Chapter 399 : Chapter 399

Chapter 399: Improving Living Conditions

Looking at the three bodies lying on the ground and the two threads of Destiny in my hand, my mind was filled with mixed feelings.

It was as if something very important had happened, but my heart felt empty, and my head was full of riddles.

This feeling was not comfortable.

So... I turned and walked toward the mountain of small money.

In this damned world, only this tangible thing could slightly compensate for my inner emptiness...

Only after indulging for a while did I stand up, satisfied.

Then, with a wave of my hand, the mountain of Hardwood Coins, paper currency, precious metals, and luxury goods were all collected into my Storage Equipment.

Not a single Hardwood Coin was left behind.

After collecting the wealth, I looked at the first two Secret Diggers.

The last one humbly claimed he hadn't robbed much, yet he had so much wealth, with even more reserves in the bank.

It was hard to imagine how much money these two had.

What a shame... I couldn't squeeze any more value out of them now.

After a simple search, they didn't have anything valuable on them.

Their battle gear and weapons had all disappeared, so I didn't even have a chance to sell them as scrap.

As for how to take these guys away to collect the bounty... that was a problem.

I didn't want the Storage Equipment Big Sis Bai gave me to hold these guys.

That was too gross.

After much thought... I looked around the area.

No one seemed to live here.

I finally decided to set Teleportation Markers on them and let them lie here for now, summoning them back later if needed.

The Teleportation Summoning Spell that could summon an entire greatsword during the exchange competition proved its value at this moment.

Since there were no residents here, leaving them for a few days was fine.

After all, it was just claiming a bounty.

With all this planned, I sighed.

Who would have thought that I only wanted to learn about the Secret Diggers and interact with them slightly, only to end up sending them to their graves?

I would only blame the guy who forcibly pulled me into the fight and the one who shot at me.

But in the end, one of them provided the "burial fee," so it wasn't a loss.

There were good people in this world after all.

It was time to go find Qiu Ruxin.

Since I had money, there was no need to painstakingly plan to rob the rich and aid the poor.

***

"Yo It's broad daylight, and it's so dangerous outside. Yet, there's a little girl wandering around?"

"Did you get kicked out of your home? How about coming back with your uncles?"

"Tsk..."

The sudden voices made Qiu Ruxin's heart skip a beat.

Turning around and seeing the hooligans, she subconsciously clicked her tongue.

Her hands involuntarily clenched tightly.

The pain of her nails digging into her palm reminded her to stay calm.

"It's always like this..."

But now, she didn't need to be afraid like before.

She had already tested how solid the Protective Spell on her body was.

Even though Little Han Sis didn't give her a means of self-defense, the protective spell effects were excellent.

She only needed to wait for Little Han Sis to find her...

But she also blamed herself for not finding a better hiding spot and running into these guys.

However, considering her bad luck... such things happening was no surprise.

"Not running away yet? Good that you're not running. How about coming back and playing with us?"

The three men slowly closed in on Qiu Ruxin, blocking her escape routes.

But as they tried to put their hands on Qiu Ruxin, they found their hands were blocked by something they couldn't see.

A Protective Spell is generally an energy shield.

Transcendent Energy is usually invisible to the naked eye unless it dissipates and causes a glowing or heating phenomenon, or if it is deliberately made visible during use.

Otherwise, a Protective Spell only faintly reveals its shape when attacked, because energy inevitably dissipates and glows when struck.

"What is this thing?"

This time, it was the hooligans' turn to be confused.

They hadn't expected this situation.

Clearly, they weren't thinking about spells or magic, but simply that this was high-tech self-defense gear invented by the rich families of Lanath Island.

As for suspecting the girl was a Secret Digger?

Please, they had never seen such a cowardly Secret Digger.

Those guys would probably pull out a gun and shoot them just for getting in the way.

"Damn it! What the hell is this!"

After confirming they couldn't punch through it, they became enraged and immediately kicked it.

But the kick immediately sent him stumbling backward due to the repulsive force, and the shield didn't budge.

This action immediately made the two younger hooligans beside him laugh.

"What are you laughing at! Hurry up and help me up! I don't believe this today."

He cursed, then picked up a rock from the side and threw it at Qiu Ruxin.

Seeing this, Qiu Ruxin subconsciously raised her arm to block.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Little Han Sis's means, but it was an instinctive reaction.

But the rock also hit nothing.

"What are you two looking at! Join me! Anyone who has a good thing like this—just this thing alone could fetch a good price on the black market!"

With his roar, the other two also joined the attack.

Human greed is like this.

Even if they couldn't see anything, they always felt their effort would be rewarded.

How could they believe that the girl in front of them was already a homeless, penniless orphan?

"Was that fun, smashing rocks?"

Just as the three men were getting tired from smashing the rocks, a female voice rang out behind them.

"Who?"

The leader of the hooligans immediately turned back alertly, but he was met with a kick from me.

I kicked him directly in the side of his waist.

Since he hadn't fully turned around, the kick landed squarely on his kidney area.

An enormous force sent him flying into a fleeting Teleportation Channel without any resistance.

The large man instantly vanished before Qiu Ruxin's eyes.

I didn't waste words on the other two either and kicked them into the Teleportation Channel as well.

All of this happened in a very short amount of time.

The next moment, the Teleportation Channel closed.

Indeed... spells get better with use.

The Teleportation Spell was no exception.

"Little Han Sis!"

Qiu Ruxin, seeing my arrival, immediately emerged from her negative emotions—coldness, self-blame, sadness, etc.

But she was also very curious about the means I used.

"Those guys..."

Just as Qiu Ruxin was about to ask, a gut-wrenching scream and wail came from the distant sky.

