Free Web NovelChapter 4: Chapter 3: You Call This Family Property?
Su Mo returned home famished, and the crudeness of the house took her by surprise.
An adobe house, without a single piece of decent furniture.
It looked slightly better than prehistoric times, but not by much.
A few thatched huts were attached to either side of the adobe house, though she had no idea what they were for.
After rummaging through the kitchen for a while, Su Mo found two sweet potatoes.
Besides some salt on the stove, there was nothing else.
She washed the sweet potatoes, scrubbed the skin off, and returned to her room, where she lay on the bed and began to gnaw on them.
’In a place like this, just not starving to death is enough.’
DING—
"Little Nine here. Congratulations, Host, on successfully resolving the crisis."
Su Mo: "You’re a real fair-weather friend, you damn system. Where the hell have you been?"
Little Nine: "You’ve got it all wrong, Host! Little Nine went to prepare your novice gift pack~"
At these words, Su Mo’s eyes lit up. "Quick, let me see what’s in it!"
The next second, a panel appeared in Su Mo’s mind. She tapped open the novice gift pack.
’Special Insect and Beast Repellent Liquid x2, one box of 666 Cold Remedy, Disinfectant x2, First-Aid Kit x1, Sanitary Napkins x2 packs, Magical Rose Skin-Nourishing Oil x1 bottle, Melatonin Gummies x1 bottle, one Gourmet Cooking Tutorial. A 10-square-meter Spiritual Spring Space, a 10-square-meter System Laboratory. And a pair of master surgeon’s hands!’
Su Mo knew what a Spiritual Spring was. It was likely a Golden Finger that could make plants grow at double the speed—quite practical.
’But only ten square meters? The System Administration Bureau is way too stingy.’
’And what the hell is that System Laboratory?!’
"Are you serious? I was a slave to the lab in my past life, and you want me to be one in this life, too?!"
As a medical student who had spent her days cooped up in a lab, Su Mo had a subconscious, visceral aversion to the two words "System Laboratory."
’I’d rather have two packs of instant snail noodles than this thing.’
Little Nine: "Host, please don’t be hasty. This System Laboratory isn’t like the one you’re used to. It can connect to a Parallel World."
"What do you mean?"
"It’s a fully automated laboratory. Any successful research you conduct can be sold to another Parallel World linked by the System Administration Bureau. The resulting profits will be converted into points, which you can then use to freely purchase anything you want from the System Mall."
Su Mo frowned. "Can I buy a ticket home?"
Little Nine: "Er... not at the moment. And it’s unlikely to be possible in the future, either."
"Why?"
"To be honest, you’re the ninth host I’ve served. Of the eight before you, not a single one made it back alive..." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Su Mo’s mouth twitched. "So they all kicked the bucket because they failed their missions?!"
"This system does not interfere with the host’s life choices in this world; the host is free to live as they please. As for the previous hosts, some were poisoned, others were mauled to death by beasts... However, this system can tell you have a very lucky face and believes you will definitely live a long and prosperous life~"
"...My eternal gratitude to your entire ancestral line!"
"You’re very welcome! Little Nine looks forward to a long and lasting partnership with you, reaching the pinnacle of a system’s existence together!"
Su Mo couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "Instead of wasting time sucking up, why don’t you get me something to eat."
"Apologies, Host, but items in the System Mall must be exchanged for points. Your current point balance is negative 560."
"What! Say that again!"
"It’s like this, Host. You took an advance of 600 points for the Detoxification Pill, but since the system detected a slight increase in the male leads’ favorability toward you, 40 points of your debt were automatically deducted."
A line of text appeared in Su Mo’s mind: Mo Xiao’s real-time favorability: -99. Fei Yan’s favorability: -60. Yue Ying: -55. Ye Yuan: -40. Cang Lan’s favorability: -35.
’All five male leads have negative favorability scores. How absurd!’
She frowned and asked, "Can I switch out a few of these fiancés?"
"Of course. This system does not interfere with the host’s choices in this world. We are partners, not in a superior-subordinate relationship."
"Oh, right. Besides earning points by improving the male leads’ favorability, you can also earn them by gaining the favorability of passersby. Of course, the higher the difficulty, the greater the reward."
Su Mo raised an eyebrow. ’Isn’t that just a roundabout way of telling me that winning them over is worth more points than winning over passersby?’
’Like hell I will!’
’Even if I get fewer points from passersby, I can just win over a whole bunch of them, right?’
"Host! What’s wrong with your arm?!"
Su Mo glanced down. Little red dots and a rash were breaking out on her slender arm. It looked like an allergic reaction.
She took her own pulse.
Then she frowned. ’An allergic reaction to the snake venom!’
Her gaze fell upon a small, red wound on her right index finger, and a memory surfaced.
"That stinking snake! I was kind enough to give him the antidote, and he tried to poison me! He really is my bane!"
