy-nine and stronger than an ox.
He replied, as straightforward as ever, “No.”
Dan Xingyu: “……”
“Knew I shouldn’t expect too much from you.” He sighed, feeling even more at ease. “I owe you an apology.”
“Sorry, I lied to you. I’m not twenty-eight—I’m eighteen.”
Qi Yu felt that Shenben Wuxiang finally sounded like the person he knew.
He listened to the other’s voice, fresh and full of youthful energy: “Let’s introduce ourselves again. Shenben Wuxiang, real name Dan Xingyu. Eighteen this year.”
Dan Xingyu typed out the characters of his name on the survival panel and sent them to Qi Yu, then quietly waited for a reply.
The game boss probably wouldn’t be too angry, right?
He felt a little sly, relying on Qi Yu’s good temper to choose this moment to reveal the truth.
He’d imagined many possible reactions, but never expected:
“We really are on the same wavelength!”
Qi Yu, too, hadn’t known how to bring up the age issue with Shenben Wuxiang.
Who would have thought the other had also lied about his age, so now they were even.
He let out a great sigh of relief and hurriedly said, “Take back your apology, because I lied to you too. I’m not actually twenty-nine.”
Dan Xingyu: ?
“You…”
Qi Yu copied his format and introduced himself: “Let’s introduce ourselves again. I Love Survival Games, real name Qi Yu. Nineteen this year.”
“In terms of real age, I’m still a year older than you.”
He thought to himself: Thank goodness, after all those times Shenben Wuxiang called me ‘big brother,’ it turns out I wasn’t taking advantage of him.
The other side was silent for a long time.
Qi Yu asked, puzzled, “You’re not mad, are you, Shenben Wuxiang?”
That shouldn’t be the case—since both had lied, they were even.
A burst of laughter answered him: “Not mad. I just think it’s all so ridiculous, but also really funny.”
It felt like neither of them was particularly bright.
Qi Yu also found it amusing. “Shenben Wuxiang, I can’t believe you’re so young.”
Dan Xingyu nearly choked. “Why don’t you just call me by my name?”
When they used the survival panel, calling each other by their IDs didn’t feel strange.
But now, talking through the communication orb, hearing “Shenben Wuxiang” spoken so naturally by the other person felt a bit bizarre.
Qi Yu: “Alright, Dan Xingyu.”
That sounded much better.
Dan Xingyu: “Then I’ll call you by your name too, Qi Yu?”
He emphasized, “You’re only a year older, so don’t make me call you ‘big brother’ and take advantage of me.”
Qi Yu didn’t see what there was to fuss about, but nodded. “Alright.”
For some reason, they both started laughing again.
After the laughter, Dan Xingyu suddenly sighed. “Compared to your gift, what I brought you seems so shabby.”
Qi Yu promised, “It won’t. As long as it’s a gift, I’ll be happy to receive it.”
Dan Xingyu: “Then take a look.”
[Your friend “Shenben Wuxiang” has sent you a gift.]
[Received Candle Jade Lotus Branch x20, Candle Jade Lotus x2.]
Qi Yu took them out.
Twenty flower stems instantly covered the entire table.
The flower called Candle Jade Lotus was as large as a rice bowl, its layers of pink-white petals thin as cicada wings, elegant and pure, supremely soft and beautiful.
Dan Xingyu said, “I saw these flowers in the resource zone yesterday and fell in love at first sight. Don’t they look like a stunning version of a lotus? I thought, if I picked some and put them in a vase, they’d look amazing.”
“Then I thought, since you live in a forest and have a farm, I’d try bringing back two whole plants. If you can get them to grow, you’ll have all the fresh flowers you want.”
“Vase?” From the name, Qi Yu knew what it was for, and nodded. “I’ll check the trading board later to see if anyone’s selling them.”
The Candle Jade Lotus really was beautiful. Remembering what he’d said earlier, Qi Yu immediately declared, “Dan Xingyu, I really like your gift.”
Dan Xingyu: “It’s just a shame it’s too hot here. I took one out, but even with fresh water, it wilted before my eyes. I have to entrust them all to you.”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but imagine what Qi Yu would look like holding a bunch of flower stems.
Unfortunately, all his previous mental images of Qi Yu had been overturned, and he couldn’t reconstruct a new one at all.
Qi Yu recalled his earlier thought—he planned to check the Mage Association shop for any temperature-control arrays for sale.
Of course, it would be best if he could learn how to draw magic arrays himself.
He glanced at the two Candle Jade Lotus plants set aside. “I’ll go plant them first.”
“Go ahead.”
The communication orb had a switch; once turned off, it would temporarily cut the connection.
Qi Yu found a patch of empty ground and planted the two Candle Jade Lotus flowers. Watching the relentless icy rain, and fearing the delicate flowers would freeze, he cast two blessing spells in succession.
One was a standard growth blessing, to strengthen the plants’ vitality.
For the other, as he cast the spell, he made a wish: May your life flourish, may you bloom abundantly and leave behind seeds.
Dan Xingyu seemed to really like these flowers. If Qi Yu could grow many in the future, he could send him a fresh Candle Lotus every day.
After planting the flowers, Qi Yu noticed Tu Mu Laoge had sent him a gift.
[Received 4,750 Emerald Crystals.]
That was the proceeds from selling the Brocade Flame Feather sets.
[Tu Mu Laoge: As expected, they sold out almost immediately. Lots of people who missed out are still asking if I can restock.]
[I Love Survival Games: There aren’t any more.]
He couldn’t go to Gold Cavern City for now.
Opening the area channel.
Players were still discussing the resource zone.
One player lamented:
[Liver Emperor: When I entered the resource zone yesterday, I ran into a bunch of players from other regions—people from islands, grasslands, deserts. I was so focused on the resource zone, I thought we’d return to the plaza after leaving, but as soon as the twenty-four hours were up, I was sent straight back. If I’d known, I would have tried to connect with other players and maybe trade some supplies.]
[Bugan Zhengkaiyan: If only players from different regions could trade with each other.]
[Roach Smells Weird: They didn’t even let us use the survival panel there. The survival game really thought of everything to block us.]
[The More You Grind, The Harder Life Gets: I envy those who got into the resource zone—you must have gotten lots of good stuff. My main worry now is that this rain just won’t stop. The mutant beasts outside have almost all been driven off by the rain-swifts, so it’s hard to even hunt them for meat.]
[The More You Grind, The Harder Life Gets: The temperature keeps dropping, and while we have plenty of bonfires, if we can’t get enough energy from food, it’s still tough to endure.]