As the figures fell rapidly to the ground, the screams stopped.

Qiu Ruxin, who witnessed the entire scene, was stunned for a few seconds after the screams ceased.

Then, a wave of cold sweat broke out on her back.

That method!

It was truly terrifying...

"I'm so sorry. I should have prepared a small item for you to defend yourself," I said, finally breaking the silence.

I truly hadn't expected Qiu Ruxin to be found by hooligans again in such a short time.

"It's alright. Little Han Sis's shield was enough to protect me."

"Simply seeking self-preservation is not enough in this world. However, I don't have any alchemy items here. You might have to wait."

I briefly comforted Qiu Ruxin.

Regarding the crafting of alchemy items, I didn't have much experience, but combining my understanding of runes, knowledge of spells, and the Inscription technique, I could directly solidify a spell onto a small item, even a one-time use one.

At least it would serve as a means of self-defense.

I subconsciously scanned Qiu Ruxin's accessories, looking for a suitable carrier.

But after a long look, I found nothing suitable except for a pendant around her neck.

The pendant was tucked inside her collar, likely to hide her wealth.

"Um... Little Han Sis, you mentioned earlier that you were going to approach those Secret Diggers... what was the result?"

Qiu Ruxin quietly asked, following my gaze.

"They were taken care of, of course," I said, shrugging with a smile, as if it were a trivial matter.

"By the way, I think you mentioned those Secret Diggers all have arrest warrants and bounties on their heads, right?"

"Mhm... I think so," Qiu Ruxin nodded.

"Then do you know where to collect it? Is it at your so-called Investigative Squad or somewhere else?"

I asked curiously.

I wasn't short on money now, but no one ever thinks they have too little, right?

"That... I really don't know. Collecting bounties is too rare an occurrence."

"Then never mind. By the way, let's go get you a new set of clothes."

The main goal was to buy some clothes to blend in and purchase a cell phone and a computer setup.

Although the devices might not be called by those names in this world, the Telepathic Communication Spell allowed me to understand the concepts of cell phones and computers from Qiu Ruxin.

Once I had a cell phone, wouldn't it be easy to just search the Plant Network's search engine for information?

Even if this world didn't have a dedicated search engine, there should be communication platforms, right?

I could just post a question there.

"Get a new set of clothes? But we don't seem to have much money... Oh, those few hooligans..."

"No, we have money. The Secret Diggers kindly sponsored us, and they enthusiastically gave us their corpses to claim the bounty with."

I explained with a smile.

"What?"

Qiu Ruxin looked at me in shock.

She was somewhat disbelieving of the "kindly sponsored" part, but when she heard the keywords "corpses" and so on, she quickly realized what had happened.

No wonder Little Han Sis had asked about the bounty.

So... she had already dealt with them?

But... where were the corpses?

"It's fine that you know. Some things are best not to be explained directly. Let's go. We can have a big dinner tonight and sleep at the best hotel. We'll also get you a new outfit," I said casually.

A night of luxury was a must tonight.

I needed to gauge the purchasing power of the currency in this world.

Although I had bought food and water at the convenience store earlier and stayed at an inn, the consumer spending of the lower and upper classes was different.

I needed to estimate how long the money I got would last.

This would help me plan if I had enough time or if I needed to take action again after a while.

With the plan set, we quickly put it into action.

We first went to buy some new clothes.

I didn't want anything too glamorous, but I found that even after changing clothes, the aura that attracted attention from others was impossible to completely conceal for both Qiu Ruxin and me.

Even I was a bit surprised.

The clothing style in this world was quite nice, with a foreign aesthetic.

However, due to the general environment, the style seemed somewhat conservative, but conservatism also had its own beauty.

After trying on many sets of clothes and skirts in different styles, I waved my hand and bought them all.

The payment was a bit troublesome.

This world didn't have mobile payments or electronic payments, but cards were accepted.

However... I recalled what the unnamed Secret Digger said, and his words made me strongly resistant to depositing money in the bank.

My trouble was simply because large-sum payments made it difficult to justify how I had acquired so much money.

This world didn't have the concept of Storage Equipment.

But... I finally decided to deposit a portion of the money that was inconvenient to carry.

For example, I took out the Hardwood Coins.

Although Hardwood Coins also had large denominations, they were indeed not as convenient as paper currency.

Even then, I only deposited a portion.

"An unregistered card... that's interesting."

After leaving the bank, I played with the card.

The card's material seemed similar to the Hardwood Coin and was quite durable.

I had to say, money spoke louder than anything else.

When I said I couldn't provide identity verification, the staff's attitude immediately changed.

But when I presented so much money that the staff was shocked, they were willing to ignore my identity verification, issue an unregistered card directly, and even inexplicably grant me a membership.

"Little Han Sis, what are we going to do next?"

"Buy a cell phone for easy contact, and then assemble a computer. I want to log onto the Plant Network to learn more about this world and study your language and writing."

"Mhm, I know where it's more affordable. Do you need me to guide you?"

"That would be great. I know nothing about these things, so I'll have to rely on you. For both the phone and the computer, my requirement is that they should just be functional."

"Although I'm not too familiar with these things either, if it's just functional, it shouldn't be a problem," Qiu Ruxin said after a thought.

Then, as I followed Qiu Ruxin to purchase these items, I found that Qiu Ruxin was also not very knowledgeable about them.

After all, these electronic devices were usually favored by boys.

Qiu Ruxin probably hadn't had much exposure to them, so she was very unfamiliar, but she still tried her best to help me.

Since my requirements were simple, the purchase was quick and efficient.

However, the procedures, plans, networking, and so on took up a lot of my time.

After all this, it was already dark.

"Let's wrap up our work for today. Let's go. I'll take you out for a big meal."