Little Nine: "Er... Host, perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding, my ass! They’re a bunch of black-hearted bastards! They obviously hate me, yet they refuse to call off the engagement! It’s clear to me they’ve plotted this. They’re waiting for the poison to kill me so they can split my family fortune and find a new Female Master!"
Outside the door, Mo Xiao, Fei Yan, and Yue Ying froze.
’Who is Su Mo talking to?’
Then the three of them subconsciously glanced at the thatched huts outside, their faces filled with disbelief.
’A few thatched huts... she calls that her fortune?!’
Little Nine asked as tactfully as possible, "Er, Host, are you sure you have... a fortune?"
Su Mo shot him a vicious glare in her mind. ’I will in the future!’
Little Nine: "Then what about the snake venom? Will you be okay?"
"It won’t kill me. This isn’t the only poison in my system. The toxins are counteracting each other, so I’m fine for now."
’How strange. Why did the original owner’s body contain several types of poison? It’s practically a vessel for toxins.’
’Surviving this long is a medical miracle in itself.’
’I’ll have to go to the System Laboratory later to study this bizarre body.’
Outside, Mo Xiao frowned slightly. ’Su Mo was exposed to my poison and only had an allergic reaction?!’
Fei Yan and Yue Ying were equally baffled. After all, if they themselves were exposed to Mo Xiao’s poison, it would be enough to make them shed a layer of skin.
"I need to boil some water for a bath!" Su Mo got up and headed outside.
Startled, the three men outside immediately ducked into the shadows.
Su Mo carried a wooden bucket to the river, filled it with water, and poured the water into a large pot to boil.
Once the water was boiling, she went to her room to find a change of clothes.
After her bath, Su Mo looked at the red rash on her skin and frowned. ’I need to find some herbs for this allergy, or I won’t be able to sleep tonight!’
Su Mo called out in her mind, "Little Nine?"
"I’m here!"
"Come with me up the mountain. We need to find some herbs."
"Alright, Host."
A moment later, Mo Xiao and the others saw her leave the house carrying a tattered animal-skin pouch.
Once outside, Su Mo spoke to Little Nine telepathically. With Little Nine giving directions, she quickly reached her destination.
The forests of the Beast World were lush and teeming with diverse vegetation. The air was fresh, and filled with the calls of various animals.
It was a pity Su Mo had come at night; it was all a bit gloomy and spooky.
Thankfully, Little Nine was with her, otherwise she would have been genuinely scared.
Su Mo quickly found what she was looking for. She took a small shovel from her animal-skin pouch, dug up the herb, rinsed it in a nearby stream, then crushed it and applied it directly to her skin.
On her way back, she saw some mushrooms and picked them, along with some edible wild vegetables and fruits.
She glanced up and spotted a bird’s nest on a nearby branch, so she climbed up to take a look.
There was a clutch of bird eggs, so she helped herself to those as well...
’When you’re out in the wild, you have to be self-reliant. Morality doesn’t matter!’
She had just climbed down from the tree and hadn’t yet found her footing when she heard a loud THUD from behind.
Su Mo whipped her head around to see a Beastman lying behind her, his face covered in blood.
Beside him were two Dragon Pups, also on the verge of death.
Su Mo’s first instinct was to run.
"Host, I think they’re still alive!"
"It’s none of my business if they’re alive! Mind your own business, mind your own business!"
"Saving people can earn you a ton of points~ Then you can go on a shopping spree in the System Mall!"
Su Mo stopped in her tracks. She turned and walked back toward the figure on the ground.
She pushed his hair aside for a look. ’Isn’t this the dragon who was hanging in the tree watching the drama earlier tonight?’
’Emma, just as I thought, a total meathead. It’s only been a little while, and he’s already gotten himself this badly injured?’
Su Mo checked his breathing and then his pulse. "He’s this badly injured? It’ll be difficult to treat... Maybe I should just forget..."
"Host, the more difficult the treatment, the more points you get!" freewebnovel.cσ๓
Su Mo: "How many?"
"If you nurse him back to a half-dead state, you get 1,000 points. If you get him back in tip-top shape, that’s 2,600 points! And if he dies during treatment, you still get 100 points as a reward for your good deed!"
"...I’ll treat him!"
’Worst case, I still get 100 points. This deal is a steal!’
Su Mo fashioned a rope out of hemp and, with much huffing and puffing, began to drag the dying Dragon Beastman and the two Dragon Pups away.
From the shadows, Yue Ying frowned and muttered, "How is that Dragon Race’s Young General so badly hurt? Even a Witch Doctor would shake their head at injuries like that. Why is Su Mo taking him back? He’s already in that state... she can’t have such an extreme fetish, can she...?"
Mo Xiao frowned. "Dark energy is swirling around him. It looks like he’s been deeply poisoned."
Fei Yan’s brows were tightly knitted, but he remained silent. While he wasn’t a Witch Doctor, he knew that Su Mo had just gathered a number of herbs—some for treating allergies, and others with hemostatic and anti-inflammatory properties.
’When did she learn all this?’
